The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, now celebrating its 17th year, has made literary history by unveiling its first ever all-British shortlist. This prestigious award, one of the UK's most lucrative fiction prizes, will see five authors compete for the £25,000 top prize, with each shortlisted writer receiving £1,500.
A Quintet of British Storytellers
The judging panel, chaired by writer Katie Grant and including broadcaster James Naughtie and previous Young Walter Scott Prize winner Rosi Byard-Jones, described the selection as particularly challenging. "The five shortlisted novels for the 2026 Walter Scott Prize probe intimate lives lived in both small and big settings," the judges stated. "Readers will hear voices usually unheard but which, once heard, won't be forgotten."
Emphasizing the authors' narrative prowess, the panel added: "Above all, our five authors are storytellers, so if you like a good story, the 2026 Walter Scott Prize shortlist is one you won't want to miss."
The 2026 Shortlisted Novels
The five novels represent a remarkable chronological and geographical range:
- The Pretender by Jo Harkin (Bloomsbury)
- The Matchbox Girl by Alice Jolly (Bloomsbury)
- Benbecula by Graeme Macrae Burnet (Polygon)
- Once The Deed Is Done by Rachel Seiffert (Virago)
- Seascraper by Benjamin Wood (Viking)
These works transport readers across centuries from the 1480s English Wars of the Roses to Austria and Germany during the Second World War. The collection includes a shocking true crime narrative set on a Hebridean island and an imagined encounter within a small coastal community in north-west England.
Prize Traditions and Celebrations
The shortlist announcement was marked by a specially produced video shot at Abbotsford, Sir Walter Scott's historic home in the Scottish Borders. Narrated by James Naughtie, the presentation revealed the five books in various locations throughout the property's gardens, library, drawing room, and Scott's personal study.
This year's winner will be revealed on June 12 during a live event at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose. The ceremony will be presented by Matthew Maxwell Scott, Sir Walter Scott's great-great-great-great grandson, alongside prize founder and patron the Duke of Buccleuch. Tickets for this prestigious event go on sale on April 22 through the Borders Book Festival box office.
Eligibility and Historical Focus
To qualify for the Walter Scott Prize, books must meet specific criteria that honor the award's namesake:
- Written in English and published during 2025 in the UK, Ireland, or Commonwealth countries
- More than 50% of the narrative must be set at least 60 years ago
This sixty-year requirement echoes the subtitle of Walter Scott's celebrated novel Waverley – "'tis sixty years since." The prize continues to be managed by The Abbotsford Trust, the charity responsible for preserving Sir Walter Scott's Scottish Borders home.
Literary Legacy
The 2026 winner will join an illustrious list of previous recipients that includes Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall (2010), Robert Harris's An Officer And A Spy (2014), Christine Dwyer Hickey's The Narrow Land (2020), and Andrew Miller's The Land In Winter (2025).
The judges highlighted how this year's shortlisted authors "each reveal the hidden, and in doing so offer new insights into our own times as well as the times in which their novels are set." As the literary world anticipates the June announcement, these five British authors represent the continuing vitality and innovation within the historical fiction genre.
