Saltire Society Shadow Judging Panel

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The Society of Young Publishers Scotland are thrilled to be partnering with the Saltire Society to give you the chance to be on a shadow judging panel for four of their Award categories this year! We're looking for a mix of students, young publishers and anyone involved in books to form their own judging panel for the 2015 Awards. It won't have an impact on the final outcome, but it will give you the chance to work with the Saltire Society and get a little insight into how the awards process works.

Each panel member will be given a copy of the shortlist for their category to read, and you'll meet up with your group to discuss this in a book club format. These will take place sometime between 7th November and the 13th of November in Edinburgh, and on top of this you'll be expected to take part in a blog and possibly podcast of the discussion. You will be expected to read 5-7 books in under a month, so make sure this is something you can do before applying as it's the most important part!

Sound good to you? Fantastic! Just fill out the form below before the end of Sunday October 4th and you could be joining us for some fantastic Saltire Society discussion!

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* 1. Name:

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* 2. Age:

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* 3. Email:

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* 4. Job title/company (or if you are a student, your University):

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* 5. What level are you currently at in your studies/career?

Undergraduate

Masters student

PhD student

Working in publishing (less than 3 years)

Working in publishing (more than 3 years)

Freelancer

Other (please specify)

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* 6. What panels would you like to be considered for? (You can select as many as you want!)

First Book of the Year Award: Founded in 1988, this award is given to authors who have not previously published a book. The award is open to fiction, drama, poetry and non-fiction. Former winners include Ali Smith, A. L. Kennedy, Michel Faber and Louise Welsh.

Fiction Book of the Year Award: This award (along with the Non-Fiction Book of the Year) has evolved from the Society’s Scottish Book of the Year Award which was founded in 1982. The inaugural winner of this award was Alasdair Gray for his debut novel Lanark. This award is open to fiction and drama.

Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award: This award is new for 2015 and is open to all non-fiction written by Scottish authors or about a Scottish topic.

Poetry Book of the Year Award: Established in 2014, this award is open to collections of poetry (anthologies and pamphlets are not eligible) The inaugural award was given to Alexander Hutchison for his collection Bones & Breath (Salt).

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* 7. Tell us a bit about you, what you could bring to the judging panel, and what you would like to get from the opportunity. (Maximum: 100 words - we'd recommend typing it in a document then pasting it in here!)

Please remember that this will require a lot of reading, and each group needs to meet up on an agreed date in November, and while it will require an intensive few weeks of work, it's a fantastic opportunity! So, if you're ready to go, just submit your application by clicking below!