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Floris Books 15 Harrison Gardens Edinburgh EH11 1SH Scotland, UK Tel: 0131-337 2372 Fax: 0131-347 9919 |
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Floris Books 15 Harrison Gardens Edinburgh EH11 1SH Scotland, UK Tel: 0131-337 2372 Fax: 0131-347 9919 |
Kelpies Prize 2008 -- all entries are in
The closing date for the 2008 Kelpies Prize was 29th February 2008. All the manuscripts are in, and are being read. Many thanks to all those who have sent their books in, and good luck!
A shortlist of three manuscripts will be announced in early July 2008, and the winner will be announced at a prize ceremony at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August 2008. Watch this space.
Kelpies Prize 2007 -- the winner
Floris Books is delighted to announce that the winner of the Kelpies Prize 2007 was Hox by Annemarie Allan.
The winner was announced on August 22nd 2007 at an award ceremony at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and was presented to Annemarie by the last winner, Mike Nicholson.
At the event, extracts from all three shortlisted books -- First Aid for Fairies and other Fabled Beasts by Lari Don, Hox by Annemarie Allan and Storm Hags by David Hutchison -- were read by Pam Wardell, BBC broadcaster and producer who has written many radio dramas for children, and runs drama and creative writing workshops.
On announcing the winner, Mike Nicholson presented Annemarie Allan with a giant winners cheque for £2000. Hox was published in the Kelpies series on 11 October 2007.
For more details, see the winner press release. Manuscripts were judged anonymously. They had to be set wholly or mainly in contemporary Scotland and may not have been previously commercially published.
Summary of Hox
Faced with a cold Saturday afternoon stuck at the Institute for Animal Research, Robbie is angry and frustrated at yet another weekend ruined by his father’s job. Then a disturbing encounter in the Animal House thrusts him into a perilous journey through the stunning but inhospitable landscape of a Highland winter; alone but for two enigmatic travelling companions. Robbie’s world implodes as he tries to make sense of a hostile environment, his old life slowly unravels, and a shocking realization emerges.
Annemarie Allan studied at Stirling University and worked as a teacher and librarian near London. Returning to Scotland, she took up a post at the Scottish Arts Council, and started writing fantasy and science fiction for children in her spare time. She was shortlisted (for a different book) for the Saga/HarperCollins Children’s book award in 2006. Hox is her fourth (unpublished) novel.
Also published -- First Aid for Fairies and Other Fabled Beasts
We're pleased to announce that another of the shortlisted titles from the 2007 prize, First Aid for Fairies and Other Fabled Beasts by Lari Don has also been published in the Kelpies series. Lari is out and about all over Scotland promoting the book.
Kelpies Prize 2009
Details of the 2009 Kelpies Prize will be announced in August 2008. As usual, the deadline for manuscript submissions will be the end of February (2009) and the guidelines and regulations are not expected to change radically from those in 2008: we will be looking for books for children aged roughly 8-12 years old, set wholly or mainly in Scotland, which are previously unpublished. Get writing now!
About the Kelpies series
The Kelpies imprint boasts such well-known Scottish children's authors as Kathleen Fidler and Mollie Hunter. Since Floris Books acquired the list in 2001, we have reissued over twenty-five books in the Young Kelpies (for seven to ten-year-olds) and Classic Kelpies (for nine to twelve-year-olds) series, including Theresa Breslin's Bullies at School, Lavinia Derwent's Sula series, Mollie Hunter's A Stranger Came Ashore and Kathleen Fidler's The Desperate Journey. Floris has also published twelve new books in the Kelpies series: