National Library of Scotland announces shortlist for sought-after poetry award

The National Library of Scotland has announced the shortlist for the Callum Macdonald Memorial Award. The award is one of the most sought-after prizes in poetry pamphlet publishing in Scotland. Six entries have been short listed from a total of 51 entries, the highest ever number of entries received for the Award.

The winner and runners up will be announced at a ceremony to be held at the Library on Thursday 19 May at 6pm, when all the entries will be on display. The top prize is £500 and the presentation of the Callum Macdonald Quaich, with two runner-up prizes of £250.

The shortlisted entries are -

• Sheena Blackhall
  Wizard o the North: Poems in Scots for Halflins
  Published by Sheila Blackhall
• Jim Carruth
  Bovine Pastoral
  Published by Ludovic Press
• James Knox Whittet
  Seven poems for engraved fishermen
  Published by James Knox Whittet
• Gill McConnell
  Garden Party
  Published by Woodburn Press
• Hamish Whyte
  Passage/An Pasaiste by James McGonigal
  Published by Mariscat Press
• Richard Medrington
  The Word of Dog
  Published by Puppet State Press

The award was created in 2001 to recognise publishing skill and effort and to validate the practice of poetry publication in pamphlet form. The award also aims to encourage the preservation of printed material of this kind and all entries submitted are taken into the collections of the National Library of Scotland. As a result the Library currently holds 148 of the finest contemporary Scottish poetry pamphlets in its collections of more than nine million items.

Judge Tessa Ransford said: 'I'm delighted that the Award has attracted the highest ever number of entries. All of the entries were of a very high standard, indeed we could have shortlisted another 10 or 12 poems such was the depth of quality. So much good poetry is being written in Scotland that is so little known, yet it is so accessible and this Award promotes awareness of pamphlet poetry to a wider audience.'

The Callum Macdonald Memorial Award has once again been made possible by the generous support of the Michael Marks Charitable Trust.

National Library of Scotland
George IV Bridge
Edinburgh
EH1 1EW

Tel: 0131 623 3700

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12 May 2005