The MLitt Publishing Studies class of 2014 was invited to attend this year’s Saltire Society Literary Awards ceremony held at Mitchell Library in Glasgow on November 14, 2013.

The awards are the oldest and among the most prestigious for authors based in Scotland. The society is well known for their integrity and commitment to excellence. The Saltire Society strives to celebrate the Scottish imagination and to promote Scotland’s culture for years to come. This goal was certainly achieved at this year’s Literary Awards.

The award categories are as vast and varied as the nominees. This includes: graduate student awards, Scottish history books, and Scottish research books. Such a wide range of published material aims to encapsulate all aspects of Scottish society, continuing to reinforce the Saltire Society’s commitment to the Scottish imagination. The Saltire Society’s website also has a full list of winners and nominees.

However, the most interesting win of the night was the joint win by Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach by Tim Armstrong and As Far As I Can See by Eunice Buchanan. There was an audible amount of surprise throughout the room when two winners were announced, showing that it is a rare occurrence for two people to achieve such an honour.

Just to show how varied the categories and winners are, Tim Armstrong’s book is a Scottish Gaelic science-fiction novel, while Eunice Buchanan’s book is a collection of poems and a short story in Scots. Her book previously won the McCash prize for Scots poetry.

The theme of the evening was small publishers. Many of the winners and nominees were from smaller publishing houses, which goes to show that it is the quality of content and not the name attached to the book that win awards such as these.

Scotland is home to a number of small publishers, supported in part by Creative Scotland, who also strive to support excellence in Scottish arts and creativity.

What was most surprising–and encouraging–was the warmth with which many of the attendees greeted the MLitt Publishing Studies students. When the ceremony ended, many publishers approached the students with curiosity about the course and their attendance at the awards ceremony that night. Quite a few people engaged in conversations about the publishing industry with the students and were quite receptive toward those they approached.

Overall, the evening was a success for the MLitt Publishing Studies students. Not only were they warmly received by the attending members of the Saltire Society, but they were able to observe the world they are working towards.

Thank you to the Saltire Society for their kind welcome to the MLitt Publishing Studies class of 2013/2014.