Literary Lights Creative Writing Prize 2026

‘… two Chrisses there were that fought for her heart and tormented her…’       

–  Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Sunset Song

£100 for the best submission by a student at the University of Aberdeen

Chris Guthrie, the central character of Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s masterpiece A Scots Quair, is one of Scotland’s most extraordinary and well-loved fictional creations. Chris’s complex and often troubled journey into self-discovery and self-knowledge inspired some of Gibbon’s finest passages of writing, and this competition invites submissions of prose fiction or creative non-fiction that take inspiration from the theme of inner struggles that lead to self-discovery or to a deeper understanding of the world.

  • Entries are free, but no more than two pieces may be submitted
  • The length of each entry must not exceed 3000 words
  • Entries must be original and not previously published

Closing date is Friday 17th April 2026. All entries must be sent to Shane Strachan and must include an email address and Student ID number. Entries are judged anonymously by a panel at The Grassic Gibbon Centre and no correspondence will be entered into.

Supported by The Grassic Gibbon Centre