Kelpies Prize celebrates tenth anniversary of launch with 2014 shortlist

Every year as part of the Kelpies Prize, we look for the best unpublished children’s fiction with a Scottish twist. This year, the Kelpies Prize is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its launch and since February, our judges have been working their way through a mountain of entries to find our three finalists for this year’s prize – and they certainly weren’t disappointed!

We’re delighted to announce that the books shortlisted for the Kelpies Prize 2014 are:

• The Superpower Project by Paul J. Bristow
• The Mixed-Up Summer of Lily McLean by Lindsay Littleson
• My Fake Brother by Joan Pratt

The Superpower Project is a comic adventure set in Glasgow’s Clydeside, as best friends Megan and Cam follow a mysterious map left behind by Megan’s gran. They think the map might help them work out the superpowers they’ve suddenly developed… But can the map explain their new, rather unusual powers? And will it help them save their hometown from strange and sinister forces?

Paul Bristow has written folktales, comics and ghost stories as part of heritage group Magic Torch. By day, Paul lives in Greenock and manages The Dutch Gable House for Inverclyde Community Development Trust.

It’s holiday time in The Mixed-Up Summer of Lily McLean. At home in Largs, Lily’s stuck in the middle: stuck in the middle of teenage tantrums and fierce fights for the TV remote. So it’s a big relief when Gran offers to take her on a holiday to Millport, just the two of them. But a strange voice seems to be telling Lily not to go in this story of family love and how mixed-up it can be.

Lindsay Littleson is a primary school teacher in Renfrewshire. She has only been writing since January this year, but has already published a short story with Walker Books, in addition to being shortlisted for the Kelpies Prize 2014.

Kamryn has a new foster brother in My Fake Brother, but she doesn’t need a new brother and certainly not ‘crazy’ Ross, with his secrets and ominous warnings. And then there’s the weird texts Kamryn’s been getting. They’re crazy too. Maybe Ross’ “crazy things” and Kamryn’s crazy messages are all connected, part of a bigger, crazier secret.

Joan Pratt trained as a primary school teacher and taught in Drumchapel, Glasgow for a number of years. Her time in Glasgow’s East End inspired her real-life plots and brave, feisty characters.

It won’t be long until you can find out which will be the latest addition to our Kelpies list. The winner of the Kelpies Prize 2014 will be announced at a ceremony at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Thursday 14th August 2014.

Want to enter next year’s Prize?

Manuscripts are now invited for submission to the Kelpies Prize 2015. The deadline is 28 February 2015 and for full rules and guidelines, you can read more here.