The Scottish winners selected by readers for top book prize
The awards were presented at a ceremony in London
Scottish authors Catherine Rayner, Donna Ashworth and Elle McNicoll have paid tribute to the support of Scottish bookshops after being named among winners of a literary prize chosen by readers.
Ms Ashworth has won the poetry prize for her work To The Women in the 2025 Readers Awards, while Ms McNicoll is the winner in the adult fiction category for Wish You Were Her. Meanwhile, Rayner's children’s book, Otto The Top Dog, also scooped the top prize in the new picture book category.
Run by the Booksellers' Association, the Readers Awards are the only UK and Ireland book prize where shortlists are curated by booksellers and winners are chosen by readers. The number of voters increased by 10 per cent this year.
Other winners of the awards, in their tenth year, include Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout, Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton, Impossible Creatures: The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell and Emma Swan, who takes home two awards for Cruise Ship Kid: Thief At Sea! – winning both Newcomer of the Year and Readers’ Choice.
The prizes were awarded at a ceremony hosted at bookshop Foyles’ Charing Cross Road branch in London, hosted by author and broadcaster Clare Balding on Tuesday night.
Ms McNicoll, who was born in Edinburgh and now lives in London, thanked “every single bookshop in Scotland” for supporting her “proudly neurodivergent books over the years”.
Her debut novel, A Kind of Spark, was made into TV series on CBBC two years ago.
She said: “This award means so much to me, especially at this moment in time. A shortlist curated by booksellers and voted for by readers makes this the ultimate reward.”
Edinburgh-based Ms Rayner said: “This award feels incredibly special because it celebrates the bond between authors, booksellers, and readers. I’m so grateful for independent bookshops like my local, The Edinburgh Bookshop, for their enthusiasm and support - the work they do helping stories and readers find each other is magical. Huge thanks to everyone who voted, and of course to the absolutely brilliant booksellers who make this wonderful award possible.”
Ms Ashworth, from Stirling - who came to prominence in 2020 when her poetry about the Covid lockdown was read in a viral video to raise money for the NHS - said: “Having written this book with only a dream in my heart and hope in my fingertips, it is beyond joyful to see it receive an award, especially one shortlisted by booksellers and voted for by readers.”
The Readers Awards are a highlight of the year-round Books Are My Bag campaign, which celebrates bookshops of all shapes and sizes and the unique value they bring to communities both locally and nationally. The campaign includes initiatives such as Independent Bookshop Week, Bookshop Day, The Indie Book Awards, and Indie Book of the Month.
Emma Bradshaw, head of marketing and communications at The Booksellers Association, said: “The Readers Awards celebrate the many extraordinary ways bookshops connect readers and authors. Every winning title was championed by booksellers who know their communities inside out and by readers who have connected deeply with them.
“From debut voices to established authors, the 2025 winners show the incredible diversity of books and readers in the UK and Ireland today, and how bookshops bring them together to spark discovery, affinity, and a shared joy of reading.”
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