TV newsman’s legacy for next crime fiction bestseller
£1000 prize to honour the memory of journalist and writer, Rae Stewart
Aspiring crime writers are being offered a lucrative chance to see their dreams come to life - thanks to a literary prize in honour of a celebrated Scots journalist.
The Pitch Perfect Prize, which sees budding authors pitch their novel ideas to a panel of literary experts in a Dragon’s Den-style format, will feature at the Bloody Scotland international crime writing festival in Stirling.
The competition is being held in memory of Rae Stewart, a former TV journalist known for his work with ITN, GMTV, STV and Sky News, who died in 2023 aged just 56.
Now supported by leading Scottish communications firm Holyrood PR, the cash prize has added weight to a competition designed to uncover the next generation of diverse writing talent.
Scott Douglas, founder and managing director at Holyrood PR, said: “Rae’s love of writing lives on through this prize, and the twists, tension and creativity shown by this year’s finalists prove that the future of crime writing is in very safe hands. We’re proud to support the beginning of their journeys.”
Rae's closest friend was Scottish media personality Stephen Jardine, who also worked at GMTV and is now best known for his work on BBC Radio Scotland - and helped set up the Pitch Perfect prize fund in memory of his pal.
Stephen told how Rae’s widow, Vicki Young, a renowned BBC political journalist, was part of the judging panel at the inaugural event in 2024 while his children were also in the room. Stephen added: “He would have loved it!
"When Rae died his family wanted to set up a literary prize in his memory. Rae was a keen part time novelist and had hoped to devote his later years to writing full time. Sadly, that wasn’t to be.”
As part of the hugely successful Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival, the Rae Stewart Pitch Perfect prize involves a session where shortlisted authors pitch their book idea to the audience in the room before a panel of judges including publishers and agents decide a winner.
Held each September in Stirling, Bloody Scotland draws thousands of readers and writers for a long weekend of panels, interviews and events. Past headliners have included Val McDermid, Denise Mina and Ann Cleeves, with 2025's programme curated by Sir Ian Rankin promising an even more star-studded line-up.
While the Pitch Perfect concept has been running for a number of years, the cash award in memory of Rae is a new development which offers a lucrative boost for the winner – and the inaugural £1000 prize in 2024 was awarded to Alys Cummings, who pitched her novel, The Answer is Murder.
Organisers hope this year's prize will build on the success of the 2024 launch and deliver significant industry interest for the eventual winner
Natalie Jayne Clark, who was a finalist in the 2023 Pitch Perfect event, has now seen her novel The Whisky Murders, picked up and published.
Natalie said: “Bloody Scotland really care and support authors at every stage and also, they've got audiences in mind as well. They really thought about what audiences will enjoy and what will they get a kick out of.
“It's like getting the Greatest Hits album – for me it was getting to hear the inspirations from lots of different authors and then connecting with each other. You kind of get to see behind the scenes of it. And I think that's really powerful, to see that spectrum of people at different points in their journey and what their influences are.
"They always mix really interesting people together and you get to see and hear these connections between authors that you wouldn't have come across otherwise. You get to hear their process and their thought process behind the scenes."
The 2025 competition is expected to attract record entries, bolstered by the legacy of Rae Stewart and the momentum from last year’s success.