Student Success: The Young Walter Scott Prize Goes to Erica

Over the weekend of the 20 June, I was lucky enough to be invited to Scotland to celebrate my achievement of winning the 2025 Young Walter Scott Prize and immerse myself in Scottish history and literature. Unfortunately, I was unable make it to the Borders Book Festival on the Thursday for the formal prizegiving, but nonetheless I had an incredible experience over the two days I spent there. 

On Saturday, after a very early train from Edinburgh to Tweedbank, we arrived at Bowhill House to meet the Duke of Buccleuch. The 19th century home of the duke sits amidst a landscape of woodland and picturesque hills and is only open to the public on certain days in the year. As we drove up through the extensive grounds of fields and forests, I found myself caught up in daydreams of life with a football field sized lake in my back garden! 

It was the late Duchess of Buccleuch herself who set up the Young Walter Scott Prize in 2015, and the duke welcomed us with a personal tour of his family home. After meeting James Naughtie and Alexander McCall Smith (author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Series), we were guided through the maze of rooms and corridors which was like stepping back in time 200 years – a set directly out of a Jane Austen novel. I was particularly awestruck by the abundance of artwork that decorated the walls from floor to ceiling, offering glimpses into the lives of the house’s former inhabitants. The duke himself was extremely warm and friendly and his enthusiasm delivering the tour made it all the more engaging. 

At the end of the tour, I was presented with my prize by the duke at the house’s entrance in front of large (but unanticipated) crowd of American guests of his – it felt particularly surreal as they all applauded as he announced my achievement. 

No time to waste, we set off to Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott, where we stopped for a bite to eat (a Scottish tattie scone) before being led on a tour of yet another house by our incredibly knowledgeable and informative guide. The estate was commissioned by Scott in 1811 with money from his exceptionally successful novels to accommodate his family and provide a comfortable refuge for his writing. After admiring the fairytale-like splendour of the exterior with its turrets, mixture of architectural styles, and pastoral surroundings. I was impressed by the palpable sense of history I felt when stepping inside. Its interior is preserved in its original state – even the books in the library remain as they would have been during Scott’s life – so that, as a keen historian, it was a fascinating experience for me. Our guide was particularly good at painting a vivid picture of his life so that it was easy to imagine him scribbling in his study or strolling along the riverbank. 

When the tour was over, we made a quick stop at the gift shop where they were selling copies of the YWSP Anthology. Here, my identity as one of the authors of the enclosed stories was given away (much to my embarrassment) and I was even asked to sign one of their copies! My experience as a temporary celebrity wouldn’t last long however as we soon made our way back to the train station to return to Edinburgh. It may have been over nearly as quickly as it had begun, but it truly was a once in a lifetime experience. 

I really hope that other budding young writers may be inspired to pick up a pen themselves. Even though winning the prize was amazing, I can honestly say that my favourite part of it all was the writing process itself. There’s nothing quite like watching a blank page and a couple of disjointed sentences take shape into a fully formed narrative of your own creation. If I could give any advice to anyone wanting to start writing, I would simply say to let your imagination take over. Don’t spend time on elaborate plans (unless that is your preferred way of writing) but be guided by whatever comes to your mind. Don’t be surprised if you’re led in a completely unexpected direction.

Erica LY
Year 12 student at EHS