The Linen Hall marked this year’s Ulster-Scots Language Week in November with an Award Ceremony, the grand finale of its prestigious 2023 Ulster-Scots Writing Competition Award Ceremony. Held on Thursday 23rd November, this event highlighted the exceptional literary prowess exhibited by talented writers in the Ulster-Scots community.

With the support of the Ulster-Scots Agency, The Linen Hall proudly organised its third successful Ulster-Scots Writing Competition in the summer. With two categories – prose and poetry – this competition sought to celebrate Ulster-Scots literary talent.

The results of this vibrant competition were unveiled during the award ceremony, where the winners and runners-up were announced and a special edition anthology featuring the four distinguished winning entries was revealed.

The winners of the 2023 Ulster-Scots Writing Competition are:

•             Jen Herron (Poetry Runner-up)

•             William Dickey (Prose Runner-up)

•             Alan Millar (Poetry Winner)

•             Morna Sullivan (Prose Winner)

The Award Ceremony was a great success. Esteemed figures from the Ulster-Scots community, along with notable representatives from the Ulster-Scots Agency, joined us in celebrating the extraordinary creativity and talent showcased by Ulster-Scots writers.

The distinguished panel of judges for the competition, featuring Dr Carol Baraniuk (University of Glasgow), Dr Frank Ferguson (Ulster University), and Ally Heather (Journalist and Broadcaster), were present at the ceremony.

Patsy Horton, the Arts and Cultural Programmer of The Linen Hall, said, ‘The Linen Hall takes immense pride in championing and celebrating the exceptional creative talent within the Ulster-Scots writing community. We are committed to continuing our support for emerging writers. As we celebrate the competition’s third year, we’ve witnessed incredible support from the Ulster-Scots community, which has warmly embraced this initiative. The overwhelming number of entries and the outstanding quality of the submissions stand as a testament to the competition’s resounding success. On behalf of The Linen Hall, I extend warm congratulations to the four deserving winners. I would also like to express our deepest appreciation to the judges for their hard work and dedication. Additionally, our sincere gratitude goes to our funder, the Ulster-Scots Agency.’

For those who couldn’t attend or wish to relive the memorable event, the recording is available for viewing on our YouTube channel.

Furthermore, the special edition anthology, featuring the winning entries from 2023, is now available for purchase at The Linen Hall. For inquiries or to acquire the anthology, please visit The Linen Hall.

About The Linen Hall

Founded in 1788, The Linen Hall is the oldest library in Belfast. Today, The Linen Hall is much more than a library. We are an accredited museum and a living archive. We hold world-renowned collections – including one of the most significant Ulster-Scots collections in Northern Ireland. We also operate an art and culture space hosting hundreds of events and exhibitions annually.

About the Ulster-Scots Agency

The Ulster-Scots Agency has been given the legislative remit of the ‘promotion of greater awareness and use of Ullans and of Ulster-Scots cultural issues, both within Northern Ireland and throughout the island’. The aims of the Ulster-Scots Agency are to promote the study, conservation, development and use of Ulster-Scots as a living language; to encourage and develop the full range of its attendant culture, and to promote an understanding of the history of the Ulster-Scots. To find out more about the Ulster-Scots Agency, please visit: https://www.ulsterscotsagency.com/