Historical fiction · UK & Commonwealth
The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction
Named after the founding father of the historical novel, the Walter Scott Prize rewards writing of exceptional quality set at least sixty years in the past. Awarded annually at the Borders Book Festival. Winners 2010–2025.
The prize requires that the majority of the action be set at least sixty years before publication — distinguishing it from near-contemporary historical fiction. It is open to authors from the UK, Ireland and the Commonwealth.
Hilary Mantel won the prize twice: for Wolf Hall in 2010 (the inaugural award) and for The Mirror & the Light in 2021. The prize has championed overlooked historical novelists and introduced international writing — Tan Twan Eng, Robin Robertson — to wider audiences.
Winners
- 2010 Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2013 The Garden of Evening Mists Tan Twan Eng Find on Amazon →
- 2014 An Officer and a Spy Robert Harris · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2019 The Long Take Robin Robertson · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2021 The Mirror & the Light Hilary Mantel · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2023 These Days Lucy Caldwell · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2024 Hungry Ghosts Kevin Jared Hosein · more by this author In our catalogue Book club guide →
- 2025 The Land in Winter Andrew Miller · more by this author
Some years omitted pending clean-source verification. The prize has been awarded annually since 2010. Years are award years; winning books were published in the prior year.
Winners verified against the prize's official records. For the complete history, see the official The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction site.
Common questions
What is the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction?
An annual prize awarded at the Borders Book Festival for the best historical fiction by UK, Irish or Commonwealth authors. The book must be set primarily at least sixty years before its publication.
Who has won the Walter Scott Prize more than once?
Hilary Mantel won in 2010 for Wolf Hall and in 2021 for The Mirror & the Light — the two novels that, with Bring Up the Bodies, form her Cromwell trilogy.