WINNER of the NEIL GUNN MEMORIAL PRIZE 2015

I don’t enter so many competitions these days. Just a handful, really. I use them to test stories, to see if they have legs and can stand up for themselves. So, to have one stand tall and take its first steps and for those steps to be confident and striding, well, that’s something very pleasing.

Today the results of the Neil Gunn Memorial Prize 2015 were made public. This is a competition that comes round every two years. It was once won by Michael Faber – yes THE Michael Faber, so it has some prestige attached… plus Neil Gunn was a particular love of mine when I had just graduated from University with a degree in Literature.

I put in a story to this year's competition that had faltered in another competition. I gave it a tweak or two and threw it in. I hoped to maybe get on the commended list and had no expectation of standing on the podium. So, a bit of a surprise to find myself winning the competition. I am so thrilled with this. It is something very shiny and bright to put on my writing cv.

That’s two competition wins in Scotland in the past twelve months, having won the William Soutar Prize 2014. Feels good.

Congratulations to all the other writers who gained recognition this year through this competition. And many thanks to all involved with the running of the competition.

One small fly in the ointment: I was prevented by work commitments from attending the award ceremony today and I do try to make it to these events believing that as a winner or a placed writer there is a duty to support the competition by being present. I know it will have been a wonderful day.