Danny Wallace, Fred MacAulay and Denise Mina will help help judge the 2015 Dundee International Book Prize, it was revealed on Monday.
Writer and television/radio presenter Danny Wallace, award-winning author Denise Mina and broadcaster Fred MacAulay will be joined by literary agent Ed Wilson and Creative Scotland’s Jenny Niven on the panel.
The competition is open to authors from across the globe whose work has not been published.
The winner will receive a publishing deal with Cargo Publishing and £10,000 , the largest cash prize for unpublished work in the UK.
Now in its 11th year, the competition has received almost 500 entries this year, the largest volume of submissions to date.
The competition is a joint venture between the Dundee One City, Many Discoveries campaign and Literary Dundee, a University-led initiative.
Amy Mason won the competition in 2014 for her novel The Other Ida. Literary Dundee director Anna Day said: “It’s exciting to be working with such a fantastic panel of judges, a mix of authors, broadcasters and industry experts that will help us find a brilliant new author as the winner of the 2015 Dundee International Book Prize.” Cargo managing director Gill Tasker said: “We at Cargo are really looking forward to reading dynamic new writing from all over the world. With the expert judging panel in place, we are excited at the prospect of publishing the ultimate winner, selected with their expansive knowledge and insight.” Will Dawson, convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee, added: “The broad spectrum of expertise that this year’s judging panel covers is testament to the wide range of writing styles and subject matter that the Dundee Book Prize encourages. I am delighted that the city’s literary credentials continue to be reinforced by the interest in the prize from authors, judges and the wider writing world.” Danny Wallace was born in Dundee and is a regular television presenter, columnist, author and honorary graduate of the University of Dundee. Denise Mina is the author of 12 novels which have been translated into 15 languages. She has won the Theakstons’ Crime Novel of the Year twice, CWA daggers, Anthony Awards, and the Spirit of Scotland Award. In addition, she has been shortlisted for an Edgar and the LA Times Book of the Year.
Fred MacAulay is a popular radio and TV presenter. A graduate of Dundee University he was appointed rector in 2001 and received an honorary degree from the institution four years later.
The winner of the 2015 Dundee International Book Prize winner will be announced at the Dundee Literary Festival in October.