Social Media Manager Walter Scott Prizes

Overview

The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction is an annual £25,000 book prize celebrating fiction of exceptional quality set in the past, published in the UK, Ireland or the Commonwealth. Founded by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and awarded at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose each June, the Prize aims to inspire readers of all ages to discover the value of historical fiction, support authors in their writing careers, and bring together authors and audiences to celebrate and engage with the genre.

Company Description

Alumni of the Prize include Hilary Mantel, Sebastian Barry, Robert Harris, Andrea Levy and Tan Twan Eng. The Prize’s mission statement is:

“By recognising excellence in writing our aim is to inspire more people of all ages to discover the joy and value of historical fiction; to give both new and established authors opportunity to reach a wider readership, and, as recipients of one of the UK’s most generous literary awards, to support them in their writing careers; and at our annual prizegiving, to bring together authors and audiences to celebrate and question each other.”

Find out more at www.walterscottprize.co.uk or on Instagram, Facebook and BlueSky @waltscottprize.

The Young Walter Scott Prize is an annual historical fiction creative writing prize for young writers aged 11 to 19, awarding two age categories with a £500 travel grant for historical research, publication in an anthology, and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Borders Book Festival in Melrose. Entrants must submit a short story of up to 2,000 words set before their birth year. Founded by the Duchess of Buccleuch in 2015, it is funded by the Buccleuch Living Heritage Fund. More information is available at www.ywsp.co.uk and the social media handles above.

Role Description

The Walter Scott Prizes, run by the Abbotsford Trust, are seeking an experienced Social Media Manager on a fixed-term contract of 8 months starting January 2026. This role will take over from Sheila Averbuch of ENN Click, who has managed the Prizes’ social media accounts for the past 10 years.

Qualifications

• Experience managing social media accounts within the books/publishing, arts, education/literacy, or heritage sectors
• A passion for reading, fiction, and history
• Excellent writing skills
• Availability to attend the Prize events in Melrose in June and provide live posting
• A self-starter able to make decisions independently and respond reactively as required
• Flair for using imagery and video in social media posts
• Ability to capture video and still images for posting
• Skill in conveying complex ideas and texts to a broad audience
• Experience conducting video interviews with published authors and young writers
• Ability to report back clearly, timely, concisely and accurately