Voting opens for 2018 Scottish Teenage Book Prize

The voting has opened to find Scotland's favourite teenage book of the year, with Elizabeth Laird, Caighlan Smith and Danny Weston shortlisted for the prize.

Elizabeth Laird is shortlised for Welcome to Nowhere with illustrations by Lucy Eldridge, Caighlan Smith for Children of Icarus, and Danny Weston for The Haunting of Jessop Rise. The Scottish Teenage Book Prize was set up to celebrate the most popular teen books by authors in Scotland. It is run by Scottish Book Trust with support from Creative Scotland. Shortlisted authors receive 500 and the winner 3,000. Teenagers can vote for their favourite book from the shortlist and take part in picking the winner. They can engage with the prize by voting as part of their class or book group by 8 February 2018. The winning book will be announced in an exclusive video available to classes who have registered to vote on 28 February 2018. Teenagers are invited to create their own book trailer or graphic novel of the shortlisted books, with the chance to win Waterstones gift cards. Scottish Book Trust provides extensive learning resources for teachers on how to create book trailers and graphic novels. Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: "Teenage readers are among the most passionate and this prize is a great opportunity for them to get involved, be inspired to create their own piece of fiction, and vote for their favourite to win. We are looking forward to finding out which book comes out on top."