The 2024 winners each received a £ 600 scholarship , a signed book from Sir Ian ’ s latest selection , and of course the chance to meet him and discuss their work at a special presentation lunch held at The Academy , the College ’ s highly acclaimed restaurant at the Kirkcaldy Campus .
Sir Ian Rankin commented on the event : “ I thoroughly enjoyed reading this year ’ s scholarship entries and was extremely impressed with the high quality of submissions . The winning entries stood out for me for their compelling detail , emotion and confident use of language and technique .
“ It was great to meet the award winners in person and to discuss their work and influences . I hope this scholarship encourages and inspires them on to great things and I wish them the very best for the future .”
One of this year ’ s winners , HNC : Social Science student Megan Lewis from Glenrothes reflected on her entry and motivations : “ My submission was a very personal poem centred around the grief of losing my dad .
Although I felt a bit of ‘ imposter syndrome ’ throughout the process , winning the Scholarship and receiving feedback from Ian Rankin has given me a lot of encouragement . It ’ s definitely made me consider doing more creative writing in my spare time , because most of my previous writing experience has been non-fiction , creating online guides for ‘ World of Warcraft ’ for example , but this has inspired me to be more in touch with my creative side .
“ Knowing that my dad , who was a huge fan of Ian Rankin ’ s work , would be proud makes this achievement even more special .”
Fellow winner , and fellow HNC Social Science student , Arron Cuthbert from Dunfermline spoke about his experience : “ Winning the Ian Rankin Scholarship has been overwhelming in the best way , from the writing process and the pride of winning to actually meeting and discussing my work with a world-renowned writer like Ian Rankin . I didn ’ t know what to expect going into this scholarship , but it ’ s been a very positive experience .
“ It was quite surreal to hear feedback from Ian , especially since he has always been held in such high regard and an inspiration for me , having attended the same high school . I ’ m now looking forward to continuing my studies with the HND in Social Sciences .”
Ian Rankin Creative Writing Scholarship 2024 winning entries :
To an Auld Boy Megan Lewis
Warbird Arron Cuthbert
My African Baptism Learner from HMP Glenochil
Fame at last ! Ian Rankin ’ s new book , Rebus thriller Midnight and Blue , mentions Fife College !