The Skinny's Alan Bett wins Jan Fairley writing award
The inaugural Jan Fairley Award, celebrating the work of Edinburgh-based emerging journalists, has been awarded to The Skinny’s books editor Alan Bett.
Alan won the prize for interviews with George Dawes Green and Catherine Burns, the duo behind US storytelling phenomenon The Moth, Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer, The Host) and Chinese author Jung Chang.
The Jan Fairley Award was created by the Edinburgh Freelance Branch of the National Union of Journalists in memory of writer, broadcaster and musicologist Jan Fairley, who passed away in 2012. The Award is intended to “recognise arts journalism with an international outlook.”
Entries from Arusa Qureshi of Edinburgh University Writers’ Bloc and New Statesman writer Daisy LaFarge were highly commended by the judging panel – convened by The Scotsman columnist and theatre critic Joyce McMillan – while Cathleen O’Grady’s writing for The Skinny and GSA Magazine, and work by Robert Bett for Edinburgh University student newspaper The Student also received commendations.