As a tribute to the late Bill Murray (1913–96), whose mountaineering and environmental writings have been an inspiration to many a budding mountaineer, the SMC in 1998 instigated the W.H. Murray Literary Prize. Every year, articles in the Journal with a Scottish mountaineering theme are judged by a panel of members, and the winning author is invited to the Club’s Annual Dinner to receive the prestigious award. With effect from 2026, the value of the Prize is increased to £500, and the Rules are set out below.
There shall be a competition for the best entry on Scottish Mountaineering published in the Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal. The competition shall be called the 'W.H. Murray Literary Prize', hereafter called the 'Prize.'
The judging panel shall consist of, in the first instance, the following: The current Editor of the SMC Journal; The current President of the SMC; and two or three lay members, who may be drawn from the membership of the SMC. The lay members of the panel will sit for three years after which they will be replaced.
If, in the view of the panel, there is in any year no entries suitable for the Prize, then there shall be no award that year.
Entries shall be writing on the general theme of 'Scottish Mountaineering', and may be prose articles of up to approximately 5000 words in length, or shorter verse. Entries may be fictional.
Panel members may not enter for the competition during the period of their membership.
Entries must be of original, previously unpublished material. Entries should be submitted to the Editor of the SMC Journal before the end of April for consideration that year. Any contributor to the SMC Journal is entitled to exclude their material from consideration of the Prize and should notify the Editor of this wish in advance.
The prize will be a cheque for the amount £500.
Contributors may make different submissions in different years.
Previous winners of the Prize shall not be eligible.
The decision of the panel is final.
Any winning entry will be announced in the SMC Journal and will be published in the SMC Journal and on the SMC Web site. Thereafter, authors retain copyright.