We are happy to announce that Lilia Foster, a History student at the University of Edinburgh, is the winner of the Young Writers Award at Fringe 2025, for her review of the show Saria Callas.
The Young Writers Award was set up in 2018 to encourage the next generation of arts writers at the Fringe. Any writers aged 16–21 were eligible to take part, submitting work either published or unpublished.
As recipient of the award, Lilia will receive one-to-one mentoring from arts writers at the Scotsman and paid work as part of the paper’s review team at Fringe 2026.
Lilia said: ‘I am beyond delighted to receive the 2025 Fringe Young Writers Award! Although I had attended the Fringe before, this was my first year reviewing shows, something that I initially found daunting. Being a part of a festival which showcased such a wealth and diversity of talent, however, made the challenge feel so exciting and rewarding.
‘I look forward to reviewing the undoubtedly amazing performances that the 2026 Fringe will have to offer with the Scotsman’s mentorship, and hope to put the skills I build with their invaluable support to use in a career in arts journalism in the future. Thank you so much!’
Tony Lankester, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: ‘As someone with a background in journalism, I’m delighted that we’re able to continue to support emerging writing talent at the festival. The Fringe represents a wonderful opportunity for writers to learn and develop at the very start of their career, and this award gives us the opportunity to support and encourage arts journalists taking their formative steps. Congratulations to Lilia on receiving the 2025 award – we look forward to following her career and hope to welcome her back to the Fringe in the future. Thank you to the Scotsman team for supporting Lilia over the coming months.’
Roger Cox, Arts Editor at the Scotsman, said: ‘Lilia's winning review was a really impressive piece of criticism – alert to the details of the show as well as the wider context. I'm delighted that she'll be joining us as our Fringe Young Writer next summer, and I'm looking forward to reading more of her reviews.’
