Library Collecting Competition

The Library Collecting Competition began in 2023 as a fun, easy-entry competition to showcase different ways of collecting, and to highlight the opportunity to our students of entering the James David Forbes collecting prize. The Library Collecting Competition now runs on a yearly basis, each November.

• Entry guidelines
• When and how to enter
• The prizes
• Previous winners
• James David Forbes collecting prize

Image from Ross Christie’s collection of 70+ artist books and zines. A winning entry from the 2024 competition.

Entry guidelines:

• Entry is designed to be easy – we want you to have fun some with it!
• The Library Collecting Competition is open to all current University of St Andrews students and staff. This includes students at all levels, distance learners, academic colleagues, support staff, whether you’re full-time or part-time.
• To enter, email us a few photographs of your collection, along with 1 or 2 paragraphs about what it is and why you love it.
• There’s no minimum word count, and entries can be informal.
• A ‘collection’ can really be anything. Previous entries include heart-shaped stones, Penguin crime classic paperbacks, sugar packets, zines, and Happy Meal toys – if you can convince us it’s a collection, we’ll consider it.

When and how to enter:

• Entries are accepted from 1 November until midnight on 30 November.
• Please email your entry to library@st-andrews.ac.uk with Library Collecting Competition as the subject.

The prizes:

• Winners will be chosen by a small panel of Library staff.
• Our three favourite collections will each win a £10 gift card for either Taste coffee shop or Topping & Co Booksellers (winners will be given the choice).
• We’ll share as many of the entries as we can on the Library Instagram and blog, and where possible create a display of images in the Main Library.

Previous winners:

• 2024 winners
• 2023 winners including Benjamin Parris’ collection of Penguin Crime Classics, which went on to win the J.D. Forbes top prize of £500.

James David Forbes collecting prize:

The James David Forbes collecting prize (1809-1868), named in honour of the eminent scientist and Principal of the United College of St Salvator and St Leonard at St Andrews, is open to all current University of St Andrews students, and comes with a top prize of £500. For more information about the prize, including how to enter, visit the Forbes prize webpage on the University Collections site.