Canongate Wall vote
To mark the 20th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament building, we are adding three new quotations to the Canongate Wall, which runs along the outside of the Parliament, along the Royal Mile.
These new quotations will be provided by Liz Lochhead, Jackie Kay, and Kathleen Jamie. All three have been the Scots Makar, or National Poet for Scotland.
With input from the Scottish Poetry Library, a selection of their poems has been shortlisted – and now it's over to you to make the final choices!
Please cast your vote before midnight on Thursday 13 March. We will tally up the votes from this page, our social media posts, and our physical voting station in the building. The winning quotes will be announced by 21 March.
Liz Lochhead
The first woman to be Scots Makar, Liz Lochhead, talks about the importance of speaking poetry out loud, and recites the poems where her choice of quotations are taken from.
Jackie Kay
The second woman to be Scots Makar, Jackie Kay, talks about the stories that inspired the two poems that have been shortlisted for the Canongate Wall.
Kathleen Jamie
The most recent of the three Makars, Kathleen reflects on her involvement in the Parliament's opening ceremony in 2021, and talks us through the inspiration behind her two quotations.
Time to vote!
Resource for teachers
We've created a resource that teachers can use to encourage learners to participate in the vote.
Find it in our Education section