First awarded in 2016, the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize is an international prize that supports and celebrates the best adventure writing. The prize is named after South African novelist Wilbur Smith. It’s open to writers of any nationality, writing in English.


Ghanaian writer, Ayesha Harruna Attah, is on this year’s longlist for her book, The Deep Blue Between. The book has been described as “a teen feminist epic of love, courage and determination, as twin sisters try to find each other again in 19th-century West Africa and Brazil.”


This year’s Judges includes, Jon Coates, Dwayne Fields, and Pip Stewart. This year’s prize will give the public an opportunity to vote on the best book.

Niso Smith, Founder of The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation, commented on this year’s longlist: ‘Books are a lifeline for many people and have been more so than ever over the past year. While we have not been able to travel, to experience other places and cultures, to meet the people who make our world so colourful, we have relied on books to take us there. This longlist truly has an adventure for everyone.’


The shortlist for the prize will be announced on May 20 before the winner is unveiled on September 8, 2021.

Image source: Goodreads