Author of Tomorrow

Selected by a panel of young judges, the winners of the Author of Tomorrow award for a short adventure story by writers aged 21 and under, are:

Each of the ten shortlisted writers worked with an editor to ready their work for digital publication. Then ten stories are now available to read in Worldreader’s app BookSmart, in an anthology titled Aliens, Apocalypse and the Afterlife. Worldreader is a global literacy charity on a mission to make everyone a reader.

To read the anthology, visit https://booksmart.world/kPBL or download the BookSmart app.

For further information about this year’s authors click here


The Author of Tomorrow Award is designed to find the adventure writers of the future. Part of the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize, it is an annual competition open to young people across the world who have completed a short piece of adventure writing in English.

Prizes are awarded in three categories:

11 and Under | 500 words | Prize: £100, plus £150 book tokens for your school

12-15 years | 1,500 - 5,000 words | Prize: £100, plus £150 book tokens for your school

16-21 years | 1,500 - 5,000 words | Prize: £1,000

Each shortlisted author also has their work digitally published.

The Author of Tomorrow is currently closed for submissions and will reopen in early 2024.