Announcing the 2024 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize, Best Published Novel Award Longlist!

The Best Published Novel award seeks ‘An Adventure for Everyone’, championing novels that both honour the traditions of the great adventure stories, as well as those that deliver something new.

A panel of librarians and library staff from across the UK meticulously reviewed more than 100 submissions from publishers and literary agents, to select our twelve-strong longlist. Representing global talent, the list includes works by British, Australian, American, Canadian, Georgian, Indian, Nigerian and South Korean authors, with five of the titles being debut works.

The twelve authors in contention for the £10,000 prize are: 

LIGHT OVER LISKEARD by Louis de Bernières (Harvill Secker)

THE SPY by Ajay Chowdhury (Harvill Secker)

A HAUNTING IN THE ARCTIC by C. J. Cooke (HarperCollins)

BLESSINGS by Chukwuebuka Ibeh (Viking) 

8 LIVES OF A CENTURY-OLD TRICKSTER by Mirinae Lee (Virago)

GODS OF THE LOST CROSSROADS by Robin Lloyd-Jones (Rymour)

OUR HIDEOUS PROGENY by C. E. McGill (Doubleday)

THE CURSE OF PIETRO HOUDINI by Derek B. Miller (Doubleday)

THE AFRICAN SAMURAI by Craig Shreve (Canelo)

SHIGIDI AND THE BRASS HEAD OF OBALUFON by Wole Talabi (Gollancz) 

SALTBLOOD by Francesca de Tores (Bloomsbury)

HARD BY A GREAT FOREST by Leo Vardiashvili (Bloomsbury)

Read more about each of them here and buy a copy for yourself through Bookshop.org:

From the longlist, six novel will be selected for the shortlist by the same panel and progress on to 2024’s expert judging panel. Also included is a public vote over the summer with the reader’s choice equating to one seat on the judging panel.

We encourage you to select the novel that appeals to you most, then read, share and recommend. You can tell us what you think on social media using #AdventureWriting, as well as downloading the longlist poster below and sharing with your local library, bookshop, or online.

The shortlist for Best Published Novel award will be revealed on 30th May 2024 and the overall winner on 19th September 2024.

Download: 2024 Longlist Poster