The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation is thrilled to announce that the winner of the 2024 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize, Best Published Novel award, is Francesca de Tores with Saltblood (Bloomsbury).

De Tores’s novel charts the life of Mary Read, one of the few recorded female pirates during the 1700s ‘Golden Age of Piracy’, fictionalising her story and filling in the many gaps left by minimal historical reports.

Saltblood was selected by judges Matt Barr, writer, journalist and host of the Looking Sideways Action Sports podcast; Lee Craigie, former professional mountain bike racer and director of The Adventure Syndicate; Dr Alasdair Harris, marine conservationist and National Geographic Explorer; Sarah Outen, record-breaking athlete and therapist; and Emma Styles, author and winner of the 2023 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize.  

Saltblood was chosen from a six-strong shortlist, which included three debuts. It follows in the footsteps of 2023’s winner, No Country for Girls by Emma Styles, marking two consecutive wins for Australian novelists.

Prize judge, Matt Barr said: ‘The 2024 shortlist showcases six remarkable books, and six remarkable authors, who also have unique and clearly defined takes on what adventure means - and help us as readers rediscover it anew for ourselves. We find adventure recast in various different beautiful ways, whether it's through the heartbreaking story of Pietro and Massimo in wartime Italy; the subtle yet rollicking high seas picaresque that is Saltblood; Obie's devastating, delicate journey through post same sex prohibition Nigeria; Our Hideous Progeny’s hugely impressive queer, feminist recasting of the Frankenstein story; Hard by a Great Forest's savagely hilarious investigation into generational trauma and Georgian geopolitics, or Light Over Liskeard's sly pre-apocalyptic musings.

Here is adventure defined in endless ways, each as varied and thrilling as the last. I think we have chosen a worthy winner in Saltblood.’

Niso Smith, Founder of the Prize, announced de Tores as the winner at a private reception in London on Thursday 19th September. Smith said: ‘Adventure writing is timeless. Readers will always relate to the driven and free-thinking characters at the centre of these novels. De Tores has created a protagonist defiant of convention; a woman who, despite her start in life, transforms and learns to truly know herself. Saltblood is a triumph of imagination - breathtaking and boundless. My sincere congratulations to Francesca.’

Niso Smith continued: ‘I am honoured to champion each of the shortlisted authors, established and debut, as they pursue the art of storytelling that Wilbur so deeply adored. The adventure writers of today, like those gone before, continue to find new ways to transport us and capture readers’ hearts. Thank you to our generous judges and our panel of librarians and library staff who all donate their time and varied expertise to ensure we find ‘an adventure for everyone.’

Six book clubs from across the UK shadowed the judging process this year and had the opportunity to meet with the authors to discuss the book they read. The judges took these readers’ views into consideration and an open-to-all reader’s vote also took place over the summer, with results equating to one seat on the judging panel. 

When asked her views on the winning title, Saltblood, Wednesday Mooney, a member of the Brighton-based book group Boozy & Bookish, said: ‘Whilst there is hardship and death, there is also life very much at the centre of this story. From Ma, Mark, the Navy, the Army, and the sea beyond, de Tores thoughtfully and seamlessly covers themes of survival, romance, identity, grief and many more.’

The Prize has three distinct categories, for published, unpublished and young writers, to support and celebrate the best adventure writing today. It is open to writers of any nationality, writing in English. Across the categories this year, the Prize received over 750 submissions from 52 countries.

Five writers have been selected as the winners of this year’s New Voices award, designed to develop the craft of aspiring writers. Each writer will receive a year of mentorship and one-to-one editorial guidance as part of the New Voices programme to take their fledgling idea from work-in-progress to completed manuscript. 2024’s cohort are British, American, Filipino-American and Australian.

Sarah Benton, Managing Director, Adult Trade at Bonnier Books UK, said: ‘At Bonnier Books UK, we are proud to support the New Voices award as it unearths and assists new writers. When considering this year’s submissions, it was the commanding voices of the five selected writers paired with their ambitious ideas that excited the judging panel.’

‘Each writer is now about to embark on their own journey. The road ahead will see them mine for gold in Papua New Guinea, take arms in Ancient Egypt, find a new way of life in the Pennine Hills, travel to the Philippines of the 1940s, and become dangerously familiar with a professional poisoner. These works-in-progress promise new views and original stories. We can’t wait to see how they develop over the next year – good luck to the five winners!’

For more information on the authors and their works-in-progress, click here.

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

11 and Under - Prize: £100 plus £150 book tokens for your school

The Girl with the Red Umbrella by Nina He (age 11)

12-15 years - Prize: £250 plus £150 book tokens for your school

Journey of the Lost Ark by Elise Sankey (age 13)

16-21 years - Prize: £1,000

Doldrums by Atlas Weyland Eden (age 18)

Highly Commended by Niso Smith: 

The Last Performance by Emma Strutt (age 21)

All ten shortlisted writers worked with an editor to make their work ready for digital publication in 2024’s anthology titled Earth, Air, Fire & Water. The anthology will be available to read via the BookSmart app, created by global literacy charity, Worldreader. BookSmart makes high quality books available to children anywhere in the world with internet access. 

To read the anthology, visit https://booksmart.worldreader.org/home or download the app. 

For further information about this year’s authors click here.

Once again, we would like to say congratulations to all of the authors involved in this year’s prize, and a huge thank you to our incredible team of judges, librarians and volunteers.