Part of the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize, the Author of Tomorrow Award is an annual competition designed to find the adventure writers of the future. It is open to young people, aged 21 and under, who have completed a short piece of adventure writing in English.

The 2024 Author of Tomorrow Award opened for submissions on 1st March, 2024 and will close on 30th April, 2024.

Written by young people, for young people to read, and judged by a panel of young readers, the Author of Tomorrow plays its part in improving global literacy levels.

How do I enter?

Read our definition of adventure writing here and read the details below to make sure you enter the correct age category. Please submit your entry in the category applicable to your age on the date of submission.

Category 1: age 16-21 years

Prize: £1,000

Young writers must submit a short adventure story between 1,500-3,000 words in length.

Category 2: age 12-15 years

Prize: £250, plus £150 in book tokens for their school, library or charity of choice

Young writers must submit a short adventure story between 1,000-2,000 words in length.

Category 3: age 11 and under

Prize: £100, plus £150 in book tokens for their school, library or charity of choice

Young writers must submit a short adventure story up to and including 500 words in length.

How To Apply

Before you submit, please refer to our full Terms & Conditions. When you are ready, you can enter your story through the portal here.