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Rachel Joyce and James Swallow have made the shortlist for ths year's £10,000 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize for novels that "best capture the spirit of adventure writing".
Joyce's Miss Benson's Beetle (Doubleday) and Swallow's Rogue (Bonnier Books UK) were joined on the shortlist by Ayesha Harruna Attah's The Deep Blue Between (Pushkin Press), D V Bishop's City of Vengeance (Pan Macmillan), Niall Edworthy's Otto Eckhart's Ordeal (Universe, Unicorn Publishing) and Alex Shaw's Total Blackout (HQ).
The judges for the prize will be Jon Coates, deputy news editor of the Sunday Express and book reviewer for the Daily Express, Dwayne Fields, explorer and adventurer, and Pip Stewart, adventurer, travel writer and filmmaker.
The winner of the best published novel will be revealed in an online ceremony on 8th September 2021, alongside awards for the best unpublished manuscript and the author of tomorrow for a writer aged 21 years and under who has completed a short piece of adventure writing.
This year the prize recognises the best adventure fiction published between 1st May 2020 and 30th April 2021. Submissions were open to writers of any nationality, writing in English. Authors from New Zealand, Ghana and the UK are represented on the shortlist.
Niso Smith, founder of The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation, said: "Most of 2020 was a challenging time for all of us, including booksellers and publishers around the world. This said, we at the foundation have an utmost respect for the authors, publishers and agents in their continued drive to reach readers in new ways. We are fortunate to work with a team of dedicated and passionate librarians and library staff to help select the shortlist."
She added: "These shortlisted novels are thrilling, sometimes witty, and will make you weep. There are so many emotions brilliantly put to paper in all these books that they are guaranteed to keep you up at night and take you on an adventure. Read one and it will present you with a fresh take on the world, read all six and the power of adventure will sweep you off your feet."
Throughout June and July, the prize will run an online campaign including a public vote element, with the reader’s choice equating to one seat on the judging panel. There will also be a series of online events and engagement opportunities for libraries and reading groups.