Do your group love adventure stories?
Do your club want to be involved with the process of reviewing shortlisted books from this year’s Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize?
Apply for your book club to take part and have your own adventure this summer!
The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize is inviting six UK-based reading groups to shadow the 2025 Best Published Novel award. Each group will receive a set (up to ten copies) of one shortlisted book to read and review by 11 August, before the winner is announced in September.
The shortlist will be announce 4 June.
The Shadowing Opportunity
Groups will be selected and sent copies of the book by the end of June 2025.
All groups with members aged 18+ are welcome to apply, whether you’ve been meeting for years or are thinking about forming a new book club. We are keen to have some groups who are engaged with social media to increase the reach of the Prize, but don’t let this put you off applying. We hope to see participants of all ages and genders from across the UK.
As well as copies of the book, groups will have access to discussion sheets and are invited to attend an online meeting to discuss their book with the author. We aim for the author events to take place during the evenings of the w/c 28 July and w/c 4 August , 6-7pm, for approximately an hour, and will work with you to ensure attendance is possible.
Groups are asked to send a group photo and bio to be used on websites and social media (of The Reading Agency and the Prize). In addition, they will be asked to share their experience on social media where possible, answer a questionnaire giving feedback and provide reviews on the titles they have read by 11 August 2025.
The Reading Agency will host a virtual meeting with two members from each of the selected groups on w/c 23 June so we can meet you, introduce you to each other and you can ask questions about the process.
Each group will receive a minimum of one ticket to join the awards reception in London, on an evening in September.
How to apply
To be considered, please complete the form below by midday on 11 June.
Please do not enter if your club does not wish to engage with any of activities outlined above.
Please contact Kathryn.rose@readingagency.org.uk if you have any questions.
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