New Voices Award

Read all about the New Voices award here.

The New Voices Award supports writers to develop an idea they've yet to commit to paper, or those in the very early stages of their work in progress. The Award provides mentorship and editorial guidance for aspiring authors and encourages entries from all writers, including those from underrepresented backgrounds with a new story to tell.

The award is exclusively for unpublished writers. Writers must not be represented by a literary agent, or be under an existing or future contract to any publisher. The work submitted must not have been previously self-published, or have been published in full or in part through any publisher or other media. 

To participate, writers must submit their opening three chapters totalling no more than 10,000 words and a full plot outline of no more than 1,000 words detailing where they imagine the story will go. 

To ensure this award is for you, please carefully read and consider the criteria listing under 'What We're Looking For' and the full Terms & Conditions. 

Open for submissions: 1st March - 30th April 2025
Shortlist announced: 1st July 2025
Winner announced: September 2025
Prize: £1,000 and digital publication
Submission: Young writers must submit a short adventure story between 1500-3000 words in length.

To ensure this competition is for you, please carefully read these terms and conditions and the details on ‘What We’re Looking For’, to be found here.

By submitting your entry, you accept and agree to the following terms and conditions:

1. The competition is open to writers of any nationality writing in English.
2. Stories entered must be in English and within the word count specified for the category being entered.
3. Stories entered must be your own original work, written independently by you.
4. Stories must be entered in the category applicable to your age on the date of submission.
5. On the date of submission, stories entered must not have won another competition or have been published outside of your academic institution. You must notify us if your story is published outside of your academic      institution, or you are shortlisted or win another competition with it, prior to the date that the shortlist is announced. If we believe there is a conflict of interest, we reserve the right to withdraw your entry.
6. You may submit multiple stories. Each story must be submitted separately and will be considered a separate entry.
7. Entries must be submitted digitally, as a Word .doc or .docx. Please contact charlotte@wilbur-niso-smithfoundation.org if you have any questions about file type.
8. There  must be no reference to your name or other personal details in the manuscript as we operate a concealed reading and review process.
9. If your entry is shortlisted it will be published on Worldreader’s BookSmart app under your name. By entering the competition, you agree to your story being published in this way. The story will be online and available free of charge for readers anywhere in the world there is internet. You still own the story.
10. We may also publish shortlisted and prizewinning stories (or extracts of them), including for example on our website, social media, and in other materials or publicity for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize and The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation. Your name and age will be published if you are a winner, shortlisted or commended.
11. If your entry is shortlisted, we require an image of you to use for promotional purposes, including for example, on our website, social media and in other publicity for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize and The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation. If you are under the age of 18, we require permission from your parent or legal guardian to use your image in this way.

General: 

• We will comply with relevant data protection legislation.
• We cannot accept any responsibility and shall not to the extent permitted by law be liable for any damage, loss, injury or disappointment suffered by any entrant entering the competition.
• Entrants should keep back-up copies of any work submitted to the competition.
• These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

We reserve the right:

• to not award any of/all of the prizes where circumstances are beyond our control, or if the reading and review panel’s verdict is that the overall quality of entries is not up to the required standard.
• to extend the reading and review process and/or announcement of the shortlisted stories and winners should the number of entries exceed expectations. 
• to disqualify any entry if we have reasonable grounds to believe that the entry does not comply with these Terms & Conditions. 
• to amend these Terms & Conditions from time to time where reasonably necessary or where circumstances are beyond our control.

Please contact charlotte@wilbur-niso-smithfoundation.org if you have any questions.

Open for submissions: 1st March - 30th April 2025
Shortlist announced: 1st July 2025
Winner announced: September 2025
Prize:  £250 plus £150 in book tokens for your school, library or charity of choice. Your story will also be published digitally.

Submission: Young writers must submit a short adventure story between 1000-2000 words in length.

To ensure this competition is for you, please carefully read these terms and conditions and the details on ‘What We’re Looking For’, to be found here.

By submitting your entry, you accept and agree to the following terms and conditions:

1. The competition is open to writers of any nationality writing in English.
2. Stories entered must be in English and within the word count specified for the category being entered.
3. Stories entered must be your own original work, written independently by you.
4. Stories must be entered in the category applicable to your age on the date of submission.
5. On the date of submission, stories entered must not have won another competition or have been published outside of your academic institution. You must notify us if your story is published outside of your academic      institution, or you are shortlisted or win another competition with it, prior to the date that the shortlist is announced. If we believe there is a conflict of interest, we reserve the right to withdraw your entry.
6. You may submit multiple stories. Each story must be submitted separately and will be considered a separate entry.
7. Entries must be submitted digitally, as a Word .doc or .docx. Please contact charlotte@wilbur-niso-smithfoundation.org if you have any questions about file type.
8. There  must be no reference to your name or other personal details in the manuscript as we operate a concealed reading and review process.
9. If your entry is shortlisted it will be published on Worldreader’s BookSmart app under your name. By entering the competition, you agree to your story being published in this way. The story will be online and available free of charge for readers anywhere in the world there is internet. You still own the story.
10. We may also publish shortlisted and prizewinning stories (or extracts of them), including for example on our website, social media, and in other materials or publicity for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize and The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation. Your name and age will be published if you are a winner, shortlisted or commended.
11. If your entry is shortlisted, we require an image of you to use for promotional purposes, including for example, on our website, social media and in other publicity for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize and The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation. If you are under the age of 18, we require permission from your parent or legal guardian to use your image in this way.

General: 

• We will comply with relevant data protection legislation.
• We cannot accept any responsibility and shall not to the extent permitted by law be liable for any damage, loss, injury or disappointment suffered by any entrant entering the competition.
• Entrants should keep back-up copies of any work submitted to the competition.
• These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

We reserve the right:

• to not award any of/all of the prizes where circumstances are beyond our control, or if the reading and review panel’s verdict is that the overall quality of entries is not up to the required standard.
• to extend the reading and review process and/or announcement of the shortlisted stories and winners should the number of entries exceed expectations. 
• to disqualify any entry if we have reasonable grounds to believe that the entry does not comply with these Terms & Conditions. 
• to amend these Terms & Conditions from time to time where reasonably necessary or where circumstances are beyond our control.

Please contact charlotte@wilbur-niso-smithfoundation.org if you have any questions.

Open for submissions: 1st March - 30th April 2025
Shortlist announced: 1st July 2025
Winner announced: September 2025
Prize:  £100, plus £150 in book tokens for your school, library or charity of choice. Your story will also be published digitally.
Submission: Young writers must submit a short adventure story up to and including 500 words in length.
 

To ensure this competition is for you, please carefully read these terms and conditions and the details on ‘What We’re Looking For’, to be found here.

By submitting your entry, you accept and agree to the following terms and conditions:

1. The competition is open to writers of any nationality writing in English.
2. Stories entered must be in English and within the word count specified for the category being entered.
3. Stories entered must be your own original work, written independently by you.
4. Stories must be entered in the category applicable to your age on the date of submission.
5. On the date of submission, stories entered must not have won another competition or have been published outside of your academic institution. You must notify us if your story is published outside of your academic      institution, or you are shortlisted or win another competition with it, prior to the date that the shortlist is announced. If we believe there is a conflict of interest, we reserve the right to withdraw your entry.
6. You may submit multiple stories. Each story must be submitted separately and will be considered a separate entry.
7. Entries must be submitted digitally, as a Word .doc or .docx. Please contact charlotte@wilbur-niso-smithfoundation.org if you have any questions about file type.
8. There  must be no reference to your name or other personal details in the manuscript as we operate a concealed reading and review process.
9. If your entry is shortlisted it will be published on Worldreader’s BookSmart app under your name. By entering the competition, you agree to your story being published in this way. The story will be online and available free of charge for readers anywhere in the world there is internet. You still own the story.
10. We may also publish shortlisted and prizewinning stories (or extracts of them), including for example on our website, social media, and in other materials or publicity for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize and The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation. Your name and age will be published if you are a winner, shortlisted or commended.
11. If your entry is shortlisted, we require an image of you to use for promotional purposes, including for example, on our website, social media and in other publicity for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize and The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation. If you are under the age of 18, we require permission from your parent or legal guardian to use your image in this way.

General: 

• We will comply with relevant data protection legislation.
• We cannot accept any responsibility and shall not to the extent permitted by law be liable for any damage, loss, injury or disappointment suffered by any entrant entering the competition.
• Entrants should keep back-up copies of any work submitted to the competition.
• These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

We reserve the right:

• to not award any of/all of the prizes where circumstances are beyond our control, or if the reading and review panel’s verdict is that the overall quality of entries is not up to the required standard.
• to extend the reading and review process and/or announcement of the shortlisted stories and winners should the number of entries exceed expectations. 
• to disqualify any entry if we have reasonable grounds to believe that the entry does not comply with these Terms & Conditions. 
• to amend these Terms & Conditions from time to time where reasonably necessary or where circumstances are beyond our control.

Please contact charlotte@wilbur-niso-smithfoundation.org if you have any questions.