Stanely Gazemba is one of the writers who have made the shortlists for the inaugural Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize.
Its not the first time that Stanely Gazemba is in the running for a prize that he went on to win. In 2003, he was in the running for the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature for his book The Stone Hills of the Maragoli and he went on to win in the English adult category. He won in the same prize last year for his book A Scare in the Village in the children’s category. He was also the second reserve on the inaugural Miles Morland Fellowship and listed on the Africa 39 project.
The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize is the baby of the Wilbur and Niso Smith Foundation a charitable organisation dedicated to empowering young writers, the advancement of the adventure writing genre and the promotion of literacy. The two prizes within this award scheme are The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize and The Author of Tomorrow Award.
With The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize the options are for the best published adventure novel of the previous calendar year and a prize for the best unpublished adventure manuscript submitted for consideration. The winner of the prize for a published novel will receive £10 000. The winner of the prize for an unpublished manuscript will be offered the opportunity to complete a creative writing residency at a prestigious university and career guidance from Wilbur’s literary agents at Tibor Jones & Associates.
The Author of Tomorrow Award on the other hand will be presented to the best adventure short story written by someone between the age of twelve and twenty-one that is submitted for consideration. The winner of the Author of Tomorrow award will receive £1,000 and a framed certificate.
The shortlist for the £10 000 first prize was announced earlier this month and those in the running include:
- Corban Addison THE TEARS OF DARK WATER (Quercus)
- Manda Scott INTO THE FIRE (Bantam)
- Roger Hobbs VANISHING GAMES (Corgi)
- Ben Kane EAGLES AT WAR (Arrow)
- Andy McDermott THE REVELATION CODE (Headline)
- Simon Scarrow BRITANNIA (Headline)
It was Tuesday that the names for two additional prizes were announced and this is where our Stanley Gazemba lies. The shortlistees are for best unpublished adventure manuscript are:
- John Righten CHURCHILL’S ROGUE
- Kirsten Miller THE HUM OF THE SUN
- Gazemba KHAMA
- Mark Isherwood DUTCH
- Zirk van den Berg STARLIGHT & STONE
The winner of the prize for the best unpublished manuscript will be offered the opportunity of a creative writing residency at the University of Cape Town and career guidance from Wilbur Smith’s literary agent Kevin Conroy Scott.
In the other category, of author of tomorrow award for the best adventure short story under 5 000 words, written by someone between the ages of 12 and 21, the winner will receive £1 000 pounds sterling. Those in the running are;
- Alex Atkinson JUNGLE GOLD
- Rory Hinshelwood AND WITH THE WIND IT WENT
- Alice Sargent CHEROKEE ROSE
The prizes will be awarded at a prestigious event, hosted by the BBC’s Kate Silverton, at the Royal Geographical Society on the 12th of May 2016.
Good luck Stanley. And everyone else. But mainly Stanley.
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