The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize is open to writers around the world for the best adventure novel written in English.

They offer two prizes: £15,000 (around $20,000 USD) for the best unpublished adventure novel by a debut author, and £15,000 for the best published novel.

That’s a total of £30,000, or aroud $40,000 USD.

One of the big benefits of this contest: If you’ve previously self-published a novel, it is still eligible for the “unpublished manuscript” prize. This is unusual, as most publishers actively avoid any type of previously published work.

Even if you don’t win one of the grand prizes, if you’re shortlisted, you get to work with an established literary consultant for three months — giving you a huge advantage in your writing career.

According to their website, and adventure novel should:

• Take the reader on an epic journey, exploring new horizons – be they historical or geographical

• Explore the themes of courage, endurance and resourcefulness

• Allow readers to connect with a different reality or culture

The deadline for the contest is March 1st, 2019.

To learn more, read their submission guidelines.