Call to writers everywhere
Eligibility criteria
The Tom Grass Prize is open to all writers from all over the world who are over the age of 25 and writing in the English language.
Entrants must not be represented by a Literary Agent and must not have any previous or new book under contract with a mainstream publisher for the duration of the prize.
The word count is between 1,500 and 3,000 words.
The entry can be either fiction or non-fiction and must be a stand-alone piece of prose.
Entrants are invited to reflect the spirit of adventure in subject matter and/or style in whichever way and in however broad a sense the writer interprets this.
Prizes
1st prize: £1,500
Two runners-up prizes: £750 each
All three finalists will be offered a meeting with a Literary Agent.
Judges
Laetitia Rutherford
Laetitia is a literary agent at Watson, Little representing a diverse list of Fiction and Non-Fiction. She regularly gives writing workshops, collaborating with Kingston University, Indie Novella, and the London Writers’ Cafe. In 2024, Laetitia received the University of West London’s Vice-Chancellor’s Award to begin a part-time Phd exploring the print to digital transformation. Laetitia is researching this alongside working closely with her authors.
Justin Wateridge
An avid traveller and lover of books, Justin has worked in travel for over thirty years. He does so with a curiosity for people, places and planet. And in particular, arbitrary lines.
Luigi Bonomi
Highly accomplished literary agent and Managing Director of LBA Books in London. With a background in English Literature from University College London and Dartmouth College, he has over 35 years of experience in the publishing industry. Bonomi has launched the careers of numerous bestselling authors and was named Literary Agent of the Year in 2010.
Hannah Chukwu
Hannah is a 2026/2027 Churchill Fellow, researching inclusive curricula and reading engagement. Until 2026, she was Publishing Director at Dialogue Books/Hachette. Prior, she commissioned at Hamish Hamilton/PRH, where she also edited Five Dials magazine, founded the Black Britain: Writing Back series with Bernardine Evaristo, and was Policy and Campaign Consultant for Lit in Colour. She is a Trustee for English PEN and The Brilliant Club, and Advisory Committee member for the Booker Prize Foundation.
Philipp Schwalber
Philipp studied with Tom at Oxford University. When not working in his finance day job, Philipp loves travelling, especially in the mountains, and exploring quiet places – both physically and through reading. He was fortunate to share some of these adventures over the years with Tom.
Adele Grass
Mother to Tom Grass, avid reader and lover of literature.
Bryony Lorimer
Bryony is a Scottish writer based in Edmonton, Canada, and winner of the Tom Grass Prize 2026. She is completing a Creative Writing Certificate through the University of Toronto. Her fiction often explores the subtle moments when a person’s understanding of themselves shifts.
Judging process
The Tom Grass Spirit of Adventure Literary Prize opens for submissions on 1 November 2026 and closes on 31 March 2027.
All entries will be logged and verified to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria.
A group of volunteer readers and supporters of the Prize will review all submissions blind (without seeing author names). Through discussion and a democratic selection process, this team will create a long list of standout entries.
The final judging panel will then read the longlisted works and select three prize-winning pieces - one overall winner and two runners-up. They will be announced at a ceremony in London on 10th June 2027, and simultaneously in a press release.
The judging panel is chaired by literary agent Laetitia Rutherford and includes leading figures from publishing, travel, and the arts.
How to enter
To enter the Tom Grass Literary Prize, please submit your piece of between 1,500 and 3,000 words maximum using the website entry form below..
Material should be submitted as a PDF document (or in Word format), in a clear font, point size 12. Please include with the piece a brief one paragraph outline to introduce or give context to it, including reference to your personal background if you consider this relevant.
Filenames should be the ‘Title of Work.’ All pages should be numbered and include the ‘Title of Work’ as a footer or header.
The entry must be written in the English Language, in prose, in any genre of Fiction or Non Fiction as long as it reflects, in whichever way the writer interprets, the sensibility of the Tom Grass Prize.
Entrants are permitted only one entry each and entries on behalf of another person will not be accepted. Joint submissions are permitted but should be sent only once, on behalf of both authors, subject to both authors consenting to entering and being eligible.
Entries should be uploaded to the website portal any time between 1st November 2026 and 31st March 2027, with the deadline closing at midnight, UK time, on 31st March 2027. All entries will be read by the Tom Grass Prize team of supporters, who will create a longlist to be submitted to the Jury.
The Tom Grass Prize is free to enter before 28th February 2027 and £15 to enter in March 2027.
Any entry submitted after 1 March 2027 must include a £15 entry fee, payable after submission. Entries received without payment of the entry fee will not be considered
Entrants must be over the age of 25 as of 1st November 2026 when submissions open.
Entrants can live anywhere in the world, and we encourage entrants from all backgrounds.
Entries must be written in the English Language.
Entrants will not be eligible if they have a previous or new book under contract with a mainstream publisher, but are eligible if they have a book self-published or by an academic or specialist publisher.
Entrants must not be represented by a literary agent for the duration of the prize.
Entries must be original to the author and must not violate the copyright or other rights of any third party.
Any use of AI in the text is not permitted and entrants may be required to sign additional documents to attest to this.
Entrants must comply with these terms and conditions to be eligible. If there is any reason to believe that there has been a breach of these terms and conditions, the Tom Grass Prize may, at their sole discretion, reserve the right to exclude you from participating in the competition.
No further correspondence will be entered into other than for the receipt of submissions and the judges’ decision.
The meeting offered with the Literary Agent will be 30mins, in-person or on a video-conference call.
Terms & Conditions
Submit your entry
An important note regarding the entry fee
Please note that entries submitted after 1 March 2026 will incur an entry fee of £15. All entry fees support charitable causes. The fee is paid in the step following submission. Entries received after 1 March 2026 without payment of the entry fee cannot be evaluated.
The Tom Grass Prize adheres to the principles of GDPR, and the data you give as part of the application will be used solely for the purposes of the Prize itself, unless you give permission otherwise. Our privacy notice can be found here.