The Ilse Schwepcke Prize

Her book, ‘The Miraculous Fever Tree’, about malaria and the discovery of quinine, was published in Britain and in America. She and her family live between London and Scotland.

To find out more about how to apply, visit the link in our bio.

Fiammetta has been the judge of numerous prizes for fiction and nonfiction. Her writing has won awards on both sides of the Atlantic. She is an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Fiammetta Rocco grew up in Kenya and read Arabic at Oxford. For 25 years she was the culture editor of the Economist, and is now a writer and critic based in London. She is the Emeritus Director of the International Booker Prize and an energetic advocate of reading and story-telling.

📚 MEET THE JUDGES

Introducing the first of our brilliant judges, we are so pleased that Fiammetta Rocco will Chair the jury for the 2026 #IlseSchwepckePrize

The prize is open to works of travel writing by a woman writing in English. Submissions are welcome from any country or place of residence. Translations are not eligible.

To see the full eligibility criteria, and to apply, visit the link in our bio.

Who will win the next #TheIlseSchwepckePrize?📚🌍

Submissions for the 2026 Ilse Schwepcke Prize for women’s travel writing are open.

Need a gift for your globetrotter this Christmas? We’ve got you covered!📚🎄🎁

Shop the 2025 Ilse Schwepcke Prize winner and shortlist on @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social (link in our bio).

Shining a light on travel writing in English and German – the Ilse Schwepke Prize – New Books in German New Books in German promotes German-language literature for translation into English

Prize co-founder Dr Barbara Schwepcke sat down with Sarah Hemens (@newgermanbooks.bsky.social) to talk about the Prize in its inaugural year.

Read here: www.new-books-in-german.com/ilse-schwepk...

YouTube video by Kurt Wolff Stiftung Verleihung der Ilse-Schwepcke-Preise für Reiseschriftstellerinnen

Missed our prize ceremony at the Frankfurt Book Fair?

Watch here as Ursula Martin and Millay Hyatt are awarded the inaugural Ilse Schwepcke Prize:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI13...

✍️ NEW BLOG POST

We had the pleasure awarding inaugural Prize winners Ursula Martin and Millay Hyatt at the @buchmesse.de.

Read more about the ceremony here: www.ilseschwepckeprize.co.uk/news/awardin...

A MASSIVE congratulations to Ursula Martin! One Woman Walks Europe has won the Ilse Schwepcke Prize for Women's Travel Writing 2025!

An exhilarating journey into the wild nature of land and her own spirit.

One Woman Walks Europe is out now by @honnopress.bsky.social

A huge congratulations to Ursula, and to our shortlisted authors.

ONE WOMAN WALKS EUROPE is Ursula’s 5,500 mile trek across Europe – a raw and inspiring journey of wild camping, resilience, and self-discovery. Battling fear and isolation she finds strength in solitude, connection in nature, and a deeper understanding of home and belonging.

Ursula will be awarded tonight at the @buchmesse.de along side the winner of the German prize, Der Ilse Schwepcke Preis, Millay Hyatt.

We are delighted to reveal that Ursula Martin is the winner of the inaugural #TheIlseSchwepckePrize for her book, ONE WOMAN WALKS EUROPE (@honnopress.bsky.social).

This is what she said about winning the Prize ⬇️

Arabella Friesen said: ‘A long look over her shoulder at her younger self in the early post-Soviet years: Groskop’s voice is wonderfully wry and funny, her memoir of her student days in Russia and Ukraine fresh and zestful...’

Read more about the 2025 shortlist in our bio.

Helena Attlee said: ‘Funny, compelling and clever, this beautifully written book found its way onto the shortlist for capturing the atmosphere and practical realities of everyday life in the ex-Soviet Union just after the fall of the Berlin Wall...’

🌟SHORTLIST SPOTLIGHT

Our final shortlist spotlight is ONE UKRAINIAN SUMMER, Viv Groskop‘s enthralling memoir of her time spent in post-Soviet Russia and Ukraine.

Stephanie Yeboah said: ‘...The author takes readers on a journey not just across landscapes but into the heart of perseverance and self-discovery, with warmth and honesty shining through every page.’

Read more about the 2025 shortlist through the link in our bio.

Arabella Friesen said: ‘Martin’s five and a half thousand mile walk across Europe is a feat by any measure: for sheer guts, determination, courage both physical and mental, dauntlessness and good humour. She is a marvel … The world seems wider after reading this book.’

🌟 SHORTLIST SPOTLIGHT

Next on our shortlist spotlight is ONE WOMAN WALKS EUROPE – Ursula Martin’s extraordinary, captivating story of walking 5500 miles from Eastern to Western Europe.

Stephanie Yeboah said: ‘This is a beautifully written memoir that captures the magic of place and the power of transformation…’

Read more about the 2025 shortlist through the link in our bio.

Helena Attlee said: ‘The beautifully told story of a long, slow relationship with Greece and its culture. We shortlisted it for its vivid evocation of travelling as a young woman abroad, with all the excitement and technicolour observations of everyday life in Greece…’

🌟SHORTLIST SPOTLIGHT

Victoria Whitworth’s moving and courageous memoir, DUST AND POMEGRANATES, entwines recollections from her youth with explorations of Greek myth and legend.

✍️ NEW BLOG POST

We had a wonderful evening celebrating the announcement of the English and German shortlists at John Sandoe Books on Saturday.

Read more about it here: www.ilseschwepckeprize.co.uk/news/celebra...

The shortlist for the Ilse Schwepcke Prize has now been announced.

Congratulations to Kapka Kassabova, Ursula Martin, Viv Groskop (@vivgroskop) and Victoria Whitworth,

It is an annual award, administered by the SoA, for women’s travel writing in the English language.

The winner will be announced on 17 October and awarded at @buchmesse.de. If you’re at the fair, please join us in celebrating the winners at the Reading Island for Independent Publishers in Hall 3.1 (C105).

Our jurors said:

‘…Taken together, the books had much to teach us about courage, resilience and determination. They captured the many and varied creative responses of women to the world. … It was a struggle to draw up a shortlist from this rich mix.’

📖 ANIMA by Kapka Kassabova @vintagebooks.bsky.social
📖 ONE UKRAINIAN SUMMER by Viv Groskop @ithakapress.bsky.social
📖 DUST AND POMEGRANATES by Victoria Whitworth @headofzeus.bsky.social
📖 ONE WOMANS WALKS EUROPE by @onewomanwalks.bsky.social @honnopress.bsky.social

We are thrilled to announce the shortlist of the inaugural #TheIlseSchwepckePrize for women’s travel writing.

Congratulations to our shortlisted authors!

Read more about the shortlist here: ilseschwepckeprize.co.uk/2025-shortlist/