You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Friends and family of the late author and entrepreneur Tom Grass have set up a writing prize in his name which opens for submissions today.
The inaugural Tom Grass Spirit of Adventure Prize is open to anyone aged 25 or over (either unpublished or with no more than one publication) for a short piece of fiction or non-fiction evoking the spirit of adventure.
Grass, whose novel Twist was published by Orion in 2014, was described by friends as “an adventurous spirit: a multitalented writer, entrepreneur, charity worker, avid reader and fearless traveller.”
Twist was adapted into a film starring Michael Caine and Rita Ora in 2021. Grass co-founded the film company, Pure Grass Films, and wellness business, Grass & Co. He lived for years in Africa and India, and travelled the world on foot, bicycle and motorbike.
Grass suffered from depression and died by suicide, aged 50, in February 2024.
His brother, Ben Grass, said: “Writing is a difficult and often solitary undertaking, but it is through community and connection that we find our greatest strength. With the Tom Grass Prize, we aim to celebrate Tom’s adventurous spirit and provide a platform for emerging writers, while raising awareness for mental health and supporting literacy in Kenya. The spirit of adventure lives on in every story, and we look forward to reading yours.”
The Tom Grass Prize is “designed to encourage, help and reward committed, emerging writers from around the world”.
Ben Grass and Tom’s close friend, film director James Erskine, is launching the Tom Grass Prize with Nikki Grass, Laetitia Rutherford, Olly Buston and John Lentaigne.
The judging panel includes Grass’s literary agent, Luigi Bonomi, Adele Grass (his mother), journalist Tanya DaHa, and Steppes Travel managing director Justin Wateridge. It will be chaired by literary agent at Watson Little, Laetitia Rutherford.
The shortlist and prize-winners will be celebrated at an event in London in June 2025. The winner of the Tom Grass Prize will receive £1,000, with two runners-up receiving £500 each.
Charitable donations from the prize will be made annually to The Charlie Waller Trust, a charity raising awareness about mental health and suicide prevention, and The Enaikishomi School and Community Project, which provides primary education for local children in Kenya.
The prize is sponsored by Steppes Travel. For full details of the competition visit tomgrassprize.com.