Eligibility Criteria

The Ilse Schwepcke Prize for Women Travel Writers is awarded annually during the International Frankfurt Book Fair – at which Ilse was a regular presence – in memory of her and her work as a publisher. In her last twenty years, Ilse spent a lot of time in London and lived bilingually, so two women are honoured: one who writes in English and one who writes in Ilse’s mother tongue.

The aim of the Ilse Schwepcke Prizes is to celebrate published works of travel writing by women writing in English and German. Submissions should be literary in style. Works of fiction, poetry, guidebooks, and books predominantly of images are not eligible. Books must have been first published in the eligibility period in the English language or the German language.

  1. The aim of the Ilse Schwepcke Prizes is to celebrate published works of travel writing by women writing in English and German. Submissions should be literary in style. Works of fiction, poetry, guidebooks, and books predominantly of images are not eligible.
  2. All works submitted must be the sole work of a woman. Co-authored works are not eligible. For the purposes of the Ilse Schwepcke Prizes, a woman is a cis woman, a transgender woman, or anyone who is legally defined as a woman or of the female sex.
  3. Entries to the English prize must be originally written in English and not translated works. Entries to the German prize must be originally written in German and not translated works.
  4. Entries must have been first published between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 (for the 2025 prizes).
  5. Publishers may only submit books during the submission period, from 1 January 2025 to 31 March 2025 (for the 2025 prizes). Submissions must be made by an established commercial publisher. The books may have been published anywhere in the world, provided that they are world first publications.
  6. Publishers must provide FIVE physical copies of the submitted work (all non-returnable). Digital copies of the works are acceptable if physical copies are not yet available, but physical copies must be submitted when they become available.

  7. The prizes will be awarded each year in a joint ceremony at the Frankfurt Book Fair, starting in autumn 2025. The two winning authors will receive £5,000 (English-language prize) and €6,000 (German-language prize).

The English prize is administered by the Society of Authors (SoA). The German prize is administered by Kirchner Kommunikation (KK).

Current employees of the SoA or members of the KK team cannot apply for either prize.

Publishers must provide FIVE physical copies of the submitted work (all non-returnable). Digital copies of the works are acceptable if physical copies are not yet available, but physical copies must be submitted when they become available.