The Ilse Schwepcke Prize is pleased to announce that Fiammetta Rocco, Emeritus Director of the International Booker Prize and former culture editor of The Economist, will Chair the 2026 jury. Fiammetta said: “Travel writing is one of the best ways of stepping into another person’s shoes; to learn about what other people see, how they […]
On Friday evening at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the inaugural Ilse Schwepcke Prize for women’s travel writing was awarded, celebrating two outstanding voices in travel literature. The ceremony was followed by a celebratory dinner at Restaurant Herr Franz. The English-language award went to Ursula Martin for her book One Woman Walks Europe (Honno Welsh Women’s Press), who […]
The shortlists for the inaugural Ilse Schwepcke Prize were announced on Friday, followed by celebrations at John Sandoe Books on Saturday evening. The evening began with Prize co-founder Dr Barbara Schwepcke remembering her mother, Ilse, in whose memory the Prize is held. Ilse loved travelling and reading travel writing — so much so that she […]
Every March, Women’s History Month is celebrated in the UK and around the world to acknowledge the remarkable contributions women have made throughout history. At The Ilse Schwepcke Prize, we remember and celebrate the extraordinary and pioneering women travellers who have broken boundaries, ventured down perilous paths, and paved the way for how we travel […]
The newly launched Ilse Schwepcke Prizes have entered the literary landscape and are generating a buzz. Since their launch at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the prizes have received coverage from publications like The Bookseller and Publishers Weekly. The Bookseller highlighted the origins of the awards, noting Ilse’s legacy as ‘a “devotee” of travel writing, a […]