The SpyMasters Book Prize

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The SpyMasters Book Prize

About the Prize

At SpyMasters, we love spy books. We love to read espionage books, both fiction and non-fiction, as well as champion the genre and its authors.

And so it is with great pleasure that we announce the inaugural SpyMasters Book Prize.

The award is open to any spy novel, published in hardback or paperback, in 2024. We will accept both historical and modern spy thrillers. The deadline to enter is April 30th 2025.

A cash prize of £500 will be awarded to the winning author. We will also interview the winner on the SpyMasters podcast.

A longlist of twenty titles will be announced on 1st June 2025.

A shortlist of six titles will then be announced on 1st October 2025.

The winner will be announced at a special event in November, at which the longlist and special guests will be invited.

How to Enter

Submissions must be in PDF format (max 10mb). The prize is open to novels published in hardback or paperback in 2024 only.

Entry to the SpyMasters Book Prize is £10. Payment can be made below via Visa, Mastercard or American Express.

If you would like an alternative payment method, or have questions, please contact us: history@aspectsofhistory.com

The Judges

Paul Burke

Paul writes for Crime Time, Crime Fiction Lover and the European Literature Network, Punk Noir Magazine (fiction). He is also a CWA Historical Dagger Judge 2024. His first book An Encyclopedia of Spy Fiction will be out in late 2025.

Antonia Senior

Antonia is the host of the SpyMasters podcast and historical fiction reviewer for The Times. Antonia is now working on her first non-fiction book, about the Cambridge Five spy ring.

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Thomas Waugh

Thomas Waugh is a spy writer and the author of the Daniel Ambler spy thrillers. Duty Calls is the first in the series, published by Sharpe Books.

Shane Whaley

Shane is host of the Spybrary Podcast, is a seasoned podcaster and a fervent enthusiast of spy books and espionage history.

Oliver Webb-Carter

Oliver is co-founder and editor of Aspects of History magazine and hosts the Aspects of History podcast. 

The Aspects of History Podcast