Babylonia by Costanza Casati has won the 2025 £10,000 (about $13,550) Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize, sponsored by the Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation. This was the second year in a row that a work of historical fiction won the prize.
Organizers wrote: "Set in 9th-century BC Assyria, Babylonia follows Semiramis, an orphan who rises from obscurity to claim the ancient throne, navigating love, war and betrayal in a world obsessed with power."
One member of the panel that selected the longlist and shortlist said: "Ancient Assyria is a culture shock in many senses. The juxtaposition of the beauty and excesses of those in power and the brutality meted out to those without is breathtaking... Semiramis's tale feels wholly unique--bold, rarely told, and brought to life with ferocious intensity. I haven't read anything quite like this. Casati takes a semi-mythical figure and gives her depth, rage, love, and vision--elevating the narrative beyond the usual rise-to-power arc."