Sophie Elmhirst has clinched the prestigious £30,000 Nero Gold Prize for her riveting narrative nonfiction, Maurice and Maralyn: An Extraordinary True Story of Shipwreck, Survival, and Love, per publishingperspectives.com. The award, announced at a ceremony in central London’s Outernet, celebrates Elmhirst’s masterful retelling of a couple’s harrowing 118-day ordeal at sea, a tale that intertwines adventure, love and resilience.
Chaired by acclaimed author Bill Bryson, the judging panel praised Elmhirst’s work as “an enthralling, engrossing story of survival and the resilience of the human spirit.” Bryson highlighted the novelistic quality of the narrative, calling it a gripping exploration of both marital dynamics and the sheer will to survive. “Maralyn’s courage shines through,” he remarked, “as her strength becomes the anchor that saves them.”
The Nero Gold Prize, one of the UK’s most exclusive literary honours, is open only to writers based in the UK and Ireland. Elmhirst’s win follows a competitive shortlist of four titles across fiction, nonfiction, debut fiction, and children’s fiction categories.
Gerry Ford, Caffè Nero’s founding group CEO, commended the judges’ tough decision, noting that Elmhirst’s story “will stay with readers for years to come.”
In addition to the main prize, the ceremony unveiled the new Nero New Writers Prize, a collaboration with Brunel University aimed at recognising unpublished talent. This expansion underscores the award’s commitment to fostering literary excellence in the UK and Ireland.
Elmhirst’s victory adds to a growing list of accolades for Maurice and Maralyn, solidifying its place as a standout work in contemporary nonfiction.
•Featured image: Sophie Elmhirst/Nero Book Awards
