And So I Roar by Abi Dare wins first-ever Climate Fiction Prize, supported by Climate Spring

The Climate Fiction Prize, a new literary prize which rewards the best novel-length work of fiction published in the UK engaging with the climate crisis, announces its inaugural winner at a ceremony in London tonight.

And So I Roar has been chosen as the winning novel from the all-female shortlist, announced in March, and is the culmination of a year-long selection process by an expert panel of judges from across the literary and climate worlds. The first year has revealed sensational talent in the climate fiction space and excited debate around how to define climate fiction, demonstrating the diversity of genres and subjects represented.

Daré’s winning novel follows fourteen-year-old Adunni from her life in Lagos, where she is excited to finally enrol in school, to her home village where she is summoned to face charges for events that are in fact caused by climate change. And So I Roar is a witty and moving story that highlights the impact of climate change on women's lives in parts of the world that are least responsible for contributing to the problem. The book explores the connections between social justice and climate, with oppression through slavery and subjugation of girls and women and of nature.  It reveals how the climate crisis is unfolding in parts of the world that seldom make the news: families losing their homes, communities adapting in unexpected ways, belief systems clashing with hard facts and, in the face of it all, resilience.

Climate Fiction Prize Chair, Madeleine Bunting, said:

'A book of real energy and passion which both horrifies and entertains with a cast of compelling characters, a story of how the climate crisis can provoke social crisis where often women and children are the victims. Despite the tragedy, Abi Daré holds faith in the strength of individuals and relationships and her hopefulness leaves us inspired.'

Abi Daré, winner of the Climate Fiction Prize, said:

‘I’m truly honoured to see And So I Roar recognised in this way. Climate fiction is often rooted in the Global North, so having a story set in Africa acknowledged like this means a great deal. Africa accounts for just 4 per percent of global carbon emissions yet faces some of the harshest effects of the climate crisis. A prize like this matters because it creates space for stories that show how deeply connected we all are and how fiction can open hearts where data alone might struggle.’

Climate Spring Founder & Executive Director, Lucy Stone said:

‘Climate fiction is no longer niche - it is rapidly emerging as one of the most vibrant and necessary spaces in contemporary storytelling - where the climate crisis is not simply a backdrop, but a lens through which we examine what it is to be human. In its inaugural year, the Climate Fiction Prize has truly showcased the evolving scope of what climate fiction can be. Abi Daré’s And So I Roar powerfully illuminates the intersections of environmental and social injustices, while finding the courage to imagine a better future. That’s what climate fiction now offers us: not just dystopian warning tales, but new ways to see, feel and live through the defining challenges of our time.’

Climate Fiction

There is no adequate definition of climate fiction, it is an evolving space, just as the consequences of climate change are evolving and emerging in non-linear, unexpected ways. What we have seen is that climate fiction is no longer just about dystopian warnings of the future, or about communicating science and the physical changes. Instead climate fiction also encompasses philosophical reflections on earth as our home (Orbital), time travelling thriller sci-fi (Ministry of Time), and stories drawing on folk and myth to explore how we might navigate a changing world as uprooted families (The Morningside, Briefly Very Beautiful).  Ultimately it is now the backstop to superb, engaging and dramatic stories. The judges chose Abi Dare's novel And So I Roar as achieving this spectacularly well.

The Climate Fiction Prize judging panel:

The 2025 prizes judges are writer Madeleine Bunting (Chair); climate justice activist and writer Tori Tsui, non-fiction author Nicola Chester (On Gallows Down, shortlisted for the James Cropper Wainwright Prize), David Lindo aka The Urban Birder, and Andy Fryers, Hay Festival’s Sustainability Director.

About the winning author:

Abi Daré was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and holds a degree in law from the University of Wolverhampton, an MSc in International Project Management from Glasgow Caledonian University and an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London. Her debut novel, The Girl with the Louding Voice, was a New York Times and international bestseller and was shortlisted for multiple awards, including the Desmond Elliot Prize. In 2023, Abi established The Louding Voice Foundation to provide scholarships and empowerment programmes for women and girls in underserved communities in Nigeria. She lives in Essex.

Notes to Editors:

Jackets, headshots and a range of assets for the winner are available here.

And So I Roar is published in paperback on 19th June (Sceptre, Hodder).

The submissions process for year 2 of the Prize will open in late summer.

Daré will be interviewed by Owen Sheers in a Climate Fiction Prize event at Hay Festival on Friday 30th May 2025 at 5.30pm.

The Climate Fiction Prize Shortlist:

• The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Sceptre, Hodder)
• And So I Roar by Abi Daré (Sceptre, Hodder)
• Briefly Very Beautiful by Roz Dineen (Bloomsbury Circus)
• Orbital by Samantha Harvey (Jonathan Cape, PRH)
• The Morningside by Téa Obreht (W&N, Orion)

Website and social: ClimateFictionPrize.com  / Instagram: @ClimateFictionPrize / LinkedIn: The Climate Fiction Prize / Bsky: @climate-fiction.bsky.social / X: @Climate_Fiction

The Prize’s founders are Lucy Stone (Executive Director of global climate storytelling organisation, Climate Spring), Leo Barasi (climate non fiction author), Rose Goddard (former Prize Manager of the Women’s Prize for Fiction), and Imran Khan (former Head of Public Engagement at the Wellcome Trust, now at UC Berkeley)

The Prize’s advisory group includes Dr Friederike Otto (Imperial College London and World Weather Attribution), Alex Evans (Larger Us), Jessica Woollard (David Higham) and Wren James (author and Climate Fiction Writers’ League).

Global climate storytelling organisation Climate Spring is dedicated to transforming how the climate crisis is represented in film, TV, mainstream entertainment and popular culture. Working with creatives, producers and commissioners around the world, Climate Spring identifies, supports and incentivises the development of new narratives for the climate crisis through: early-stage development funding for scripted and unscripted content; editorial consulting on the climate elements of film and TV projects; training and writers development opportunities; and support in moving a project from idea to distribution. Climate Spring supports the Prize to grow the profile and reach of climate fiction. climate-spring.org / X: @climate__spring / LinkedIn: Climate Spring

Please direct publicity enquiries for the Climate Fiction Prize to Helen Mockridge PR: helenmockridgepr@gmail.com / 07753 834 229

IMAGE: (c) Heyse Ip

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