Ayanna Lloyd Banwo has been named the winner of the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2023 for her debut novel, When We Were Birds, a mythic love story set in Trinidad and Tobago.

The award, judged by a team at Goldsboro Books in London, is called “the only prize that rewards storytelling in all genres – from romance, thrillers and ghost stories, to historical, speculative and literary fiction.” It is given annually to “a compelling novel with brilliant characterization and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realized”.

The winner receives £2,000 and a beautiful, handmade glass bell.