𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚

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The Process

21st February - Early March: Submitting forms

March - Mid April: Judging Period

Late April: Winners Announced


The Criteria

0/5: The Cover

A book's cover is what first draws in a reader's attention. Is the cover eye catching? Is the title clear, and does it relate to the overall theme of your story?

0/5: The Description

The description is what allows for the audience to know what the book is going to be about. Depending on the description, people may choose to give your book a miss, or choose to read it. Does the description reveal enough of the story to tell a reader what it's about without spoiling anything? Is it well written?

0/10: The First Chapter

The first chapter is crucial. It's the chapter that allows for a reader to dip their toes in and see whether or not they like not only the story, but also whether or not this story will be well written. There are five things that every author must include in the first chapter to get the audience hooked.

- Who is the story about?

- What might happen/is there a clear direction the plot is flowing in?

- When is the story taking place?

- Where is the location?

- Why is the character doing what they are doing, or why are they there?

By including these five points, it's easy for the reader to fall into the story and begin to understand what the story is about and where it might be heading. Bonus if there's a cliffhanger at the end of the first chapter to keep the audience wanting to read on.

0/10: Grammar

The most important thing about a story is how well written it is and whether or not there are constant mistakes in the writing. It's important that the author sticks to one tense (past or present) and only one perspective (1st person or 3rd person) throughout a chapter. Also the placement of commas, fullstops and dialogue is just as important.

0/20: The Plot

The plot is what keeps a story consistent, what keeps it moving. Is there a clear plot line? Or is the story choppy and messy, lacking a main goal or motive? A good plot is one that moves along rather smoothly with a clear goal that the main character is trying to reach, or obstacle they are trying to overcome.

0/20: Character Development and Diversity

Over the course of a story, the characters usually change for the better or for the worse. Have the characters gone through some kind of physical, emotional or psychological change? Have their relationships deepened, or did they lose relationships? All of these are examples of character development. Also, are your characters diverse? Do they have different backgrounds (ethnic, religious, monetary, educational, status, age, etc.), personalities and differences in their mannerisms? Can the reader identify different character's names based descriptions of them alone?

0/10: Relationships

Relationships should come steady in a book, and most important of all they should feel natural, not forced. Was the relationship too rushed? Or was it a nice slow burn? Maybe in between? What type of relationship does the main character share with the other characters? This doesn't just apply to romantic relationships, but other relationships as well e.g. friendships, rivals, colleagues, classmates etc.

0/10: Flow

Flow is an overlooked portion of writing that can make or break a book. Is the pacing of your book even? Is it rushed, does it drag too much, or is it a mixture of both? Does the dialogue and plot/relationships feel rushed, or do they feel planned and thought out to seem natural? Same with any aspect of the book— characters, themes, details, etc.

0/10: Overall opinion

The Judges will give a score based on their overall feeling for the story.

BTS Shadow Awards | 2020 {OPEN}Where stories live. Discover now