[FINISHED] Winter 2021 Awards

Score Sheet for Best Book

Best Book

Cover Breakdown (total 10 points)

Aesthetics/Design (3 points)

Blurb (5 points)

Author Name and Book Title clearly shown (2 points)

Plot Breakdown (total 30 points)

Pacing (5 points)

Character Development (10 points)

Character Dialogue (5 points)

Settings/Descriptions (5 points)

Unique/Creativity/Overall Impression (5 points)

Language Breakdown (total 10 points)

Grammar (5 points)

Formatting (5 points)

Tips to win:

1. Treat your book as if it were being published in the market. That means making sure the name of the author and the title of the book is clearly shown on the cover! We have judged many books that simply have a picture as the cover, which is almost never permitted in the real world.

2. Make sure your blurb (which is the summary) is at least grammatically correct to give your book the best first impression.

3. Focus on character development. The best books have the most memorable characters. Settings and pacing will come to you naturally if you are able to craft a nuanced, believable character.

4. We hate generic plots. Don't bad-boy unless you can bad-boy well. 

5. Formatting is important. It is good practice to start a new line for every new person speaking during dialogue exchange or every new thought. Dialogue is often in its own line in most professional books. Also keep in mind the length of your paragraphs as your readers may be ticked off by huge amounts of text all bundled together! 

6. PROOFREAD. Grammatical errors not only impact your Grammar score but also subtly impact your Descriptions score and Overall Impressions score! So make sure your book is as error free as you can get it to be before judging starts.

Other than that, it's free for all! 

Based on our experience hosting these awards in the past, we can tell you that, in the end, it boils down to the uniqueness and creativity of your story. We love to read things we have never read before and that could decide the difference between winning and cutting! 

Even so, don't feel pressured to think of completely new ideas or feel forced to create entirely new worlds just because something has already been done. Perhaps you can do it better than what already exists and that's exactly what we're looking for!

Charge on!