Have you submitted published and unpublished books to contests but never won or even been a semifinalist? Then you know that congratulating your friends who won can be bittersweet.
Consider:
Most Books Don’t Win Awards.
As with any condition where excellence is recognized (corporations, sports leagues, Emmy and Grammy awards), acclaim is based on a pyramid. Most books will remain at the bottom of the pyramid, while, as you travel up the pyramid, you’ll narrow the field down to semifinalists, finalists, and then winners. My guess is that you and I, as readers, have been blessed by far more books that have not won awards than those that have. We’ve been touched, edified, and encouraged by those books. When a reader loves your book, he doesn’t care if it’s won an award.
Contests Are the Sum of Judges’ Opinions.
When a group of prominent people in publishing all agree that your book is the best of the best, you feel great. And rightly so, since winning or even being a finalist in a contest affirms your efforts. However, all contests are the expression of the outlook of a group of people. Another year, different people may have decided differently about the winners’ list. I’ve also heard from authors how one low score probably cost them a win. In that case, I’d say the outcome resulted from one person’s view. As for opinions, I’ve struggled to read some books that won Pulitzer and Nobel prizes, only to give up.
Keep Writing and Keep Entering!
For contests to have any meaning, the submission pool must be significant. If a contest has five entries and three are declared winners, the contest struggles to hold as much sway as those known to have thousands of entries. Though the odds are not in most writers’ favor to win a prestigious award, those who don’t try never give themselves a chance to be recognized. You bless the contest and the judges with your entry. Regardless of the outcome, through your efforts to enter, key people in the industry will notice your book.
Define Success
I used to paint large landscapes
of the Hudson River School
that I thought judges would celebrate,
but I was quite the fool,
for contests in those days were won
by abstracts that defied description.
I knew my day would never come,
but the odd contradiction
was that my mates liked what I did,
and did pub auctioneering
in which the last and winning bid
for a picture got them cheering
’cause the proceeds of the sale
went for beer, and posting bail.
I have been looking into contests like these, but have found it confusing. I’m not sure where to look to find out which writers contests are legit and which ones are just trying to sell you a trophy and some award stickers to put on your books!
How can you tell which contests would be best to submit to?
The Christian Writers Market Guide includes a section on contests. Off the top of my head, here is a non-inclusive list of organizations offering valid contests:
AWSA
ACFW
ACFW Chapters, including Virginia Royal Writers
Faith Hope and Love
Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference
Word Weavers International
Thanks for asking!
Tamela – thanks for mentioning the AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Association) contests. We have two main contests judging many categories of books: the Golden Scroll Awards (for members only) and the Christian Market Book Awards (open to all). We will be announcing the winners of this year’s contests on August 6th at the Golden Scroll Awards Banquet in Fort Wayne, IN, at the opening of Munce’s CPE (Christian Product Expo). On hand will be gospel music artist Babbie Mason, who will ring in the festivities. Our judges are peers, and we work very hard to honor great books that deserve recognition. So not only do our winners get encouragement, they get peer recognition and the ability to share their good news in their social media posts and press releases, and can also put award stickers on their books. For more info about our contests, go to GoldenScrollAwards.com. Our 2025 contest opens Jan 1st for books published from Jan 1st, 2024, to June 1, 2025.
Linda, thank you so much for providing us with such excellent information. AWSA is indeed awesome!
Thank you for mentioning Word Weavers International.
We have two contests each year. The first is for our members (The Tapestry Awards) and the second is for our conferees at the Florida Christian Writers Conference.
FMI about Word Weavers: http://www.Word-Weavers.com
It’s always a thrill to win or place in a contest, but perspective is key whether you win or lose. As you said, it’s subjective, based on opinions, and the outcome could be different depending on who enters and who judges.
That said, I’ll keep entering because I think it at least helps with name recognition in the market, and I learn and grow from the feedback provided. Also, when Imposter Syndrome hits, the certificates serve as a reminder that maybe I have a smidgen of talent and shouldn’t give up.
I’ve always wondered how many entries certain contests receive to know whether my award is “significant” or not, but have never seen those numbers. Is it possible to access that kind of data?
I doubt that data is accessible. Good question, though!
I have been a semifinalist one year, and have received that one low score the next year that had me questioning everything. In both cases, I learned something. I’m still writing, and am looking forward to publishing my first book soon.
As the Administrator for ACFW contests I only know the reasoning for not giving out the numbers in ACFW contests. It’s to protect the contest integrity and by doing so, to protect the entrants. If no one knows how many people typically enter in a contest category, then no one can enter the categories that receive less, purely to increase their chances of winning. We want the entries in a category to have equal footing starting off. One day I’m going to write a book about the things people do to try and get an advantage. lol
Probably a good thing I’m not a writer.
Thanks for the words of encouragement.
Great reminder not to give up.
And when we do win, even if it’s third place, what a boost!
I agree. Being a finalist of any kind is important recognition!
Thanks for mentioning the ACFWVA Crown Award. We try to view the co test as a ministry to help prepublished writers develop their skills. Details are here:
https://acfwvirginia.com/acfw-virginia-the-crown/enter-the-crown-award
I’ve had such polar scores from judges in the past but always think entering is a good idea for that one nugget of writing gold you may receive.
Great points, Debb! Feedback is always useful.
Thanks for letting our readers know more about this wonderful contest!
I am a firm believer in entering contests. Scores come back all over the charts. Win or lose, we never know what will come from a simple submission or who we will meet along the way.
The problem for me centers around my budget. I know the promoters have costs associated with the contest, but some of the entry fees are pretty high so I have to be selective about which ones I enter. And then I see some of the same names garnering the awards each year.
‘Keep writing and Keep entering!’
Thanks for this encouragement. I need this.
God bless you.
Blessings,
Sophia