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Earlier this year in a blog, we discussed several of the awards available for authors of science fiction and fantasy. However, if you don’t write in either of those genres, don’t fear! There are nominations available in several different genres for authors of full-length works and novellas or short stories. Below are some of the most common genre awards to submit to in some of the top-selling genres currently.
Before we continue, we want to clarify what qualifies as what. Novels are 40,000 words or more. Novellas are between 20,000 and 40,000 words. A novelette is usually 10,000 to 20,000 words. Lastly, shorts stories are less than 10,000 words.
4 Genre Awards for Authors
ROMANCE: The RITA Award
This award put on by the Romance Writers of America recognizes excellence in romantic fiction for novels and novellas. There are a variety of subgenres including young adult romance, historical romance, romantic suspense and paranormal. Self-publishing authors may submit their work to this contest. Find contest rules here, contest deadlines here and current winners of the RITA Award here.
HORROR: The Bram Stoker Awards
Presented by the Horror Writer’s Association (HWA), these yearly awards honor superior achievement in several categories with a general basis of horror. Namely novel, first novel, short fiction, long fiction, young adult, fiction collection, poetry collection, anthology, screenplay, graphic novel, and nonfiction. HWA’s active members choose the winners, with submission guidelines laid out in more detail here. Authors can submit their own work per these guidelines.
MYSTERY/SUSPENSE: The Edgar Allen Poe Awards
This contest, from the Mystery Writers of America, honors the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction, television, film, and theater. You can find a comprehensive list of categories here. The general guidelines for submissions are as follows: All books, short stories and television shows in the mystery, crime, suspense, and intrigue fields are eligible for an Edgar Award in their respective category if they were published or produced for the first time in the U.S. during the 2019 calendar year. Coupled with these specific eligibility requirements for the Edgars, authors can submit their works. Find a submission form here.
LITERARY: Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses
This annual collection has selected winners to be apart of a special publication from Pushcart Press. The nomination process includes receiving up to six nominations (print or online) from small magazines or small presses. Nominations may be any combination of poetry, short stories, essays, memoirs or stand-alone excerpts from novels. The Pushcart Prize welcomes translations from other languages, as well as both traditional and experimental writing. Submissions can be sent in between October 1st and December 1st for the following year’s edition. Find more submission information here, and more information about how this publication came to be.
Midnight Publishing has been working alongside authors both locally in Phoenix, Arizona as well as internationally for nearly a decade. Our staff of professional editors and ghostwriters assist authors by devoting thousands of hours to hone and refine their books. Contact us today if you have a book project that you’d like to discuss with us. Our available services are always fit specifically to your editing, writing, or marketing needs!
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