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Monday, October 20, 2014

7 Awards for Self-Published Authors - No entry fees

Updated 10/5/24

While literary contests are increasingly open to self-published authors, only a few of them have no entry fee. (This is because contests are intended to generate income for their sponsors.)

If you do decide to enter a paid contest, make sure its sponsor is worth putting on your resume. (Joe Blow's novel of the year contest will do nothing for your career.)


You can find some paid contests here:

DIY: Book Awards For Self-Published Authors

20 Awards for Self-Published Books

A word to the wise: Some book awards are not only worthless, their sole intent is to generate cash and/or to sell services to entrants. Always read submission guidelines very carefully!

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The Book Designer Monthly Ebook Cover Design Awards

Joel Friedlander's self-publishing site is heavily trafficked, so this contest is well worth entering. There is no restriction on publication date, but the e-books must be published at the time of submission. If you don't yet have a cover for your book, looking at previous winners is great inspiration.
Note: This contest is no longer being held, but you can see past winners. 

Bram Stoker Awards

Any work of Horror first published in the English language may be considered for an award during the year of its publication. The categories for which a Bram Stoker Award may be presented have varied over the years, reflecting the state of the publishing industry and the horror genre. The twelve Bram Stoker Award categories are: Novel, First Novel, Short Fiction, Long Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction Collection, Poetry Collection, Anthology, Screenplay, Graphic Novel, Nonfiction, and Short Nonfiction.

Spark Award

The Spark Award is an annual award that recognizes excellence in a children’s book published through a non-traditional publishing route. You must be a current SCBWI member with membership current through April of the following year to apply. You must have self published a book intended for the children’s or YA market in one of the following categories: Board Book, Picture Book, Chapter Book, Middle Grade, Graphic Novel or Young Adult. The Spark Award is held in November.


Each year, BCALA honors the best self-published eBooks by an African-American author in the United States in the genres of Fiction and Poetry. These awards acknowledge outstanding achievement in the presentation of the cultural, historical, and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora. Restrictions: Open to African-Americans." Prize: $2,500. The deadline is usually in February.

indieBRAG

"indieBRAG exists to discover talented self-published authors and help them give their work the attention and recognition it deserves. To help indie writers do this, we offer a unique book evaluation and the B.R.A.G Medallion. Unlike award sights, we do not judge books against other books to find one winner. There is no limit to the number of books receiving the B.R.A.G. Medallion. Having the B.R.A.G.Medallion on your cover indicates to readers that your book has gone through this rigorous procedure and is worth their time and money. It is a seal of approval."


This prize is open to all authors who publish their book through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.co.uk. There are additional Storyteller awards run by Amazon in: German, French, Italian, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese. Genre: Book. Prize: £20,000. The deadline is usually in August.

The Indie Author Project is a joint venture of IngramSpark, Library Journal, and Biblioboard. Through these contests, libraries are helping local authors get the recognition they deserve for writing great books. Books must be: Indie-published; In an adult fiction or young adult fiction genre; Written by a resident of the contest's region; Available in either ePUB (strongly recommended) or PDF format. 
Prize
  • $1,000 each in adult and young adult categories
  • Minnesota winners will receive $1,000 each
  • Honors at the 2022 Indie Author Day Reception
  • Opportunities to promote your book(s) at public libraries
  • Inclusion in a full-page print spread in Library Journal
  • Opportunities to earn royalties through the IAP Select collection (ePUB format required for eligibility)

Click HERE for additional free contests.

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