20 Awards for Self-Published Books

Updated 2/3/22

Among the dozens of awards for self-published books, there aren't many that are worth winning. The majority of self-published book awards don't confer any benefit to the author, other than a seal that winners often must pay for. And many of these contests are run by media groups that use them as a way to drum up business.

That being said, there are a few contests that are not only prestigious, but offer considerable prizes to the winners, either in terms of cash or publicity. I have listed 20 of the most worthwhile below.

The majority of these contests charge a fee, although in most cases the fees are reasonable (under $100).

While cash awards are always appreciated, as is the publicity generated by awards ceremonies, these benefits are fleeting. Before you enter any contest, make sure you have a long-term plan in place - just in case you win. How will you make good use of your award? Will you order gold seals to affix to your book cover (if it is in print)? Do you have a press release in place to announce your prize to local media? How about researching opportunities for talks given by an "award-winning author"? Even if you don't think you stand a chance of getting an award, when it comes to marketing and promotion, it is always a good idea to plan ahead.

Deadlines for these awards vary from year to year, so make sure to check the website, and plan in advance.
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Axiom Awards. Authors and publishers throughout North America and overseas publishers who publish English-language business books and that are intended for the American market may enter. Print-On-Demand and other independent authors are welcome to enter their books themselves. Genre: Business books. Entry fee: $95 per title, per category. (Early bird fee is $85.)

The Benjamin Franklin Awards are administered by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) with help from over 150 book publishing professionals including librarians, bookstore owners, reviewers, designers, publicity managers, and editors. The Benjamin Franklin Awards are unique in that all entrants receive direct feedback on their entries. The actual judging forms are returned to all participating publishers. Indie publishers and self-published authors are invited to enter the next competition for books with a copyright date of the competition year. Genre: Any. Prize: Announcement to major trade journals (including Publishers Weekly and Book Business), to select public libraries, through all IBPA social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, the IBPA Blog. Entry fee: IBPA member – $95 per title, per category. Non-IBPA member – $225 for first title, which includes one year’s membership in IBPA; $95 per title, per category for second and subsequent entries.

Eric Hoffer Award. The Eric Hoffer Book Award is one of the largest international book awards for small, academic, and independent presses. Anyone (including the author) can submit one or more books for the Eric Hoffer Award. Printed, e-books, and chapbooks are accepted. Genre: Any. Prize: $2,000 grand prize and various category honors and press type distinctions, as well as the winners of the Montaigne Medal, da Vinci Eye, and First Horizon Award. The book awards are covered independently by the US Review of Books. Entry fee: $55 (chapbooks $40).

IACP Cookbook Awards The IACP Cookbook Awards honor the authors, publishers, and other contributors behind the best cookbooks published each year. Awards are given in 16 categories, including the with one cookbook selected as the Cookbook of the Year. Three optional awards, the Jane Grigson, Design, and Judge’s Choice Awards, may be presented should qualified entrants emerge. Entry fees vary.

Independent Publisher Book Awards. All independent publishers are eligible, ranging from self-published authors to major university presses. About 2,400 publishers participate in the Awards each year, from every U.S. state, Canada, and English-speaking countries overseas around the world. The 2015 IPPY Awards attracted 5,700 total entries; winners came from 45 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia, six Canadian provinces, and ten countries overseas. Genre: Any. Prize: IPPY Award entrants have four ways to win: the National, Regional, E-Book and Outstanding Books of the Year (which all entrants are considered for with no extra fee). Award winners are headlined on Independent Publisher, and are featured prominently in articles in their monthly newsletter, which goes out to over 15,000 subscribers worldwide, many of whom are agents, buyers, and librarians. Entry fee: $75.00 per category. 

The Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Not-for-Profit book awards program for indie authors and independent publishers. In its ninth year of operation, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards was established to recognize and honor the most exceptional independently published books in over 70 different categories, for the year, and is presented by Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group (www.IBPPG.com) in cooperation with Marilyn Allen of Allen O'Shea Literary Agency. Open to all indie publishers including independent publishers (small, medium or otherwise), university presses, self-published authors, e-book authors, seasoned authors and even first time authors based in the U.S., Canada or internationally who have a book written in English. Genre: Any. Prizes:

• $1,500 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the best Fiction Book
• $1,500 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the best Non-Fiction Book
• $750 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the second best Fiction Book
• $750 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the second best Non-Fiction Book
• $500 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the third best Fiction Book
• $500 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the third best Non-Fiction Book
• $100 Cash Prize and a Gold Medal awarded to the winner of each of the 70 categories
• Finalist Medals will be awarded to up to five finalists in each of the 70 categories

Entry fee:  Early Bird Special Entry Fee is $75 and includes the entry of one title in two categories. Price to enter two categories increases by $50 after early bird deadline. 

Shelf Unbound. Shelf Unbound book review magazine reaches more than 125,000 readers in the U.S. and in 65 other countries around the globe. Genre: Any. Prize: The author of the book named as the Best Independently Published book will receive $500, a year's worth of full-page ads in Shelf Unbound, and editorial coverage in Shelf Unbound. Five finalists will receive editorial coverage in Shelf Unbound. More than 100 books deemed by the editors as "notable" entries in the competition will also be featured. Entry fee: $50 per title.

Spark Award. Sponsored by the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Genre: Children's book. Prize: The winner will receive $1000, and in addition the winner and honor recipients will receive: a Spark seal to display on their book;  commemorative plaque; the opportunity to have their book featured and autographed at an SCBWI conference of their choosing during the year the award is won, featured in the SCBWI online bookstore and publicized through SCBWI social networking sites. The winners will also get the opportunity to attend any conference of their choice tuition free (other than for extras such as critiques and intensives). Entry fee: No fee.

Black Caucus of the American Library Association Self-Published E-Book Literary Award. 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. No fee.

Kindle Storyteller Award (UK) 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. No fee.

The North Street Book Prize is for self-published or hybrid-published books. Genre: Fiction (genre and literary), CNF, memoir, art books, graphic novels, and poetry. Prize: Up to $10,000 plus a large range of expert marketing services. Entry is $75. Next round of entries opens February 15 2023 and closes on June 30 2023.

The Wishing Shelf Award is open to both fiction and non-fiction children's books, plus two categories for adult books. Finalists and winners are decided by the intended readers and not a panel of  "experts." Their feedback is sent on to the authors. Entry fee: £79 or US$99.

IAN Book of the Year Award is an international contest open to all authors. There are 50 fiction and non-fiction categories. The IAN Book of the Year Awards is open to all English language print and eBooks available for sale, including small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, and self-published authors. Prize: Winners receive a share of cash prizes -  anywhere from $250 to $2500. Entry fees range from $30 - $49.

The Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards are open to established university and independent press titles, as well as emerging authors who self-publish. "Well aware of the challenges faced by small publishers, our goal is to highlight deserving books—those that not only meet our editorial standards, but also blow our minds—to our audience of librarians, booksellers, industry professionals, and other book lovers, domestically and internationally." Prize: Along with two $1,500 cash prizes, one for fiction, the other nonfiction, finalists and winners can count on being seen by the librarians, booksellers, industry professionals, and book lovers that read Foreword Reviews. Entry fee: $99 per entry, and $79 for additional categories.

The Rubery Prize is an international book award seeking the best books by indie writers, self published authors and books published by independent presses. Authors and publishers can enter books. "Creative writing is such a key part of life for those who enjoy writing yet it is increasingly difficult to become traditionally published. Through our reputation of finding quality and outstanding books we aim to bring recognition to the works that win and heighten an author's profile." Prize: Book of the Year £2000; Category winners £200. Entry fee is £44 or $70 USD. 

The Selfies judges are looking for a "fantastic story, well-produced book, enticing cover and an effective marketing strategy with potential for significant sales." For 2022 there are three categories open for entries: adult fiction, memoir/autobiography and children’s books. Prize: The prizes for the winning authors are $1000 cash plus a $5000 advertising package consisting of print and digital marketing in Publishers Weekly. The winning titles will also be featured at trade shows and promoted to 30,000 librarians. Entry fee: $60.

The Golden Crown Literary Awards are presented annually during the Annual Conference and recognize excellence in women-loving-women and sapphic literature. The Goldies reward quality literature, cover design, and individuals in 19 categories, 2 popular choice categories, and 3 special categories. Entry fee: The cost of each nomination in a judged category is $40.00 per physical book and $35.00 per eBook. The cost to nominate in the Ann Bannon and Tee Corinne categories is $20 per entry. The cost to add a Debut Novel is $20.00.

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. Entry fee: Free

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)

Entry fee: Free

Writer’s Digest holds annual Self-Published e-Book Awards–a competition that spotlights today’s self-published works and honors self-published authors. Prizes: One Grand Prize winner will receive:

• $5,000 in cash
• A feature article about you and your book for the May/June 2016 issue of Writer’s Digest
• Winner’s name on the cover of Writer’s Digest magazine (subscriber issues)
• A paid trip to the ever-popular Writer’s Digest Conference!
• 30-minute platform & marketing consultation with Chuck Sambuchino, author of Create Your Writer Platform
• $200 worth of Writer’s Digest books
• One year Subscription (new or renewal) to Writer’s Digest magazine

One First Prize winner in each category will receive:

• $1,000 in cash
• Promotion in the May/June 2016 issue of Writer’s Digest
• $100 worth of Writer’s Digest books
• One year Subscription (new or renewal) to Writer’s Digest magazine

Entry fee: First entry—$110. Each additional entry—$85.