Submitting Books for Awards and Competitions

Being an award winner is a dream for any author. But how do you get there?

Book Guild author Jane has written four books, two in the GoldenEars series and two in the Stikki the Squirrel series. Both GoldenEars books have won Silver, 'Recommended Read', awards in the Author Shout's Book Contest 2022, as well as five-star reviews for both books from the Readers' Favorite, 2021/2022. Stikki The Squirrel has also won the Silver, 'Recommended Read', award in the Author Shout's Book Contest, as well as the Finalist Award-Winner in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2024/2025 and the Gold Book Award - Literary Titan in January 2026. Following Jane's great success in winning book awards, she has shared her experience on submitting books to competitions. 

How To Submit Your Books to Book Award Competitions 

So you have written and published your book! Congratulations!

Completing your manuscript over the past months or years it has taken you, is no mean feat. Along the way you have learned so much, working tirelessly to understand the complexities of the English language, which is baffling at the best of times, deserves you a pat on the back.

But What Now?

Promoting your book should be your top priority. You’ve gone down the route of countless authors by turning your energy to social media, the easiest and freely accessible public domain platforms, like Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok. You have joined reading and writing groups, made some good friends who have supported you on your author journey. On the plus side, you have garnered some reviews for your book. Having a good number of reviews on Amazon will give your book instant credibility and may help with continued sales as prospective buyers often linger to read the reviews before they commit to purchasing. Now your aspirations hunger for something more satisfying.

But what else can you do to help your book gain traction and visibility in a flooded market, where thousands of books are published daily worldwide? Take a deep breath and consider your options, because there is a bewildering array of choices available, each with the potential to elevate your book.

By this time you might be considering entering your book into a book award competition. There are so many to choose from, each boasting great things for your book.

I have been where you are now, so here are some simple ideas that may help you choose which competition is right for you and your book.

Research

Be prepared for a time-consuming search to find an award competition that is worth entering. Here are some key things to do: 

• Compile a list of your requirements to find the perfect book award competition for your book. For example: do you write romance stories, or crime thrillers or concentrate solely on children’s literature? This will hone your choices somewhat, but in the end will save you time searching. Also consider the cost versus rewards, and the timescale of each of the competitions.
• Search for Book Award Competitions. You will see many of the competitions are based in the U.S.A, which is no problem because the world is plugged in and switched on, making everything accessible no matter where you live.
• Enquire whether any of your author friends are aware of any good competitions to get involved with. Word of mouth is invaluable. If they have a recommendation where their book was successful, then why not have a go yourself?
• Make a shortlist of the competitions that interest you and check that they meet the criteria you listed earlier.

Just a word of caution, not every book award competition is worth entering. You want to enter the best one that will suit your book. If you encounter any of the following, exit the website:

• Unprofessional layout
• Misleading wording regarding the awards for winning books and;
• Is the cost to enter clearly stated?

Make sure you read the t&cs carefully to make certain that none of them will put your book in any danger. And most importantly, do you feel comfortable handing over your precious book and hard-earned money to them?

Competitions I Have Entered

Over the past few years I have entered my three published books in Readers’ Favorite Book Competition. The cost was quite high, but the rewards can be life-changing if you are lucky enough to win their top prize. We all have such high hopes of our precious book winning a special prize, and perhaps you have fantasised about the story and can visualise your characters on the big screen? Readers’ Favorite offers the coveted prize of a film deal, along with an editorial book review on entering the competition. Readers’ Favorite ensures an online presence and visibility for your book on their website. I found this an excellent way to get my book noticed. Each of my books received a five-star review and emblem for me to use to promote my books.

Another one to consider is Author Shout Book Award Competition. This is another award system where I entered all three of my published books. In my experience some of the easiest things are the best and won’t cost the earth to enter. Author Shout is a good bet, being inexpensive to enter compared to other book award competitions. This award system takes your book through three phases of acceptance to remain in the competition. Your book must pass these assessments before it can reach the final stage, a few months later, when the results of the award-winners are announced. I received a Silver ‘Recommended Read’ Award for each of my books with online visibility on their website and social media platforms.

More recently, I was fortunate enough to find a reputable, highly rated book award competition. The Literary Titan Awards stand as a mark of distinction, recognising excellence in writing that is both innovative and impactful. I entered my illustrated children’s book, Stikki the Squirrel, Book One, in this competition. Weeks later, I received a five-star editorial review, an author interview invitation, and automatic entry into their Book of the Month Award Competition. I’m happy to announce my children’s book won the coveted Gold Book of the Month Award for January 2026. With online visibility not only for my book but links to the 5-star review and my author interview.

Are you a children’s author like me and want to get your book in front of your target audience–children? If so, then this competition must sit at the top of your list: The Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards. This competition runs annually when roughly twelve schools take part. Based in the U.K and Sweden, each book is read with enthusiasm and dedication by children of the same age group in which you entered your book. Your book will be read, reviewed and judged by children. Parents and teaching professionals will also assist in the judging process, carefully assessing each book entered. As you can imagine, this is going to be a lengthy process to complete – but it’s definitely worth the wait. At the end of the competition you will receive honest feedback about the story, its contents, characters, plot creation, structure, writing style, editing, book cover design, and whether they enjoyed it, or not.

I entered my illustrated children’s book, Stikki the Squirrel, Book One, into this competition and was thrilled to receive a Finalist Winner Award, 2024. Online visibility was clearly displayed through a link, taking you to current and past award-winners and finalist award-winners.

I have only entered a small number of Book Award Competitions, but in my experience there were no issues being with a small-press publisher with smaller print runs.

Making Use of Book Awards

This is where you can capitalise on the promotion aspect of your ‘award-winning’ book. Download any promotional extras that came with the award, use them to expand your reach. Plug it like crazy!

Include An Update In Your Author Profile And Bio

Anywhere and everywhere you are asked to describe yourself, be sure to include the fact you are an ‘award-winning author ‘and your book is an ‘award-winning book’.

Here is a list of some places you should update your bio.

• Book Retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Books.
• Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok.
• Goodreads & Bookbub.
• Bookshop.org.
• Your website’s About the Author page.
• Your publisher’s website.
• Your email signatures.
• Your professional resume.

Marketing and Press Tips

Being an award winner has many perks - make sure to use them! 

You can: 

• Add the award sticker emblem to your book’s cover
• Show off your ‘award-winning’ book at author signing events and display any certificates you may have been given.
• Use your award-winning status to request reviews from reputable review bloggers, but follow the reviewer’s guidelines for submissions.
• Send a Press Release to your local newspaper and any media outlets who you think might be interested in publishing a small article about you and your winning book.
• Update your information on your Amazon Author Page, through Amazon Author Central.
• Add a Book Trailer or A+ content to your book page on Amazon. This is a great way to attract the attention of potential buyers.

What Book Awards Mean To Me

I think it’s hard to summarise the whole experience by simply saying - it was wonderful. That doesn’t really convey the mixture of emotions that were jumbled inside me. When you have strived so hard for recognition as an author, it feels that at last, all your hard work has been appreciated and validates you as a credible author. I feel relief and a sense of pride that readers of all ages have enjoyed my books.

I am proud to present my three published books: 

• GoldenEars: The Whispering Mountain, Book One. A boy, a wolf pup and a destiny shared. For animal lovers.
• GoldenEars: The Pale Skulls, Book Two. A story of myths and legends, wolf lore and mystery. Reading age, young adult to new adult audiences. A thrilling mystery adventure, set in the Canadian western forests.
• Stikki the Squirrel, Book One. This is a light-hearted animal fiction story of adventure and the value of family and friendships. Reading age, children to adult readers—and grandparents too.

Announcing my new children’s book: 

Stikki the Squirrel: Tree Spirits, Book Two. Publication date, February 28th, 2026. The story follows the lives of Stikki the squirrel and his mate Rella on their second exciting adventure- full of mystery, danger, and the wonders of magic found in the most unexpected places.

I am always grateful to hear back from my target audience, children, who have enjoyed my stories, it’s very satisfying to receive their comments. And, as a writer, I’m inspired to keep on writing as long as the ideas keep flowing and my fingers keep tapping the keyboard, creating heartfelt, exciting stories about our wonderful wildlife.