The BookFest Book Awards
Submissions for the Fall 2026 Awards are now closed.
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Join us live on October 24th and 25th for The BookFest Fall 2026 with panels, and conversations for authors and readers as well as this season’s book award announcements.
Submission guidelines: books published between Jan 1st 2022 and March 8th 2027
See full guidelines below.
Your Book Could Be Honored with an Award from The BookFest Book Awards
The BookFest Awards honors authors who create outstanding works of fiction and nonfiction. Books are judged in categories based on genre, theme, and aesthetics. Entries will be vetted by an initial team, then the final places will be determined by an elite team of experts in the literary and entertainment world.
Judging
Three Components to Vetting in The BookFest Book Awards Judging Process
The vetting process has three components. An initial team vets each book submitted to make sure it is eligible and correctly categorized. Then judges with individual expertise further evaluate the submissions using the judging form, rating the books based on several criteria. The ratings are averaged to give the books a score.
The judges are experts in their field. For example, a professional artist evaluates the cover designs, a professional in the literary arts for romance evaluates romance books, etc. Note, kids are a significant part of the judging process for children’s and juvenile books too.
The third round of judging is done by The BookFest Bellwethers for final evaluations.
Awards are given in book genres as well as technical categories such as best cover art and best website. Books need to be submitted in a category to be considered for that category.
How The BookFest Awards Are Awarded
Awards are assigned based on first, second, third and honorable mention, according to their score by judges.
This means that sometimes not every category has a first place, second and/or third place winner. If no books in that category rated appropriately, then no award was granted in that place. Likewise, several books sometimes tie for first place, second and third place. Much like getting a letter grade in school, sometimes there are more “A”s in the class because there are outstanding students who warrant that grade. Books are similar. Sometimes there are several outstanding books deserving of their place in The BookFest Awards.
The goal in the judging process is to highlight books that are well written. At The BookFest, we feel it is important to give niche or often unrecognized genres a chance to shine, too.
All BookFest Award Recipients Will Receive:
- Free downloadable certificate
- Free downloadable award graphic to use on their website, social media, newsletter etc.
- Free placement on The BookFest website award winners’ page
- Optional participation in The BookFest Giveaways
The BookFest giveaways have been part of The BookFest from the beginning. We have a general giveaway for grownups and a kid’s giveaway for every BookFest. The giveaways are advertised widely and reach 30,000+ people so this is a great way to get additional exposure for your book. All books that are submitted physically are automatically included in one of the giveaways. Please see more information on physical book submissions below in the Submission Guidelines section. If your book category doesn’t qualify for free addition inclusion in the giveaway you can add this option at checkout for $10. Also, since you are an author consider signing up for the author giveaway. Giveaways are typically posted three weeks before the next BookFest event. - Optional purchase of framed award certificate
- Optional purchase of award seals
- Optional purchase of award trophy
(Additional framed certificates and trophies may be purchased for coauthors, cover illustrators, editors, etc.)
Select Winners will be evaluated and may be invited to be a guest on the award-winning Books That Make You Show.
Special Promotional Opportunities
First Place Winners may be featured in social media posts on The BookFest social media platforms.
Are you ready to enter your book? See complete rules and submission information below.
Submission guidelines
What books can be submitted
Any traditionally published, independent published, or self-published books may be submitted as long as they are published between Jan 1st 2021 and September 15th 2026, and are available for sale online in the US. Republished books also qualify as long as they were republished in this window.
Please note, this does not include preorders, books must be available for download or shipping.
Books that we do not accept
Books that promote hate or divisiveness (we are all about building each other up and making the world a better place)
Books that promote misinformation (trying to pass off science fiction as science fact)
Erotica (It’s not you, it’s the internet. If you are unsure on your book, please contact us and we will checkout your title.)
Textbooks (we accept books on learning and education, but not actual textbooks)
Who can submit for an award
Authors, and representatives of authors such as publicists, publishing companies etc.
Also, artist, designers, voice actors, audio producers, web developers, and social media experts. But these submissions must be related to a book, audio book, author or book website, or social media platform.
What you will need to complete your submission
Required:
- Book cover in PNG or JPEG format at least 1080 pixels tall at 72 or 96 DPI
- Book interior file in PDF or ePub format. (You can also ship your book to us but there is an additional cost for this service, see below under pricing. If you are submitting an audio book you will need to provide a download code for Audible or Spotify or we will need access to the audio files via other means)
- Book title
- Author name (You may also add a coauthor and illustrator etc.)
- Book description
- Book sales link, preferably Amazon and or Barnes and Noble
Recommended but not required unless submitting in that category (i.e. Website or social media platform category):
- Website link
- Social media links
Should you submit physical books?
We recommend submitting physical books when submitting in these categories:
- Children and juvenile books – judging for children and juvenile books is primarily weighted on feedback from these young judges. We find that physical books tend to do better when submitted in these categories.
- Technical categories for art and design – since the art and design tend to look better printed it is recommended that you submit these books in physical form.
- Artistic books – Books that are artistic in nature like coffee table books or art and travel books that are photo heavy with a large emphasis on graphics or photos.
- Graphic novels and comic books
– Again due to the graphic nature of these books we recommend sending in physical copies.
If you are submitting in any of these categories, you can submit physical books for free. Just click the free physical book submission at checkout in the shipping section.
Note, even though you are submitting physical books we recommend uploading your digital version as well.
If you are not in one of these categories, you can still submit physical books but there is a $25 charge to cover shipping of your books to the judges.
When submitting physical books, you will need to send us three copies per title regardless of the number of categories you are submitting in. (i.e. if you are in 2 categories you still only send three books not six)
Once you checkout, you will receive an email from us that has the shipping address.
Please note that this address is a P.O. box so the books must be shipped via USPS.
Media Mail is the least costly if you have shipping time to get them to us. All physical submissions need to be received within one week of submissions closing.
If you are outside the US, it is recommended that you ship your books from a US distributer like Amazon as most international shippers only use FedEx or UPS.
Note, all physical book submissions will automatically be entered into the giveaway promotion. If you are submitting physical books and do not want your book included in these promotions, please let us know via email.5
Submit your book in the most comprehensive lists of genres and subgenres
We have the most comprehensive genres and subgenres you can submit your book to, so you can find the perfect fit for your book. We have all of the standard fiction and nonfiction genres as well as technical categories for art, design, audio books, author websites, and social media platforms.
Find the complete list of genres and categories below
Major categories include Artistic & Technical, Fiction, and Nonfiction
| Action & Adventure |
| Anthologies |
| Children’s – Action & Adventure |
| Children’s – Activity Books |
| Children’s – Animals |
| Children’s – Beginning Readers |
| Children’s – Board Books |
| Children’s – Chapter Books |
| Children’s – Diversity & Multicultural |
| Children’s – Fables |
| Children’s – Fairy Tales |
| Children’s – Family |
| Children’s – Historical |
| Children’s – Holidays |
| Children’s – Picture Books |
| Children’s – Sci-Fi |
| Children’s – Social Themes |
| Children’s – Transportation |
| Chick Lit |
| Christian – Action & Adventure |
| Christian – Biblical |
| Christian – Classic & Allegory |
| Christian – Collections & Anthologies |
| Christian – Contemporary |
| Christian – Fantasy |
| Christian – Futuristic |
| Christian – Historical |
| Christian – Mystery |
| Christian – Romance |
| Christian – Suspense |
| Christian – Western |
| Comics – Action & Adventure |
| Comics – Fairy Tales, Myths & Legends |
| Comics – History & Learning |
| Comics – Horror |
| Comics – Humor |
| Comics – Juvenile |
| Comics – Manga |
| Comics – Sci-Fi & Fantasy |
| Comics – Slice-of-Life |
| Comics – Superheroes |
| Comics – YA |
| Detective – Amateur Sleuths |
| Detective – Cozy |
| Detective – Hard-Boiled |
| Detective – Historical |
| Detective – Police Procedural |
| Detective – Private Investigators |
| Detective – Traditional |
| Detective – Women Sleuths |
| Dystopian – Alternate History |
| Dystopian – Climate Change |
| Dystopian – Genetic Engineering |
| Dystopian – Science Fiction |
| Dystopian – Society, War |
| Dystopian – Viruses, Plagues & Zombies |
| Fantasy – Action & Adventure |
| Fantasy – Contemporary |
| Fantasy – Dark |
| Fantasy – Dragons & Mythical Creatures |
| Fantasy – Epic |
| Fantasy – Gaslamp |
| Fantasy – Historical |
| Fantasy – Humorous |
| Fantasy – Magic, Myths & Legends |
| Fantasy – Military |
| Fantasy – Paranormal & Urban |
| Fantasy – Superheroes |
| Fantasy – Urban |
| Gothic |
| Historical – Fictional Biography |
| Historical – Multi-Period Family Saga |
| Historical – Mystery |
| Historical – Nautical, War & Military |
| Historical – Pre-2010 |
| Historical – Western |
| Horror – Body Horror & Gore |
| Horror – Creatures & Monsters |
| Horror – Ghosts & Paranormal |
| Horror – Gothic |
| Horror – Psychological |
| Horror – Serial Killers |
| Humor – General |
| Humor – Comic Strips |
| Humor – Jokes & Riddles |
| Humor – Limericks & Verse |
| Humor – Parodies |
| Humor – Pictorial |
| Humor – Puns & Wordplay |
| Humor – Politics |
| Humor – Relationships |
| Juvenile – Action & Adventure |
| Juvenile – Bedtime & Dreams |
| Juvenile – Boys & Men |
| Juvenile – Concepts |
| Juvenile – Multicultural |
| Juvenile – Fairy Tales |
| Juvenile – Family |
| Juvenile – Fantasy & Magic |
| Juvenile – Girls & Women |
| Juvenile – Historical |
| Juvenile – Holidays |
| Juvenile – Myths, Fable |
| Juvenile – Lifestyles |
| Juvenile – Mysteries |
| Juvenile – People & Places |
| Juvenile – Science & Nature |
| Juvenile – Social Themes |
| Juvenile – Sports |
| LGBTQ+ – Fantasy |
| LGBTQ+ – Graphic Novels |
| LGBTQ+ – Historical Fiction |
| LGBTQ+ – Horror |
| LGBTQ+ – Literary Fiction |
| LGBTQ+ – Mystery |
| LGBTQ+ – Romance |
| LGBTQ+ – Science Fiction |
| LGBTQ+ – Thriller & Suspense |
| LGBTQ+ – Young Adult |
| Literary – Coming of Age |
| Literary – Historical |
| Literary – Journey & Adventure |
| Literary – Love Story & Romance |
| Literary – Mystery, Thriller & Suspense |
| Literary – Sci-fi & Fantasy |
| Mystery – Cozy |
| Mystery – Historical |
| Mystery – Spies & Espionage |
| Mystery – Murder & Crime |
| Mystery – Noir |
| Mystery – Procedurals |
| Mystery – Supernatural |
| Mystery – Thriller |
| Poetry – Children’s |
| Poetry – Collections & Anthologies |
| Poetry – Contemporary |
| Poetry – Cultural |
| Poetry – Inspiration |
| Poetry – Love |
| Poetry – Modern |
| Poetry – Nature |
| Romance – Contemporary |
| Romance – Fantasy |
| Romance – Holiday |
| Romance – Medical |
| Romance – Military |
| Romance – Multicultural |
| Romance – New Adult |
| Romance – Paranormal |
| Romance – Romantic Comedy |
| Romance – Royalty |
| Romance – Science Fiction |
| Romance – Small Town |
| Romance – Suspense |
| Romance – Urban |
| Romance – Wholesome |
| Romance Historical – 20th Century |
| Romance Historical – Ancient World |
| Romance Historical – Medieval |
| Romance Historical – Regency |
| Romance Historical – Time Travel |
| Romance Historical – Victorian |
| Sci-Fi – Action & Adventure |
| Sci-Fi – Aliens & Alien Invasion |
| Sci-Fi – Alternate Realities |
| Sci-Fi – Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic |
| Sci-Fi – Crime & Mystery |
| Sci-Fi – Cyberpunk |
| Sci-Fi – Exploration & Adventure |
| Sci-Fi – Galactic Empire & Colonization |
| Sci-Fi – Genetic Engineering |
| Sci-Fi – Hard |
| Sci-Fi – Humorous |
| Sci-Fi – Medical & Future Technology |
| Sci-Fi – Military |
| Sci-Fi – Robots, Computers & AI |
| Sci-Fi – Space Exploration |
| Sci-Fi – Space Opera |
| Sci-Fi – Steampunk |
| Sci-Fi – Time Travel |
| Sci-Fi – Utopian |
| Short Stories |
| Supernatural – Ghosts |
| Supernatural – Magic, Legends, & Lore |
| Supernatural – Paranormal & Psychic Phenomenon |
| Supernatural – Supernatural Creatures & Beings |
| Supernatural – UFOs |
| Supernatural – Weird Stuff |
| Thriller – Crime & Legal |
| Thriller – Domestic |
| Thriller – Espionage |
| Thriller – Historical |
| Thriller – Medical |
| Thriller – Military, Spies & Politics |
| Thriller – Political |
| Thriller – Psychological |
| Thriller – Supernatural |
| Thriller – Suspense |
| Thriller – Technothrillers |
| Urban |
| War & Military |
| Westerns |
| Women’s |
| Women’s – Fantasy |
| Women’s – Graphic Novels |
| Women’s – Historical Fiction |
| Women’s – Historical Romance |
| Women’s – Horror |
| Women’s – Mystery |
| Women’s – Science Fiction |
| Women’s – Thriller & Suspense |
| YA – Action & Adventure |
| YA – Animals |
| YA – Boys & Men |
| YA – Dystopian |
| YA – Fairy Tales & Folklore |
| YA – Family |
| YA – Fantasy |
| YA – Fashion & Beauty |
| YA – Girls & Women |
| YA – Historical |
| YA – Humorous |
| YA – Law & Crime |
| YA – Legends, Myths, Fables |
| YA – Literary & Coming of Age |
| YA – Mystery & Thrillers |
| YA – People & Places |
| YA – Poetry |
| YA – Romance |
| YA – Science Fiction |
| YA – Social Themes |
| YA – Thrillers & Suspense |
| Arts |
| Animals |
| Anthologies – Nonfiction |
| Biographies |
| Body, Mind & Spirit – Afterlife & Reincarnation |
| Body, Mind & Spirit – Angels & Spirit Guides |
| Body, Mind & Spirit – Astrology |
| Body, Mind & Spirit – Divination |
| Body, Mind & Spirit – Healing |
| Body, Mind & Spirit – Meditation |
| Body, Mind & Spirit – Parapsychology |
| Business – Careers |
| Business – E-Commerce |
| Business – Entrepreneurship |
| Business – Industries |
| Business – Labor |
| Business – Marketing |
| Business – Real Estate |
| Business – Sales & Selling |
| Business Leadership – Business Communication |
| Business Leadership – Industry Expertise |
| Business Leadership – Leadership & Management |
| Business Leadership – Professional Growth |
| Business Leadership – Psychology & Mindset |
| Business Leadership – Women in Business |
| Business Leadership – Work Culture |
| Business Leadership – Harassment & Discrimination |
| Children’s – Activity Books |
| Children’s – Animals |
| Children’s – Crafts & Hobbies |
| Children’s – Family |
| Children’s – Games & Activities |
| Children’s – History |
| Children’s – Holidays |
| Children’s – Learning & Educational |
| Children’s – People & Places |
| Children’s – Science & Nature |
| Conservation & Environment |
| Crafts & hobbies |
| Education & Learning |
| Entertainment |
| Fitness & Dieting – Diet & Nutrition |
| Fitness & Dieting – Exercise |
| Fitness & Dieting – Guides & How-Tos |
| Fitness & Dieting – Massage & Reflexology |
| Fitness & Dieting – Weight Loss |
| Fitness & Dieting – Yoga |
| Food & Drink – Beverages, Wine, Beer & Spirits |
| Food & Drink – Cookbooks |
| Food & Drink – Courses & Dishes |
| Food & Drink – Food & Travel |
| Food & Drink – Health & Healing |
| Food & Drink – Vegan |
| Health & Wellness – Addiction & Recovery |
| Health & Wellness – Alternative Medicine |
| Health & Wellness – Medical |
| Health & Wellness – Mental Health |
| Health & Wellness – Psychology |
| Health & Wellness – Sexual Health |
| History |
| Humor |
| LGBTQ+ |
| Memoirs – Confessional |
| Memoirs – Personal |
| Memoirs – Portrait |
| Memoirs – Professional |
| Memoirs – Public |
| Memoirs – Transformational |
| Memoirs – Travel |
| Money |
| Outdoors |
| Parenting |
| Politics & Government – Corruption & Issues |
| Politics & Government – Ideologies & Doctrines |
| Politics & Government – International & World Politics |
| Politics & Government – Political Psychology |
| Politics & Government – Politicians & Leaders |
| Politics & Government – United States |
| Relationships – Family |
| Relationships – LGBTQ+ |
| Relationships – Love & Marriage |
| Relationships – Race & Culture |
| Relationships – Sex |
| Religion – Buddhism |
| Religion – Christianity |
| Religion – Hinduism |
| Religion – Islam |
| Religion – Judaism |
| Science – Breakthroughs |
| Science – Futurism |
| Science – Medicine, Health & Wellness |
| Science – Technology |
| Self-Help – Anxiety, Depression & Mental Health |
| Self-Help – Happiness & Success |
| Self-Help – Humor |
| Self-Help – Inspiration |
| Self-Help – Motivation |
| Self-Help – Transformation |
| Self-Help – Relationships & Communication |
| Self-Help – Spirituality, New Age & Metaphysics |
| Society & Social Sciences – History & Theory |
| Society & Social Sciences – Human Rights & Political Movements |
| Society & Social Sciences – Race, Class, Culture & Religion |
| Spirituality – Agnosticism |
| Spirituality – Atheism |
| Spirituality – Meditation & Prayer |
| Spirituality – New Age |
| Spirituality – Occult & Paranormal |
| Sports |
| Technology |
| Travel – Adventure & Destinations |
| Travel – Guides & Tours |
| Travel – Parks |
| Travel – Self Discovery & Travel Journals |
| True Crime |
| YA – Family |
| YA – History |
| YA – People & Places |
| YA – Self-Help |
| YA – Social Issues |
| YA – Sport+A1:A119s & Recreation |
| Children’s Poetry |
| Collections & Anthologies Poetry |
| Contemporary Poetry |
| Cultural Poetry |
| Inspiration Poetry |
| Love Poetry |
| Modern Poetry |
| Nature Poetry |
| YA – Poetry |
| Book Series |
| Book Series – Children’s |
| Book Series – Fantasy |
| Book Series – Romance |
| Book Series – Mystery |
| Book Series – Nonfiction |
| Book Series – Sci-Fi |
| Book Series – Women’s |
| Book Series – YA |
| Amazon Author Profile |
| Audio Book – Overall Presentation |
| Audio Book – Sound Quality |
| Audio Book – Voice Over |
| Book Cover – Overall Design |
| Book Cover – Illustration |
| Book Cover – Photography |
| Book Cover – Typography |
| Book Design |
| Social Media – Facebook |
| Social Media – GoodReads |
| Social Media – Instagram |
| Social Media – TikTok |
| Social Media – Twitter |
| Website – Overall Design |
| Website – Blog |
| Website – User Experience |
Submission Pricing
- One category = $74.99
- Three categories = $174.99
- Five categories = $249.99
If you wish to get two or four categories, you may initially purchase one or three respectively and then add an additional prorated ($58.99) category in your dashboard by clicking the button on your submission that says, “Purchase additional categories”.
Other Fees: There is a $25 shipping fee if you need to submit physical copies of your book for the awards. This fee is to cover shipping cost of your book to our judges. You will need to send three copies of your book to the address provided via email after checkout. Note all books need to be shipped via USPS.
See category exceptions in the Submission Guidelines section above.
The BookFest Giveaway
The BookFest giveaways have been part of The BookFest from the beginning. We have a general giveaway for grownups and a kid’s giveaway for every BookFest. The giveaways are advertised widely and reach 30,000+ people so this is a great way to get additional exposure for your book. All books that are submitted physically are automatically included in one of the giveaways. See category exceptions in the Submission Guidelines section above. If your book category doesn’t qualify for free addition inclusion in the giveaway you can add this option at checkout for $10. Also, since you are an author consider signing up for the author giveaway. Giveaways are typically posted three weeks before the next BookFest event.
How to submit your book for The BookFest Book Awards
(Detailed instructions)
We at The BookFest take security and privacy very seriously. As a result, our book award submission process is a little different than most. So here are the detailed instructions on submitting your book. Yes, it’s a lot of information but it’s not as difficult as it looks.
Decide on number of categories
The first thing you need to decide is how many categories you would like. You can view the full list of categories above. Once you have decided, click the “Enter Your Book” button above.
Add submission to cart
This will take you to the product page. Select the appropriate number of categories from the dropdown and enter the full title of your book. Then click add to cart.
Preview your order and add coupon if applicable
This will take you to the cart preview screen. Make sure you add your coupon code on this screen if you have one and click the “Apply Coupon” button. Check that the total to verify that it has decreased indicating that the coupon was applied. Next click “Proceed to checkout” button.
Payment
This will bring you to the payment screen. Completing the payment process will automatically create a BookFest account for you if you do not already have one linked to the email address you use at checkout. It will also add an award entry or entries your account with the appropriate number of categories.
As soon as you complete the checkout process you will be sent an email from our team that verifies your purchase and that you can reply to if you run into any issues. We are always here if you need anything. If you have opted to ship books to us instead of uploading it, we will reach out to you with the mailing address after your awards submission has been completed.
Log in to The BookFest
To complete your award submissions go to your “Dashboard” (link at the top of the page). You must be logged in to see the “Dashboard” menu option. If you do not see the Dashboard link after checkout go to the home page by clicking The BookFest logo at the top right of the page. Note: If you are logged out click the “Log in” menu option at the top of the page. If you have forgotten your password, you can click the link under the login box “Lost your password?” to reset it.
Complete your submission
In your dashboard you will see “My Award Entries” Click on “Edit Award Entry”.
Uploading your cover image (needs to be JPEG or PNG file 1080px tall or larger). Upload your book interior file (needs to be PDF or ePub file under 25MB). Complete the required fields on the form and any other optional field you would like as well. Remember, we use this optional information to make your award post on The BookFest website should you place. So, adding social media links, additional links to purchase your book, or find you online will help BookFesters discover you. (Note: Your book file and personal information is not made available to the public or other users on The BookFest site.)
Next Choose Award Categories. Select the category or categories that you would like to submit your book in.
Click Save, to save your work. You can go back and make changes or add links etc. later if you need to.
Next click the blue link “Preview This Submission” on your dashboard under your award entry. Here you can verify the cover you uploaded looks good. If it is pixelated, please go back to Edit Award and upload a higher resolution image. Verify your interior file looks good. You can also verify that all of your links work as expected by clicking on them. Note, make sure to include https:// or http:// as appropriate at the beginning of your link or your links will not work properly. Last but not least you can click on your book file to verify it uploaded properly.
Submitting multiple books
If you are submitting multiple books you will need to add them individually to your cart. i.e. One book title, 5 categories will only let you add five categories to a single book. Not five book, one category each. If you add multiple book titles to your cart and complete the checkout process you will see multiple awards entries to complete in your dashboard. Keep in mind that all of the books will be linked to the one account. If you are submitting on behalf of other people and you want them to have access to their own accounts, you will need to process the purchase individually using the appropriate email address and contact info for each.
Issues completing your award submission?
If you have any issues completing your award submission, please reply to our support team via email. You will receive an email from them after checkout. If you have questions but have not completed checkout you can contact us by clicking the “Contact Us” button at the bottom of the page. Our team is standing by to assist you.
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