Indie Author Awards for 2015
by Samantha Knoerzer • April 14, 2015 • Follow SamanthaKnoerze
Published in Events, News • 7 comments
In 2013 we complied a list of awards that indie and self-published books are eligible to win.
This year we have an updated list with the current deadlines. Many of these happen every year so if you miss one, try again. Please make sure you check the website for the full requirements and rules. Remember entering to win an award can be a great way to market your book!
Deadline: Continuously ongoing
Fee: None
Requirements: Replaced the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Selected books will be published by Kindle Press and receive 5-year renewable terms, a $1,500 advance, 50% eBook royalty rate, easy rights reversions and featured Amazon marketing. Readers nominate and decide who gets published. Every book has a 30 day campaign for nominations and the ones noticed by the Kindle Scout team will be selected for publication.
Deadline: October 1, 2015
Fee: $199
Requirements: The Digital Book Awards is committed to quality titles that render beautifully across devices and formats. Entries must be original digital content created by the author, developer or publisher. There are no geographic restrictions on entries.
Deadline: January 31, 2016
Fee: $60-80 depending on how soon you enter:
Requirements: Publishers and authors worldwide creating electronic books written in English and created for the global marketplace are eligible for entry in 59 different e-Lit categories listed below. Titles published with a 2014 or 2015 copyright or that were released between January 1, 2014 and January 31, 2016.
Deadline: Entries will be accepted from June 1, 2015 to July 15, 2015.
Fee: $25-$35 depending on membership
Requirements: Works must be in English. Published and available for sale in eBook format to the public between June 1, 2014 through May 31, 2015. Publication dates are required and will be verified. The publication date must be located in the first five (5) pages, the last five (5) pages, or found via the Internet address (URL) connected to the buy link. Electronic versions of books, previously released in print format, may be entered if the eBook version meets entry requirements.
ForeWord Reviews – Book of the Year Awards
Deadline: January 15, 2016
Fee: $79-$99 for first categories and $59-$79 for additional categories
Requirements: Any independently published titles in any format—including eBooks—published in 2015. This includes self-published, university press, and POD books. Note: professional production is taken into consideration when judged.
Deadline: April 30, 2015
Fee: $79
Requirements: Ebooks published between 2013 and 2015 may be entered in the Global Ebook Awards by their authors, publishers, publicists, illustrators, or other interested parties. Upon completion of your entry order you will be re-directed to the “Add Your Ebook” page. The ebook must be published and offered for sale online. Entries must cite a URL where the book is listed. That may be the author’s website, Amazon.com, Smashwords, etc. If you are entering the Best Ebook Cover or Best Ebook Trailer categories, please email either a jpeg of the cover of your ebook or the URL of your trailer (must be on YouTube) to Becky@ParaPublishing.com at your earliest convenience.
Deadline: April 25, 2015
Fee: $50
Requirements: The 2013 Green Book Festival will consider published, self-published and independent publisher works in general non-fiction, fiction, children’s books, young adult, how-to, poetry, science fiction, biography/autobiography, history, gardening, cookbooks, animals, photography/art, wild card (anything goes), scientific, business, spiritual, health/wellness and future forecasts.
Deadline: June 25, 2015
Fee: $75
Requirements: The 2015 Hollywood Book Festival considers published, self-published and independent publisher non-fiction, fiction, children’s books, young adult, how-to, spiritual, wild card (anything goes!), unpublished stories, science fiction, biography/autobiography, sequels, genre-based, business and history.
Independent Book Publishers Association – Benjamin Franklin Awards
Deadline: December 15, 2015
Fee: $95-$225 (nonmembers)
Requirements: Publishers of books copyrighted in 2015 may enter the competition. Any books submitted with copyright dates other than 2015 must be accompanied with proof of initial distribution in the year 2015.
Deadline: March 2, 2016
Fee: $150
Requirements: The “IndieReader Discovery Awards” are open to indie authors who have self-published books. Books have to have a valid ISBN or ASIN number. There are no restrictions on pub dates. Both eBooks and paper books can be submitted.
Deadline: April 30, 2015
Fee: $69
Requirements: Eligible titles must have a 2013-2015 publication date, published in English and have an ISBN number. Galley copies are welcome.
Kirkus Indie Best of List 2015
Deadline: October 23, 2015
Fee: $425
Requirements: To be considered for the Best Indie Books of 2015, your review must be published on Kirkus.com no later than October 31, 2015.
Deadline: July 19, 2015
Fee: $75-$95
Requirements: The purpose of the Living Now Book Awards is to celebrate the innovation and creativity of newly published books that can help us improve the quality of our lives, from cooking and entertaining to fitness and travel. The awards are open to all books written in English and intended for the North American market.
Deadline: December 15, 2015
Fee: $50
Requirements: The 2013 London Book Festival will consider books in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and Italian in the competition. The works may be published, self-published or independent publisher non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children’s books, cookbooks, compilations/anthologies, genre-based, how-to, photography/art, spiritual, young adult, unpublished, business, wild card (anything goes!), science fiction, and poetry. Works published after January 1, 2012 are eligible.
Deadline: Ongoing
Fee: $300-$900
Requirements: There are three primary qualifiers for entries:
1) Is the item safe?
All products must comply with US product safety standards including, but not limited to the standards set forth by the US Food & Drug Administration and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
2) Is the item current?
While the MCA does not require a certain manufactured / published date, entered items cannot contain content that is considered “out of date.”
3) Is the item easily available?
Entered items must be easily available for parents, educators, and librarians to acquire (i.e. the item is available via a major retailer such as Amazon).
Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards
Deadline: August 29, 2015
Fee: $85-$95
Requirements: This year’s seventh annual Moonbeam Awards program is open to authors, illustrators, and publishers of children’s books written in English or Spanish and intended for the North American market. All 2014 and 2015 copyrights and books released since October 1, 2013 are eligible.
Deadline: Submissions opening September 2015
Fee: $185
Requirements: The 2015 Nautilus Book Awards accepts entries in 28 subject categories and 5 categories for Children, Teens and Young Adults. Any book (printed) in English and copyrighted, published or released in 2011 or 2012 will be eligible to enter the 2015 Nautilus Awards contest. We accept books from traditional publishers, small presses and self-publishers. Each year the Nautilus Awards has an honorary category to acknowledge the Best in Small Press. Our judges consider a small press title to be any book that qualifies for entry in the Nautilus Awards that is from a publisher who produces less than 10 books a year. All qualified, paid submissions from small presses become candidates for this award. It cannot be entered otherwise. All books must have an ISBN number.
Deadline: November 25th, 2015
Fee: $50
Requirements: The New England Book Festival will consider non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children’s books, young adult, how-to, cookbooks, science fiction, photography/art, poetry, gay literature, regional literature, spiritual, wild card (anything goes!), business books, unpublished stories and compilations/anthologies. All entries must be in English.
Deadline: May 25th, 2015
Fee: $50
Requirements: The 2015 New York Book Festival will consider published, self-published and independent publisher non-fiction, fiction, children’s books, young adult, how-to, poetry, wild card (anything goes!), unpublished stories, science fiction/horror, photography/art, spiritual, business, romance, cookbooks,, compilations/anthologies and biography/autobiography works.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Deadline: February 12, 2016
Fee: $75
Requirements: The 2016 Next Generation Indie Book Awards is open to all indie book authors and publishers including independent publishers (small, medium or otherwise), university presses, self-published authors, e-book authors, seasoned authors and even first time authors in the U.S., Canada or internationally who have a book written in English and published in 2014-2016 copyright date.
Deadline: April 25, 2015
Fee: $50
Requirements: The 2015 Paris Book Festival will consider entries in general non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children’s books, cookbooks, compilations/anthologies; e-books; genre-based, how-to, photography/art, spiritual, music, teenage/young adult, unpublished stories and the wild card (anything goes!).There is no date of publication restriction. Entries can be in French, English, Spanish, German or Portuguese and can be published, self-published or issued by an independent publishing house.
Readers Views Literary Book Awards (Multiple awards)
Deadline: Submissions start in late April
Fee: $85-$95
Requirements: Reader Views Literary Awards are open to all authors regardless of residency, however, the books must be published in the English language and targeted for the North American market. Work published by major book publishers are not eligible. Books must have 2015 copyright date. (Copyright date is on the copyright page of the printed book. Yes, that means copyright date – no, it doesn’t mean a copyright date of 2014 and publication in 2015. This means copyright in 2015. Please do not ask us for concessions because it’s not going to happen.) Submission for more than one category or more than one title is acceptable. Books that have racist themes will be not be accepted.
Deadline: June 1, 2015
Fee: $99-109
Requirements: We accept manuscripts, published and unpublished books, ebooks, audio books, comic books, poetry books and short stories in 100 genres. No publication date requirement and no word count restriction. English language entries are accepted worldwide.
Deadline: April 25th, 2015
Fee: $50
Requirements: The San Francisco Book Festival will consider non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children’s books, compilations/anthologies, young adult, how-to, cookbooks, science fiction, business, history, wild card, gay, photography/art, poetry, unpublished, technology and spiritual/religious works. There is no date of publication restriction.
Deadline: July 22, 2015
Fee: $50
Requirements: Print and e-book titles PUBLISHED or SELF-PUBLISHED between 2014-2015.
Shelf Unbound Writing Competition for Best Self-Published Book
Deadline: October 1, 2015
Fee: $40
Requirements: Shelf Unbound book review magazine announces the Shelf Unbound Writing Competition for Best Independently Published Book. Any independently published book in any genre is eligible for entry. “Independently Published” books include self-published books (such as those published through CreateSpace, Lulu.com, iUniverse, etc.) and/or books published through small presses releasing less than five titles per year. Books entered in last year’s competition are eligible for re-submission in this year’s competition. There is no limit to the number of books an individual can enter; each book is a separate entry.
Deadline: April 25th, 2015
Fee: $50
Requirements: The Beach Book Festival will consider self-published or independent publisher non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children’s books, teenage, how-to, science fiction, romance, comics, poetry, spiritual, compilations/anthologies, history, business, health-oriented and wild card books published on or after Jan. 1, 2011.
The Book Designer – Monthly eBook Cover Design Award
Deadline: Ongoing
Fee: None
Requirements: Use the submission form. Please link to a cover at least 200 px. wide (and preferably at least 300 x 300 px.) There is no restriction on publication date, but the e-books must be published at the time of submission, and I’m interested in current trends No PDF e-Book covers, that’s a different genre entirely. We love designer credits! No inappropriate subjects, please. We reserve the right to remove any entry for any reason.
Deadline: January 21, 2016
Fee: $55
Requirements: Two grand prizes are awarded annually: one for short prose (i.e. fiction and creative nonfiction) and one for independent books from small, micro, and academic presses, as well as self-published books. Prizes include a $250 award for short prose and a $2,000 award for best independent book. In addition to the two main grand prize awards, various other honors and distinctions are given for both prose and books, including the Montaigne Medal, the da Vinci Eye, and the First Horizon Award. Submissions are accepted each year by nominating books and prose. The book deadline is January 21st. The prose deadline is March 31st.
The Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards
Deadline: December 31, 2015
Fee: $56
Requirements: The book must be self-published or published by a small, independent or academic press in the UK. If NOT published in the UK, the book must be published by a small, independent or academic press and be for sale in the UK market (even if only on the internet e.g. on Amazon.co.uk). The book must be predominantly in English and published in 2013, 2014 or 2015.
Deadline: September 30, 2015// early bird April 30th, 2015
Fee: $69
Requirements: Open to all books with an ISBN and published in 2015 (galley copies welcome). 2013 and 2014 titles are also eligible.
Writer’s Digest – Self-Published Book Awards
Deadline: May 1, 2015
Fee: $110
Requirements: The competition is open to all English-language self-published books for which the authors have paid the full cost of publication, or the cost of printing has been paid for by a grant or as part of a prize.
About Samantha Knoerzer
I am the Social Media Coordinator and Author Relations Manager for BiblioCrunch. And I love to read, OF COURSE! From the classics to YA and children's, you can find me reading it all. I have a masters in publishing from NYU's Print and Digital Media Studies masters program, and have undergraduate degrees in music, marketing, and english. I have a passion for reading, music, and travel. My goal is to travel to as many places around the world as possible. If you need to find me, you can catch me traveling all around the world at any chance I get – always with a book in hand!