categories
Explore Our Award Categories
- Fine Art
- Performing Arts (Music/Dance/Cinema/Theater)
- Photography
- Architecture
- Coffee Table Books
- Popular Fiction
- Literary Fiction
- Short Story Fiction
- Poetry – Standard
- Poetry – Specialty
- Anthologies
- Juvenile Fiction
- Young Adult Fiction – General
- Young Adult Fiction – Fantasy
- Fantasy
- Science Fiction
- LGBTQ+ Fiction
- Erotica
- Historical Fiction
- Military/Wartime Fiction
- Horror
- Multicultural Fiction
- Multicultural Fiction – Juv-Young Adult
- Mystery
- Suspense/Thriller
- Religious Fiction
- Romance
- Novella/Short Fiction
- Visionary/New Age Fiction
- True Crime
- Graphic Novel/Drawn Book
- Humor
- Children’s Picture Books (7 & Under)
- Children’s Picture Books (All Ages)
- Children’s Interactive
- Juvenile-Young Adult Non-Fiction
- Multicultural Non-Fiction – Juv-Young Adult
- Multicultural Non-Fiction – Adult
- Essay
- Creative Non-Fiction
- Autobiography/Memoir I (Celebrity/Political/Romance)
- Autobiography/Memoir II (Coming of Age/Family Legacy)
- Autobiography/Memoir III (Personal Struggle/Health Issues)
- Biography
- Aging/Death & Dying
- Animals/Pets
- Business/Career/Sales
- Cookbooks- General
- Cookbooks – Specialty
- Current Events I (Political/Economic/Foreign Affairs)
- Current Events II (Social Issues/Humanitarian)
- Education I (Workbook/Resources)
- Education II (Commentary/Theory)
- Nature
- Environment/Ecology
- Finance/Investment/Economics
- LGBTQ+ Non-Fiction
- Gift/Specialty/Journal
- Holiday
- Health/Medicine
- History (U.S.)
- History (World)
- History (Oversized/Coffee Table)
- Inspirational/Spiritual
- New Age / Mind-Body-Spirit
- Parenting
- Popular Culture
- Psychology/Mental Health
- Sports/Fitness/Recreation
- Reference
- Religion (Eastern/Western)
- Science
- Self Help
- Sexuality/Relationships
- Transportation (Auto/Aviation/Railroad)
- Travel – Essay
- Travel – Guidebook
- Women’s Issues
- Writing/Publishing
- Book/Author/Publisher Website (note: Please enter website as a separate “Book Title”)
- Cover Design – Fiction
- Cover Design – Non-Fiction
- Cover Design – Non-Fiction Oversize
- Best First Book – Fiction
- Best First Book – Juv/YA
- Best First Book – Non-Fiction
- Book Series – Fiction
- (note: Book Series category submissions require at least two volumes, with one volume’s copyright/release date falling within the 2021-2023 copyright time frame. Send all volumes for judging but pay just one fee.)
- Book Series – Non-Fiction
- (note: Book Series category submissions require at least two volumes, with one volume’s copyright/release date falling within the 2021-2023 copyright time frame. Send all volumes for judging but pay just one fee.)
- Audiobook – Fiction*
- Audiobook – Non-Fiction*
- Audiobook – N-F – Personal
- Audiobook – N-F – Informational
Our Regional Categories honor books where location plays a significant role. The entire book doesn’t need to take place in one setting, but the location should be a notable feature of the story or subject. These categories include awards for “Best Fiction” and “Best Non-Fiction” in each region.
Books with general topics or no identifiable location aren’t ideal for these categories. Remember, choose your category based on the book’s setting, not the author’s residence.
Northeast – ME, VT, NH, MA, RI, CT, NY
Mid-Atlantic – PA, WV, VA, DE, MD, DC, NJ
Southeast – KY, NC, SC, GA, FL, TN
South – MS, LA, AR, TX, AL
Great Lakes – OH, MI, MN, IN, IL, WI
Plains – IA, MO, OK, KS, NE, SD, ND
West-Mountain – MT, WY, UT, CO, NM, AZ, ID, NV
West-Pacific – CA, OR, WA, HI, AK
Canada–East – ON, QB, NF, NB, NS, PE, Nunavut
Canada-West – BC, AB, SK, MB, NW Territories, Yukon
Australia/New Zealand-Aotearoa/Pacific Rim
Europe
E1. Best Adult Fiction eBook
E2. Best Romance/Erotica eBook
E3. Best Mystery/Thriller eBook
E4. Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror eBook
E5. Best Adult Non-Fiction Personal eBook
E6. Best Adult Non-Fiction Informational Ebook
E7. Best Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction eBook
E8. Best Children’s Illustrated eBook
E9. Best Regional eBook – Fiction
E10. Best Regional eBook – Non-Fiction
Our winning of a gold medal in the 2008 competition has greatly helped book sales. We sold nearly 2500 copies of Wild Alberta at the Crossroads last year and had to order a reprint of 1500. When we show retailers the gold medal they are always impressed and invariably order some books.
