My post is going to be geared towards the speculative fiction space, as that's what I write and have awareness of, but feel free to list others for different genres below.
SPFBO (Self Published Fantasy Blog Off) - Run by Mark Lawrence - self published fantasy novels only
Annual contest. 300 books, 30 judges. You will need to jump on it quick when entries open though. The last one they filled up in 41 minutes!
Over the course of the year judges will whittle down the books to finalists. The books are split across the judges and are usually reviewed on popular fantasy blogs/website/review sites, plus their social media—which is something I particularly like as it helps get more eyeballs on your book.
BBNYA (Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award) – small fee. Open self published and small press books. All genres and target audiences (YA, MG etc) Note: it is heavily dominated by speculative fiction.
Annual contest of 3 rounds. Judges start with a 2k extract in round 1, then go on to a 10k extract in round 2, then read the full books of what's left to determine the top 15 places. If you make it past the first round (about 70% of books entered are cut in this round), you're a semi-finalist and get some free spotlight marketing on your books. Make it to the second and you're a finalist, which entails some nice marketing perks.
SPSFC (Self Published Science Fiction Competition) – self published sci-fi novels only
The science fiction version of SPFBO.
Indie Ink Awards – for self-pubbed or small press published books
Annual(ish) contest. Lots of categories. You will need to have your book listed on Indie Story Geek. First phase requires people to vote/nominate your book across various categories. If your book gets enough votes, you become a finalist and your book is then read and judged. You get a nice certificate and glass quill if you win.
SFINCS (Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship) – self published novellas only
The novella arm of SPFBO. Launched in 2023, first contest is currently running. Will open for SFINCS2 in September 2024.
Foreward Indie Book Of The Year Awards – affiliated with Foreward Reviews. Open genre. Multiple categories.
Annual contest. This one is a bit expensive ($99 for early bird entry and it gets more pricey from there). Gold, Silver and Bronze winners are selected for each category. If you are a winner, you get the option to be included/featured in their trade magazine (but it is super expensive; I wouldn't bother personally).
Indies Today – open genre
Annaul contest. Another one that's $$ ($59). One overall winner and four genre winners. You can bundle a contest entry and a review together to save money. (I used this to get an early review to use in my marketing, however, it looks like the price has gone up to $119, so keep an eye out for early bird discounts).
RONE Awards - open genre
Run by InD’tale Magazine. Involves 3 rounds - a review round, a reader voting round and a judging round. Cost involved is unclear.
Local awards – depends on region
Not sure what other countries/regions have, but Australia has the Aurealis Awards, which are judged spec fic awards. Entry is free for short fiction and ~$20 for novels. There's also the Australian Ditmars, which are reader voted. New Zealand has the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for NZ spec fic works, which are also voted in by readers. The Canada Science Fiction and Fantasy Association runs something similar I believe. I've also seen a few local/regional awards run at state level in the US, which can also be worth investigating.
SPFBO (Self Published Fantasy Blog Off) - Run by Mark Lawrence - self published fantasy novels only
Annual contest. 300 books, 30 judges. You will need to jump on it quick when entries open though. The last one they filled up in 41 minutes!
Over the course of the year judges will whittle down the books to finalists. The books are split across the judges and are usually reviewed on popular fantasy blogs/website/review sites, plus their social media—which is something I particularly like as it helps get more eyeballs on your book.
BBNYA (Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award) – small fee. Open self published and small press books. All genres and target audiences (YA, MG etc) Note: it is heavily dominated by speculative fiction.
Annual contest of 3 rounds. Judges start with a 2k extract in round 1, then go on to a 10k extract in round 2, then read the full books of what's left to determine the top 15 places. If you make it past the first round (about 70% of books entered are cut in this round), you're a semi-finalist and get some free spotlight marketing on your books. Make it to the second and you're a finalist, which entails some nice marketing perks.
SPSFC (Self Published Science Fiction Competition) – self published sci-fi novels only
The science fiction version of SPFBO.
Indie Ink Awards – for self-pubbed or small press published books
Annual(ish) contest. Lots of categories. You will need to have your book listed on Indie Story Geek. First phase requires people to vote/nominate your book across various categories. If your book gets enough votes, you become a finalist and your book is then read and judged. You get a nice certificate and glass quill if you win.
SFINCS (Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship) – self published novellas only
The novella arm of SPFBO. Launched in 2023, first contest is currently running. Will open for SFINCS2 in September 2024.
Foreward Indie Book Of The Year Awards – affiliated with Foreward Reviews. Open genre. Multiple categories.
Annual contest. This one is a bit expensive ($99 for early bird entry and it gets more pricey from there). Gold, Silver and Bronze winners are selected for each category. If you are a winner, you get the option to be included/featured in their trade magazine (but it is super expensive; I wouldn't bother personally).
Indies Today – open genre
Annaul contest. Another one that's $$ ($59). One overall winner and four genre winners. You can bundle a contest entry and a review together to save money. (I used this to get an early review to use in my marketing, however, it looks like the price has gone up to $119, so keep an eye out for early bird discounts).
RONE Awards - open genre
Run by InD’tale Magazine. Involves 3 rounds - a review round, a reader voting round and a judging round. Cost involved is unclear.
Local awards – depends on region
Not sure what other countries/regions have, but Australia has the Aurealis Awards, which are judged spec fic awards. Entry is free for short fiction and ~$20 for novels. There's also the Australian Ditmars, which are reader voted. New Zealand has the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for NZ spec fic works, which are also voted in by readers. The Canada Science Fiction and Fantasy Association runs something similar I believe. I've also seen a few local/regional awards run at state level in the US, which can also be worth investigating.
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