Carol Awards
THE CAROL AWARDS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR ENTRIES. Check back for the announcement of the finalists coming soon.
2013 RULES AND GUIDELINES
The Carol Awards are ACFW's recognition for the best Christian fiction published by traditional publishing houses in the previous calendar year.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Entry must be a work of original fictional narrative prose that is offered for sale to the general public through print or digital media. The author must not participate financially in the production or distribution of the work. The book must be written from a Christian worldview in any Christian fiction genre through a publisher on ACFW's Recognized Publishers list* and for which the author did not participate financially in the production or distribution (did not enter into a subsidy contract of any kind) and was/is paid royalties.
Authors or Publishers of E-Book entries can submit 5 copies of a standard bound book with cover art and copyright page or 5 copies spiral bound. No electronic copies will be accepted.
Co-authored entries are allowed to enter. If one of the authors is a current ACFW member, then the entry can be submitted for the member entry fee.
All entrants are required to check the “accept” box on the entry form for the Contest Release, indicating acceptance of terms. Authors must complete their own entry form. Publishers may NOT enter their authors in the Carol Awards.
Please be aware that we are using a new automated system for this contest. Your entry MUST be completed in one session. You will not be able to start the process, save and come back. Look through the form to make sure you have all of the necessary pieces of information to help you complete the entry as smoothly as possible.
Entry must have an original copyright date (printed on copyright page) between January 2012 and December 2012. In the rare event a book was released in 2012 but has a copyright date of 2011, please provide a) a letter from the publisher and b) a pdf of the publisher's catalog reflecting the title and release date to the Carol Award Coordinator, carolawards@acfw.com at least two weeks prior to the deadline to be considered for entry.
Entry may NOT have previously been entered in the Carol Award or Book of the Year contest.
Entry must be an English-language edition.
Audio books may not be entered.
Five copies of the book must be submitted for each title entered in each category.
No single title shall be entered in more than one category, with the exception of the Debut Novel category, in which case the title may be entered in BOTH Debut Novel and the entry's genre category (please remember to send 5 books for each category).
Entries in the Debut Novel category are limited to authors who have never published a fiction title. Previous works of fiction, regardless of market, disqualify the author from the Debut Novel category.
There is no limit to the number of eligible titles an author may enter in each category.
In any category, if fewer than seven (7) entries are received, the category shall be dissolved and the authors will be contacted regarding an alternate choice category. The author is responsible for choosing the appropriate Carol Award category for their novel.
Entrant shall understand and agree that all scores are final once returned from the judge and entered into the database. Scores are assessed by individual judges who score according to an established guideline/score sheet. There will be no discrepancy judging or altering of scores submitted. All five scores will be averaged and the highest 3 scores in each category will be announced as finalists. Scores will not be returned.
*The decisions about publisher recognition are made after careful consideration of ACFW’s goals and the vision. The ACFW Executive Board has the final word on publisher recognition.
FEES Fee of $40.00 for ACFW Members per entry must be paid online via PayPal or credit card, or a money order or check made out to ACFW and sent to:
ACFW, P.O. Box 101066, Palm Bay, FL 32910-1066
DO NOT SEND CASH.
Those authors who are not ACFW members will pay a fee of $115 per entry. You may join ACFW at the time you enter the contest, then your contest fee will be $40 per entry.
There are no refunds and books will not be returned.
PROJECTED CATEGORIES
- Debut Novel
- Contemporary
- Romance
- Historical (through Vietnam era)
- Historical Romance (through Vietnam era)
- Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
- Romantic Suspense
- Speculative
- Novella (15K-45K)
- Category (45K-70K)
- Young Adult
TIMELINE January 2, 2013 - Contest officially opens.
All contest entry information, appropriate fees, and books must be received no later than March 15, 2013. Failure to meet the appropriate deadline shall result in disqualification, and the entry fee shall be forfeited. The author is responsible to make sure all materials (books, fees, and application) are submitted on time to the contest coordinator.
- March 27, 2013 - Books mailed to judges
- June 7, 2013 - Score sheets due back to contest category coordinators
- June 30, 2013 - Finalists announced on or before this date
- September 15, 2013 - Winners announced at the ACFW Conference in Indianapolis, IN
E-mail Coordinator at carolawards@acfw.com
PRIZES FOR WINNER AND FINALISTS
Each finalist will receive a certificate and a silver pin.
Each winner will receive the Carol Award and a gold pin. Winning editors will receive a certificate. Winning publishers will receive an award.