Carol Awards
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.
- The contest is open to published authors, whose books were published in 2011 with publishers on ACFW's Recognized Publishers list*.
- If a book is co-authored, both authors are required to sign the Entrant's Agreement located on the entry form, indicating their acceptance of the terms. If one of the authors is a current ACFW member, then the entry can be submitted for the member entry fee.
- Publishers submitting for their authors: Each author is required to sign the Entrant's Agreement located on the entry form, indicating their acceptance of terms.
- The book must be written from a Christian worldview in any Christian fiction genre through a publisher on the ACFW 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.
- All contest entry information, appropriate fees, and books must be postmarked no later than March 10, 2012. 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.
- All deadlines are final.
- Fee of $40.00 for ACFW Members per title entered must be paid online via PayPal or credit card, or mail a money order or check made out to ACFW. DO NOT SEND CASH. If entering a title in both the Debut Novel and a genre category, this is considered two entries and two fees are required.
- Those authors who are not ACFW members will pay a fee of $115 per book. You may join ACFW at the time you enter the contest, then your contest fee will be $40 per book.
- There are no refunds and books will not be returned.
- The author shall select the appropriate category for entering the work. However, the work shall be disqualified if the word count does not match the category requirement (see "Categories" below for established word count requirements).
- No single title shall be entered in more than one category, with the exception of the Debut Novel category, in which case the book 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 books 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. Exceptions:
- If fewer than seven (7) entries are received in the Short Contemporary Suspense category, the category will dissolve, and these shall be entered into the Short Contemporary category of the contest and judged therein.
- If fewer than seven (7) entries are received in either the Long Contemporary or the Long Contemporary Romance categories, the two categories will be combined.
- If fewer than seven (7) entries are received in either the Long Historical or the Long Historical Romance categories, the two categories will be combined.
- 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.
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.
- Authors or Publishers of E-Book entries can submit 5 copies of a standard bound book with cover art or 5 copies spiral bound. No electronic copies will be accepted.
- Entry must have an original copyright date (printed on copyright page) between January 2011 and December 2011.
- The book must be written from a Christian worldview in any Christian fiction genre through a publisher on the ACFW Recognized Publishers list.*
- 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 book entered in each category.
- All entrants are required to sign the Entrant's Agreement located on the entry form indicating their acceptance of terms.
* The decisions about publisher recognition are made after careful consideration of ACFW goals, member benefits, and the vision of the ACFW boards. The Advisory Board has the final word on publisher recognition.
PRIZES
- Each finalist will receive a certificate and a silver Carol Award pin.
- Each winner will receive the Carol Award and a gold Carol Award pin. Winning editors will receive a certificate. Winning publishers will receive an award with the information about the winning entry etched on it.
- Debut Novel (at least 50k)
- Long Contemporary (75K+)
- Long Contemporary Romance (75K+)
- Long Historical (75K+)
- Long Historical Romance (75K+)
- Mystery (at least 40K)
- Novella (between 15K and 39,999)
- Short Contemporary (includes series/category, 40K-74,999)
- Short Contemporary Suspense (40K-74,999)
- Short Historical (40K-74,999)
- Speculative (includes science fiction, fantasy, allegory, etc., at least 40K)
- Suspense/Thriller (at least 40K)
- Romantic Suspense (at least 40K, **excluding series/category suspense unless series word count is 75K or higher**)
- Women's Fiction (at least 40K)
- Young Adult (at least 30K)
- January 5, 2012 - Contest officially opens.
- March 10, 2012 - ALL ENTRIES MUST BE POSTMARKED BY THIS DATE. Entries must have an entry form, entry fee, and five copies (or ten if entering in the Debut Novel category) of the entered book.
- April 2, 2012 - Books sent to judges.
- June 27, 2012 - Score sheets due back to contest coordinator.
- July 15-18, 2012 - Finalists Announced at ICRS in Orlando.
- September 22, 2012 - Winners announced at the 2012 ACFW Conference Awards Gala in Dallas, Texas.
PROJECTED CATEGORIES
PROJECTED TIMELINE
Direct questions to the Carol Awards Coordinator, Mindy Obenhaus, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).