Romantic Dreams 2022 - Judging

Judging and Rubric

Our judging for this contest will be different than the norm. And, it's tough. We want only the best smut romance to win!

Judging:

We will be starting each category with a maximum of 20 books. (If we increase this for a category, the numbers below will be adjusted.)

1st round: 7 books will be eliminated. The judge will read the 1st chapter and set aside 7 books based on mechanics.

2nd round: 13 books will enter round 2. The hook and blurb will be scored after an additional chapter is read. This score will be added to the previous round's score, and the books ranked again. Of that ranking, 5 will be eliminated. Remember, the blurb is expected to lure us in, and the hook is expected to leave us wanting more!

3rd round: An additional chapter will be read in the remaining 8 books, and the judge will eliminate 4 based on character quality in a similar manner as before.

4th round: The last 4 books will be ranked with a further read of a minimum of two more chapters. The judges are encouraged to drool over as many chapters as necessary to thoroughly explore the appropriate ranking of the books based on the final, very sexy, criteria (see the rubric).

Rubric:

Here are some explanations about what we mean by certain terms and how to win this contest:

Round 1: Show exemplary mechanics, such as good grammar, accurate punctuation, consistent tense, sentence readability, correct spelling, proper formatting, etc. (20 points)

Round 2: Write an amazing blurb based on these recommended guidelines: a 100-250 word hook, in active voice, that starts with your logline. Wattpad says this is what they like to see, so we're gonna go with it, too. Write a fantastic hook evident by the end of the 2nd chapter. We want to be asking, "And then what happened?" (Blurb: 10 points; Hook: 10 points)

Round 3: Focus on character quality: Are your characters well-rounded and relatable? Are their introductions smooth and well-paced? Do they exhibit engaging interaction? (20 points)

Round 4 Final ranking will be based on plot development (10 points), world-building (10 points), interesting dialogue (10 points), and love interest intrigue (10 points). In other words, everything else that makes, or breaks, a good romance.

Total: 100 points.