The Spotlight Awards 2024

Setup

The Spotlight Awards 2024 will follow the following setup:

Preliminary Round

For this writing contest, there will be no entry limit for each available genre. In essence, when you submit your entry, you immediately undergo the first phase of judging.

The preliminary round acts as a qualifier round. All accepted books will be judged based on its outward appearance (i.e. the aspects the reader analyzes first before even reading the book). Our judges will look at:

1. Book cover

2. Book title

3. Blurb.

Those who are successful will be labelled as official participants of the writing contest and will be longlisted in their respective genre, progressing to the first round. It is only then that the participants will be publicized. This will be done in an exclusive chapter. Additionally, a sticker will be made available to those who make it to the longlist. 

For NOVEL and SHORT STORY Participants

Round 1

In this round, the participants will be judged based on the introductory aspect of their book (i.e. opening/first chapter). The judges will look at:

1. Hook (was the first chapter captivating?)

2. Character introduction (how well was the characters introduced?)

3. Grammar/Punctuation/Vocabulary

The highest scorers will then be shortlisted in their respective genres and progress to the final round. Shortlisters will receive a shortlist sticker.

Round 2 (Final Round)

The final round will revolve around the participants being judged based on the first 5 chapters of their book (the first 2 to 4 chapters for short stories/whole short story depending on the length). During the judging phase, the following will be assessed:

1. Plot development (is there a logical flow in your story from chapter to chapter?)

2. Grammar/Vocabulary

3. Originality (is your story unique and out-of-the-box?)

4. Character development (how does the characters evolve through the story and how effectively does the events in the story shape them?)

For POETRY Participants

Round 1

Poetry participants will be judged quite differently compared to the Novel/Short Story participants. 

This round will solely be based on the very first poem evident in each collection submitted. The judges will look at the following when judging the poem:

1. Grammar/Punctuation/Vocabulary

2. Prosody/Flow

3. Mood (overall emotional atmosphere of poem - how effective was it brought across?)

4. Imagery (did the poet successfully evoke mental images or sensory experiences within the reader through his/her use of language?)

Successful participants will be shortlisted, progressing to the final round, and receive a shortlist sticker.

Round 2 (Final Round)

In the final round, the first 4 poems will be judged. 

The judging criteria used in Round 1 will be used again in this round.

Special Categories

In addition to our main writing contest, we will also be hosting a special category battle. However, this is only applicable to selective participants. 

Further details are provided in the chapter marked 'Special Category Battle'.