The Magic Awards [CLOSED]

✦ Judging Criteria

The judges will be looking over several aspects of your story to calculate a score. This list pertains to all categories.

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[ Title ] 5 points. How well does the title of a book catch the attention of a reader and relate to the plot of the story.

[ Book Cover ] 5 points. How pleasing is the image to new readers. Does it give hints about the story or genre?

[ Summary ] 5 points. How interesting is the blurb, and does it interest the reader. Is the blurb well written?

[ Plot ] 20 points. Development and pacing is important. How interesting is the plot? Is there enough action? Basically, judges need to be entertained while reading.

[ Characterization ] 20 points. How the reader feels about your main character. We are looking for likeable characters that show an interesting personality. We expect to see motives, uniqueness, and a well developed character.

[ Grammar ] 15 points. We understand that not everyone is going to have their story edited to perfection. We are looking for a neat structure, and the presence of basic grammar rules.

[ Creativity ] 5 points. How creative are your ideas? Do you add a twist to cliches?

[ Side Characters ] 5 points. These characters are just as important to us as main characters. We love their personalities and their commitment to the main character's situation. Judges are reviewing this category based on the character's likeability, overall personality, and their contribution to the plot. 

[ Feels ] 5 points. Basically, does the reader share the emotions of your character? Do we cry when your character cries?

[ Descriptions and Dialogue ] 10 points. How realistic and appropriate to the scene is the dialogue? Does the author use enough descriptions? How are dialogue tags used and is the flow working for or against the author?

[ Aesthetic ] 5 points. This is for images, dividers, and overall structure of the work. The fluidity of POV changes is also considered in this category. How well do you show the reader that the POV is changing?

The max amount of points a participant can earn on their book is 100 points.

Judges will be using a spreadsheet to record their scores. Stats will not be shared with participants at any point.