The Lunar Awards // 2020 // CLOSED

J u d g i n g - G u i d e l i n e s

|| Before you nominate your book: These awards are aimed at spotting the best book(s) out there. If your books haven't been edited/proofread, we suggest taking the time out and applying the next time. The competition is cutthroat, ruthless and only the best will survive this game. ||

These awards will have a total of two rounds before the winner is announced, Qualifier and Championship.

1.Two judges, midnightcupofnoodles and still_just_me, will both read two chapters of every book to determine whether it could qualify for the shortlist.  If your story has a prologue then this will be counted as one chapter, but aesthetics, copyright warnings, and character lists will not.

2. The first round will focus on grammar, spelling, and punctuation; basically, if your story is well edited, there's a good chance of it moving on. Cliché? Weird? Unusual? Zero reads? So what! It matters not. We're looking for serious authors, so please make the effort to find a good editor for TWO CHAPTERS. 

3. One story per writer per month. If your book doesn't make it to the shortlist this time, rework the opening chapters and apply again. If you book was shortlisted last month, you can still apply for the next month. Beware! A thriller will not make it to the list if the next month's genre is romance.

4. The top ten books will be shortlisted by 15th of the month. This round will be crude, cruel and crass in terms of eliminating most books. Only the best will be selected.

4. No limit on the number of books that can enter as long as it is before the deadline. 

Recap: First round, two judges will read two chapters of every submission. 

1. In this round, you'll be competing with the cream of the genre who have gone through the initial shortlisting process along with you.

2. A group of judges will rate your book. Primary judges will read all 10 books, while Secondary judges will read 5 books. These judges (4-6) will change each month and will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis. There are no limits on the number of chapter required to be read. It can range from 3 to the entire book, and is entirely up to each judge. This will help writers determine where readers drop off.

3. They will rate your book on the following factors  with a maximum score of 103 points. 

a. Cover (5 points)

b. Summary (5 points)

c. Vocabulary (5 points)

d. Sentence Structure and Paragraphing (5 points)

e. Grammar (10 points )

f. Writing Flow and Pacing (10 points)

g. Plot Development (10 points)

h. Character Development (10 points)

i. Character(s) Relationships (10 points)

j. Originality (10 points)

k. Relevance to Genre (10 points)

j. Enjoyment (10 points)

k. Bonus (Optional 3 points )

4. Based on the overall average scoring, the top three books will receive the winner, runner up and honorable mention awards for that genre. The results will be posted on the last day of the month, be it 30th or 31st.

Recap: there will be 4+ judges in this round, each reading a minimum of 3 chapters and at maximum, the entire book.