HAWTHORNE PRIZE SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED!

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  • CONTESTS
    • CONTESTS
    • AMERICAN WRITING AWARDS
    • HAWTHORNE PRIZE
    • CHILDREN'S BOOK INTL.
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  • SUBMISSIONS
    • AMERICAN WRITING AWARDS
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  • PAST WINNERS
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CONGRATULATIONS 2024 AWA WINNERS AND FINALISTS!

Congratulations comes with the best wishes for the new adventures ahead.

2024 BOOK OF THE YEAR - NON-FICTION

FULL BOOK TITLE: The Child Catcher: A Fight for Justice and Truth

AUTHOR NAME: Andrew Bridge

PUBLISHER NAME: Regalo Press

 Andrew Bridge spent 11 years in Los Angeles County foster care, before earning a scholarship to Wesleyan University and graduating from Harvard Law School. He is a Fulbright Fellow and a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Writing Resident.

His work has garnered coverage in The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Showtime, The Observer, The CBS Early Show, NBC Nightly News, Time Magazine, PBS, Psychology Today, NPR, and Observer Magazine.​

He began his legal career representing children against the State of Alabama. His work resulted in the closure of one of the most notorious psychiatric institutions in the country, the Eufaula Adolescent Center. After that, he returned home to Los Angeles as CEO of The Alliance for Children’s Rights. He defended children at MacLaren Hall, where he was once confined. Under Andrew’s leadership, The Alliance successfully sued Los Angeles County over its practice of not visiting foster children. The victory gave every foster child the right to see and speak with their social worker at least once a month.

Andrew chaired Los Angeles County’s Blue Ribbon Foster Care Task Force, which called for an end to the disproportionate removal of African-American babies from their parents. He is the co-founder of National Adoption Day. He went on to lead California’s largest recruiter of LGBT+ foster and adoptive parents.

A sought-after expert in his field, he has advised senior federal and state officials on reforming our foster care system to meet the needs of families living in poverty. His educational work resulted in the establishment of New Village Girls Academy, California’s first all-girls high school for pregnant and parenting teens. He regularly consults with child welfare systems, children’s facilities, and private foundations. As a member of Arizona’s Foster Care Review Board, Andrew advises Arizona’s Juvenile Court on the safety and well-being of individual children in the state’s care.

  Gail Priest has a passion for women’s fiction. Her degrees and work in theatre and counseling psychology inspire her stories of healing from trauma and secrets within families. A dash of romance and her love of second chances are always in the mix. The settings of her novels are influenced by her time spent on the coast of New Jersey and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Gail Priest’s newest award-winning novel, Soul Dancing, is women’s fiction with a paranormal twist. Her holiday novelette, A Collingswood Christmas, was just released. Gail is also the author of the Annie Crow Knoll trilogy which includes Annie Crow Knoll: Sunrise, Sunset, and Moonrise. The final novel was a Kindle Book Awards semi-finalist. Eastern Shore Shorts, her collection of short stories set in various Eastern Shore towns, was a finalist in the International Book Awards Short Story category.

Gail is a member of The Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Eastern Shore Writers Association, Novelitics Writers Collective, and the South Jersey Writers Group, where she was named Writer of the Year.

Gail lives in New Jersey with her husband and their Havanese dog, Annie. When she's not writing or teaching, Gail can be found reading or looking for birds and sea glass along the beaches and bays of the East Coast.

2024 BOOK OF THE YEAR - FICTION

  FULL BOOK TITLE: Soul Dancing

AUTHOR NAME: Gail Priest

PUBLISHER NAME: Red Adept Publishing

2024 AWA CATEGORY WINNERS

BEST NEW (DEBUT) FICTION

    2024 AWA CATEGORY WINNERS AND FINALISTS

     *The number of finalists in each category is based on the book's rating score and the total number of entrants per category. Finalists are listed in no particular order. 

    2024 AWA PRESS RELEASE

    Download PDF

    Submissions for 2025 are now open!

    Submissions for 2025 are now open!

    Submissions for 2025 are now open!

    Submissions for 2025 are now open!

    Submissions for 2025 are now open!

    Submissions for 2025 are now open!

    2025 American Writing Awards (ONE-CATEGORY ENTRY)

    $39.00
    Pay with PayPal or a debit/credit card

    A single-category book submission qualifies a piece for a category prize as well as "Book of the Year" consideration. A full list of American Writing Awards categories is available below or on page 3 of the entry form. 

    $39 per title/per category

    (Example: One book in two categories equals $78.00--requires separate $39 transactions) 

    2025 American Writing Awards Entry Form

    2025 AWA Entry Form (docx)Download

    SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

      ALL ENTRIES MUST BE SUBMITTED ON OR BEFORE November 2, 2025

    • $39 per title/per category 
    • Winners and Finalists will be announced on November 23, 2025.
    • Published title entries must have a 2022-2026 publication date--with the exception of Legacy titles--and be published in English. Galley copies, unpublished manuscripts, and entries prior to publication are also welcome.
    • All sales are final. Authors retain all rights to submitted work. Entry Submissions are deleted from the entry database at the conclusion of the competition.

    PLEASE NOTE: Our staff will be communicating with you via e-mail--an entry confirmation email and if your title places you as a winner or finalist in the contest. Take notice that our messages may be placed in your spam folder. One way to make sure our messages reach your inbox is to add our e-mail address to your contact list. Your email will be saved in our database for all future communications.


    SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

    ALL ENTRIES ARE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY

    Submitting your work electronically:

    • Process your entry fee online.
    • E-mail “info@americanwritingawards.com” a copy of your filled-out entry form as well as a PDF copy of your book. Make sure to include the cover. A full list of categories can be found below or on page 3 of the entry form.
    • Attach a past Press Release or Marketing Material for each title (if available).
    • Include your e-mail address that was used to process your entry fee payment online (page one of the entry form).
    • “American Writing Awards” should appear on your credit card/Paypal statement.


    We welcome your questions, comments, and ideas! Simply email us  @ info@americanwritingawards.com for an immediate response.



    2025 AWA Categories

    Did you know that the American Writing Awards has NINE unique LEGACY categories for OLDER books? Give your timeless book a chance at an award. Did you know Finalists from previous years can enter? Give your book a second shot at greatness.

     Check out our NEW full list of categories.  

    · Academic/Education

    · Animals/Pets – General

    · Anthologies – Non-Fiction

    · Art

    · Autobiography/Memoirs

    · Best Cover Design – Fiction

    · Best Cover Design – Non-Fiction

    · Best New(Debut) - Fiction

    · Best New(Debut) - Non-Fiction

    · Biography – General

    · Business – General

    · Business – Entrepreneurship

    · Business – Management & Leadership

    · Business - Motivational

    · Business – Personal Finance/Investing

    · Business – Sales

    · Children’s - Educational

    · Children's - Fiction

    · Children's - Interactive

    · Children's - Non-Fiction

    · Children’s - Picture Book

    · Children's - Religious

    · Children's - Sports

    · Cookbooks

    · Fiction – General

    · Fiction – Anthologies

    · Fiction – Fantasy

    · Fiction – Historical

    · Fiction – Horror

    · Fiction – Inspirational

    · Fiction – LGBTQ Fiction

    · Fiction – Multicultural 

    · Fiction – Mystery/Suspense

    · Fiction – New Age Fiction

    · Fiction – Novelette (7,500 to 17,500 words)

    · Fiction – Novella (17,500 to 40,000 words)

    · Fiction - Psychological

    · Fiction – Religious 

    · Fiction – Romance

    · Fiction – Science Fiction

    · Fiction – Short Story

    · Fiction – Thriller/Adventure

    · Fiction – Women's Fiction

    · Fiction – Young Adult 

    · Health – Addiction and Recovery

    · Health – Aging/50+

    · Health - Cancer

    · Health – Death and Dying

    · Health – Diet and Exercise

    · Health – General

    · History – General

    · History – Military

    · History – United States

    · Home & Garden

    · Humor/Comedy/Satire

    · Law      

    • Legacy – Autobiography/Memoir

    • Legacy – Children’s Picture Book

    • Legacy – Children’s Fiction

    • Legacy – Fiction-Adventure

    • Legacy – Fiction-Historical   

    · Legacy – Fiction-General

    · Legacy – Mystery/Suspense

    · Legacy – Non-Fiction-General

    · Legacy – Sci-Fi   & Fantasy

    · LGBTQ – Non-Fiction

    · Multicultural Non-Fiction

    · Non-Fiction – General

    · Non-Fiction – Narrative

    · Parenting & Family

    · Performing  Arts – Film, Theater, Dance, Music 

    · Photography

    · Poetry – Anthologies

    · Poetry - Contemporary

    · Poetry – General

    · Poetry – Narrative

    · Poetry - Religious

    · Political - Fiction

    · Political – Non-Fiction

    · Religion – General

    · Religion – Christian Inspirational

    · Religion – Christianity

    · Religion - Eastern

    · Self-Help

    · Social Change

    · Spirituality

    · Sports

    · Travel

    · True Crime – Non-Fiction

    · Young Adult – Non-Fiction

    · Western

    · Women's Issues

    SMALL SAMPLE OF OUR DIVERSE LIST OF AWARD-WINNING PUBLISHERS

      

    • The American Writing Awards offers a low-cost entry fee and electronic submission--no need to pay for printing or shipping costs.
    • A single category registration qualifies a piece for the category prize as well as "Book of the Year" consideration.  Two "Book of the Year" Winners--Nonfiction and Fiction--will be awarded.
    • Books can be entered into multiple categories for increased odds of winning. A full list of categories can be found on page 3 of the entry form.
    •  Did you know? The American Writing Awards has nine unique categories for OLDER books?--the Legacy categories accept books older than four years. Give your timeless book a chance at an award. 
    • Did you know? Finalists from previous years can enter. Give your book a second shot at greatness. 
    • Unpublished manuscripts can be submitted--a great chance to increase your book’s chances of future publishing offers.
    • Entries prior to publication are also welcome, submit an edited final manuscript (as a PDF), and if you win, add an American Writing Awards seal to your book cover before publication.
    • "Book of the Year," Category Winners, and Finalists will be sent an official American Writing Awards seal for promotional use and possible cover placement, published and promoted on our website and media accounts for life, and referred to talent agents in New York and Los Angeles for possible manuscript review.
    • "Book of the Year" recipients, Category Winners, and Finalists receive a 1-month long social-media ad campaign highlighting their successes following the year's AWAs.
    • Did you know? Our press releases are distributed to a now 3000+ premium news outlets--a distribution footprint that reaches millions, including journalists, businesses, and industry professionals. These include local, regional, and national news sites such as Google News, Yahoo News, Bing, CBS, Fox, ABC, CW, and NBC affiliated broadcasting websites and more.


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