DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 2023 Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards

The awards are open only to residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.
For the purposes of these awards, a resident is defined as a person who has lived in Newfoundland and Labrador for the 12 months immediately prior to the date of publication
OR
who has lived in Newfoundland and Labrador in any combination of 36 of the last 60 months.

The residency period for the 2023 awards is the five calendar years of 2017-2022.
An award may be presented posthumously to an author who has met the residency requirement.

Regarding books with more than one author:
One Author must currently meet 12-month residency requirement
The second author must have met the 12-month residency requirement within the last five years.

Eligibility:

– Books published between January 1st, 2021, and December 31st, 2022.

– Normally works shall be single-authored; however, submissions by no more than two authors will be considered provided that both authors have contributed equally to the production of a single narrative. In the event that a book written by two authors is selected as an award winner or runner-up, the associated prize money will be divided equally between the two authors. (*NEW*)

– Either the author or the publisher may enter a title.

– Books must be in English.

– Books that have been translated are eligible. However, in the case of a translated book, the award is to go exclusively to the author.

– Self-published books are eligible provided they are professionally produced (i.e. printed and bound by a commercial printer).

– Collected or selected works by a single author are eligible provided at least 50% of the text is previously unpublished material.

– Books that contain other media in addition to writing (e.g. photos, CDs, graphics, illustrations) are eligible; however, the award will be given only to the author of the book’s text and only for the writing.

– Books containing material not written by the author (e.g. letters, diaries, memoirs, blogs, oral histories, selected writings) are eligible provided at least 50% of the text is written by the author (e.g. introduction, exposition, commentary, reporting, narrative, footnotes, epilogue).

– The following are not eligible for the NL Book Awards: anthologies with more than one author: audiobooks; unpublished manuscripts; textbooks; self-help or how-to books; manuals or guidebooks on any subject (e.g. travel, nature, cooking); dictionaries; encyclopedias.

– Revised editions will be considered when the following conditions are met:
a) The book has not been previously submitted to the Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards; and
b) In the opinion of the Literary Awards Committee, the book contains new material to the extent that it is not merely a re-issue of a previous publication

– Current members of WritersNL’s Literary Awards Committee are not eligible for the NL Book Awards.

– Final decisions on the eligibility of submitted entries remain with WritersNL’s Literary Awards Committee.

– WritersNL reserves the right not to present the award should there not be enough entries for competitive adjudication.

Assessment Process:

– Assessment of all eligible submissions to the NL Book Awards will be adjudicated by independent juries recruited and facilitated by the WritersNL.

– A jury with appropriate literary expertise will be convened for each award.

– The independent jury for each award will submit a longlist of six books, a shortlist of three books, and a winning book from that shortlist.

– The paramount consideration is excellence in writing. Jurors should reflect on creativity, wordsmithing, and originality.

– A juror must disclose any conflict of interest. WritersNL defines conflict of interest in terms of whether a juror stands to gain any financial benefit through association with a submitted title, or if the juror stands to gain from any moral or intellectual rights, or if the juror has a significant personal relationship with the author of a submitted title. If there is a conflict of interest, the juror will be asked to step aside.

– The decisions made by the NL Book Award juries are final.

Submission Procedures:

– Include four (4) non-returnable, professionally printed and bound copies of each book.

– Include a signed letter stating the category entered and confirming that all submission requirements have been met. Please also note your total word count, and page count.

– Include the non-refundable entry fee that applies to you:
• Free submission for WritersNL members paying full membership fee
• $15 submission fee per title for WritersNL members paying $25 membership fee
• $40 submission fee per title for non-WritersNL members

Submit your books to: 
Newfoundland & Labrador Book Awards
c/o WritersNL
223 Duckworth Street, Suite 202
St. John’s, NL A1C 6N1

Drop off hours:

Applicants can drop off their submissions to the WritersNL office in person every Tuesday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Please note that the WritersNL office is not accessible.

Curb-side pick-up is also available by calling 709-739-5215. Please pull up outside of the building, call the number listed above, and a WritersNL representative can pick up your submissions from the trunk of your car.

PLEASE NOTE:
• Ineligible and/or incomplete submissions will not be returned, and entry fees will not be refunded.
• All books and materials submitted become the property of the WritersNL and will be used for jury members, sponsors, and promotional activities.
• Late submissions will not be accepted.

Submission Deadline: Received by Friday, July 14, 2023 at 5 p.m. NST