The purpose of THE SWIRL AWARDS is to recognize and promote excellence in romance within the multicultural/interracial genre. All books are welcome regardless of race, nationality, gender or sexual orientation of the main characters. However, one of the main characters must be a person of color, i.e., African descent, Asian, Latino, or Native American.
Selection of Nominees
Nominations for Interracial/Multicultural novels published in 2012 will be solicited from authors for each category. If for some reason, there are fewer than four nominees in a given category, that category will be eliminated from the competition.
Swirl Awards Categories
Best Book Cover
Best Series
Best Multicultural/IR Publisher
Anthology
BDSM
Contemporary
Fantasy/Futuristic
Paranormal
Historical
Inspirational
Romantic Suspense
Short Novella (10,000-20,000 words)
All heat levels from erotic to sweet are welcome. For a full description of our categories click here.
Eligibility and Rules:
The Swirl Awards will solicit nominations from authors for each category. To submit a book it must have an official first release date of January 1-December 31, 2012.
- There is no fee to enter the contest.
- A title can only be submitted in only one category.
- Self-published books are welcome.
- Short Novellas may be entered only if they have been offered for sale as a stand-alone work.
- Entries must be submitted in .pdf form with the following document format:
- To nominate a book, email your entry to: the swirlnet @ gmail dot com (without the spaces). Please provide us with the following information:
Name of Author:
Name of Publisher:
Category:
Date of official publication:
Judging
Once the final list of nominees is compiled, an electronic ONLY copy in .pdf format will be requested from the author, which will then be given to our judges with an identifier on it to prevent piracy of said copy. The award coordinator will do their best to accommodate a judge's preference for a particular genre or heat level. Each judge will read a minimum of three (3) books and fill out a category judge score sheet for each book. If an author/editor would like to judge, they cannot judge in the category in which their book has been nominated.
Each book will be judged on a maximum scale of 40 points on the following criteria: Characterization, Setting Development, Plot/Conflict Development, and Style/Voice. Each judge will have six months to read and judge.
Category Winner
The book with the highest average score denotes the winner in each category. The finalist from each category will receive a Swirl Award logo banner to place on their blog or web site. Each category winner will receive a logo banner and a first place certificate.
Best Book Cover, Series and Publisher
Nominations for Best Book Cover, Best Series, Best Multicultural/IR Publisher will be held on the Swirl Awards website. One entry per person/email address will make the final list. Once a list is compiled, voting will be open for three months beginning on or before March 2, 2013. After the public poll is closed, the final winners will be announced on the website.
*You must like interracial/multicultural romance
*You must commit to reading and judging three (3) books (if you're an overachiever, you may judge more!
If you think you have what it takes or if you have any questions or comments, please email the Swirl Awards coordinator at: the swirlnet @ gmail dot com (without the spaces)
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Hopefully, the following Q&A will answer any lingering questions.
1. I have a hot, paranormal romance where the hero is undead i.e., vampire, zombie, or ghost. However, before he was bitten/killed, he was a Seminole Indian on the USTA surfer circuit. Can I enter my book?
It doesn't matter if the character is undead/dead. If you have described them as a person of color and that difference is noted by the reader, then you can enter under our paranormal category.
2. I've published a novel where the racial conflict is neither mentioned or featured, meaning the hero or heroine just happen to be a person of color can I still enter my book?
Of course! Within the multicultural/interracial genre, the majority of stories published do not contain any conflict regarding the couple's racial/ethnic differences.
3. If the conflict of my book revolves around the couple's racial differences, is that acceptable as well?
Again, yes! As long as one of the main characters is a person of color it doesn't matter to us.
4. If I have a book that features a quad with say four guys or what's more commonly known as a m/m/m/m romance and one of them is a person of color, can I still enter?
Yes, but a person of color must wind up in the HEA. For example, if you have a hot Asian guy getting it on with three burly Russians throughout the book, he can't get kicked to the curb at the end. He must remain at the heart of the final unit.
5. If my book revolves around an Irish American woman and a Cuban man, will I be able to enter it?
Yes! This matchup would be considered a multicultural romance.
Last updated 1/28/13
