The 2020 Golden Leaf Contest for Published Authors
is Now Closed.

​The Golden Leaf is awarded annually for excellence in romantic fiction by authors who are NJRW members or in Romance Writers of America (RWA). Winners will be announced during the NJRW Put Your Heart in a Book Conference being held October 18-19-20, 2019.

Key Dates

Registration Opens: April 1, 2019
Registration Closes: June 1, 2019, 11:59 pm Eastern Time
Books to be Received by: June 5, 2019
Finalists Notified by: August 31, 2019
Winners Announced at the NJRW Put Your Heart in a Book Conference on October 18-19-20, 2019

Judges

  • Judges are booksellers, librarians, readers’ groups, and romance readers.
  • Judge scores include questions to help resolve ties.
  • Second round judges may be used to further aid in tie-breakers.
  • Scores are not shared with the entrants.
  • The judges’ decisions are final.

Categories

  • Best First Book: any romance novel from a first-time author not previously published in book ­length romantic fiction, regardless of publishing medium.
  • Best Book by a New Jersey Romance Author: Open to any entrant (regardless of whether they’re an NJRW member) who is a current, full-time resident of New Jersey. The book must be entered in another category. Scores from that category will be used to determine the winner and finalists in the Best Book by a NJ Romance Author category. If the entrant is entering multiple books in the contest, only one may also be entered in the Best Book by a NJ Romance Author category. There is no additional fee to have a book considered for Best Book by a NJ Romance Author. No additional books need to be sent.
  • Erotic Romance: Novels in which strong, often explicit, sexual interaction is an inherent part of the love story, character growth and relationship development and could not be removed without damaging the storyline. These novels may contain elements of other romance subgenres (such as paranormal, historical, etc.).
  • Romantic Suspense: Any romance novel in which suspense, mystery, or thriller elements constitute a major part of the plot. 40,000 word minimum.
  • Paranormal Romance: Any romance novel in which either time travel, futuristic, fantasy world or paranormal happenings are a major element of the plot. 40,000 word minimum.
  • Novella: short pieces of romantic fiction between 20-40,000 words. (Trade magazines do not normally fall under the proper word count; however, if your novella does, the acceptability of such work will be the decision of the contest chairperson.)
  • Historical Romance: Novels set prior to 1950. Includes Regency romances. 40,000 word minimum.
  • Contemporary Romance: Long: Novels that are set from 1950 to the present that focus primarily on the romantic relationship and that are 84,000 or more words.
  • Contemporary Romance: Mid-Length: Novels that are set from 1950 to the present that focus primarily on the romantic relationship and that are between 56,000 and 84,000 words in length.
  • ​Contemporary Romance: Short: Novels that are set from 1950 to the present that focus primarily on the romantic relationship and that are between 40,000 and 56,000 words in length.

Fees

  • NJRW Members: $25 fee (first entry), $15 (subsequent entries)
  • Non-NJRW/RWA Members: $30 (first entry), $25 (subsequent entries)
  • Submission postage is supplied by the entrant.
  • All payments must be made through PayPal.
  • All entries and payments are non-refundable.
  • Payment must be made before submitting an entry. Entries without payment or a completed submission form will not be judged and no refund will be issued. The contest chair will not send payment reminders for entries.
  • Please confirm the correct entry price. Any submission without the correct entry payment will be disqualified without a refund.
  • Please confirm your entry’s publication date is within the eligible dates before submitting payment. A refund will not be issued if you enter a book that falls outside the eligible publication dates.

Official Rules

Eligibility
  1. All NJRW members and current RWA members published in novel-length romance fiction who are eligible to enter the RWA RITA® contest.
  2. Romance novels with a first copyright date or first North American printing date of June 2018 through May 2019 are eligible for entry.
  3. There must be a minimum of five entries per category in order for judging to take place.  If the minimum in a category is not reached, entrants will be notified by the coordinator, and books returned, unless an alternate category is provided.
  4. There is a maximum of twenty-five entries per category. The category will be closed after twenty-five entries have been received.
  5. Entrants can enter multiple categories but can only enter a maximum of three entries per category.
  6. Only one award per category. The decision of the judges is final.
  7. Failure to comply with the rules will result in disqualification. Disqualified books will not be returned except as stated in #3 above.  Decisions of the contest coordinator are final.
 
Submission Rules
  1. Registration is from April 1, 2019 through June 1, 2019.
  2. You may enter more than one eligible book in a category, but the same book cannot be entered in more than one category. 
    Exceptions:
    - A first book may be entered in both the Best First Book category and the regular category — which counts as two separate entries/categories).
    - One book entered in a category can also be entered in the Best Book by a NJ Romance Author category, provided the author is a full-time resident of NJ — no additional fee or books required.
  3. Electronic books may be entered provided they are presented in print book format, complete with copyright page produced by the publisher, with perfect or case binding and print on both sides of the page.
  4. A collection of novels/novellas is not one entry; rather each work must be entered separately. In the novella category, an RWA member need not write every story in a collection, only the work entered.
  5. Please send 4 autographed copies of the books to the Contest Category Coordinator located on the confirmation email. Books must be received by June 5, 2019.  Coordinators are not responsible for packages requiring signatures or for picking up packages from mail carriers.
  6. Please be sure to mark the section on the entry form if your book is considered a sexy romance or erotic romance (i.e. Blaze, Brava, Ellora’s Cave). Failure to do so could have a negative impact at judging.
  7. Books which arrive late or do not meet the criteria cannot be returned.
  
Notification and Prizes
  • The top three finalists in each category will be notified by phone in late August 2019 as soon as the judging is complete.
  • The winner in each category will be announced during the Put Your Heart in a Book Conference October 18-19, 2019.
  • First place winners will receive a trophy, Golden Leaf pin, certificate, and social media badge. All winners are announced in the RWR.
  • All finalists will receive a certificate.

FAQs

Q: Can self-published books be entered?
A: A self-published book can be entered in the Golden Leaf contest if it meets all the other criteria in the guidelines (original publish date, printed format, etc).

Q: Can my publisher mail books to the coordinator even though that means they won’t be autographed?
A: Yes, it is acceptable to have the publishing house mail books, provided they can have them postmarked and received in the timeframe specified in the guidelines.

Q: What is perfect or case binding and where can I get it printed?
​A: It’s an adhesive-based binding and is how most paperback books are bound. You can get them printed and bound at an office supply store like Staples. Please check with your publisher before getting books printed.
http://desktoppub.about.com/od/finishing/g/perfectbind.htm
http://www.designersinsights.com/designer-resources/choosing-the-right-binding-type
For more information, please contact the Contest Chair at GoldenLeaf@njromancewriters.org.