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Want to be a Judge for the first round of the
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Thank you for your interest as a first round judge for the NJRW Put Your Heart in a Book Contest for Unpublished Authors! Each judge will review between 3-5 entries, based on number of contestants in each category. Please fill this form as completely as possible and be sure to include your preferences below.
Entries consist of up to the FIRST thirty (30) pages of an unpublished manuscript. A prologue may be included if within total page guidelines. A 2-5 page SYNOPSIS will be included for review and critique, however; the synopsis scores will not affect the total entry score.
Important Dates for the 2022 Contest:
Contest Opens: June 3rd, 2022 (June 1st, 2022 for NJRW members)
Contest Closes: August 1st, 2022 12:01 EST
Entries to First Round Judges: August 15th, 2022
First Round Scores Due by: September 15th, 2022
Finalists Announced by: October 1st, 2022
Finalists to Final Round Judges: October 1st, 2022
Final Scores Due by: November 1st, 2022
Important Dates for the 2022 Contest:
Contest Opens: June 3rd, 2022 (June 1st, 2022 for NJRW members)
Contest Closes: August 1st, 2022 12:01 EST
Entries to First Round Judges: August 15th, 2022
First Round Scores Due by: September 15th, 2022
Finalists Announced by: October 1st, 2022
Finalists to Final Round Judges: October 1st, 2022
Final Scores Due by: November 1st, 2022
| 2022_pyhiab_first_round_score_sheet.docx |
PYHIAB Judges Rules and Guidelines
In light of recent circumstances in both contest judging as well as the romance industry as a whole, New Jersey Romance Writers have taken the initiative to ensure we are both treating our fellow authors and judging our contests with the upmost respect and fairness, which includes a lack of discrimination.
To ensure the Put Your Heart in a Book Contest is following anti-discrimination guidelines and is judged as fairly as possible, we have taken additional steps to protect the integrity of all involved. You will notice a number of new questions on both the sign-up and score sheets, as well as additional information to guide your scoring.
If, at any point, you feel you are unable to follow these guidelines, and/or you are unable, for any reason, to be impartial in your scoring, the PYHIAB contest thanks you for your time and honesty, but we will not be utilizing your services as a judge.
Anti-Discrimination Policy
New Jersey Romance Writers does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, or religion. We expect the same from our judges and entrants with a zero tolerance policy.
To this end, we request and recommend that you read or watch the following articles/videos, and confirm that you have read and understand the Anti-Discrimination Policy.
i. https://inclusionnation.org/about/
ii. https://inclusionnation.org/ted-x-talk/
iii. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-BY9UEewHw )
iv. https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/white-fragility-and-the-rules-of-engagement-twlm/
Judge Oversight Committee
NJRW implements a judge oversight committee to secure the integrity of its contests.
The Judge Oversight Committee will be coordinated by the contest chairs and may include both contest chairs and other volunteers if needed.
The duties of the Judge Oversight Committee include monitoring scores and judges for all entries to ensure fair and objective scoring.
You confirm that you have read and understand the Judge Oversight Committee *
You confirm that you understand the concept of implicit bias, and that as far as possible, you will not allow implicit bias to affect your judging of the Put Your Heart in a Book contest. This includes an implicit bias on heat levels in romance novels. You understand that if you violate this policy, your scores will be invalidated and you will not be asked to judge future contests with NJRW.
Heat Levels
Judges are able to choose categories they do not wish to judge.
Level 1: No sexual action beyond hugs and kisses
Level 2: Closed-door sex or passionate kisses with no sex on the page.
Level 3: Open-door sex, but graphic terms are not used.
Level 4: Steamy. Open-door sex with graphic terms.
Level 5: Erotic Romance. Contains explicit sexual content with graphic language, often with kink.
To ensure the Put Your Heart in a Book Contest is following anti-discrimination guidelines and is judged as fairly as possible, we have taken additional steps to protect the integrity of all involved. You will notice a number of new questions on both the sign-up and score sheets, as well as additional information to guide your scoring.
If, at any point, you feel you are unable to follow these guidelines, and/or you are unable, for any reason, to be impartial in your scoring, the PYHIAB contest thanks you for your time and honesty, but we will not be utilizing your services as a judge.
- Each submission contains up to the first thirty (30) pages of an unpublished manuscript as well as a synopsis. You agree to read each submission in its entirety, including the synopsis.
- Judging is based on the following criteria: a) Storytelling, b) Style/Elements, c) Format/Technical Writing. You agree not to judge the entries on anything other than the questions on the score sheet for these three elements.
- You agree to leave in-line comments where necessary and/or beneficial for the author in both their manuscript and synopsis which you will return along with the score sheet.
- You agree that if you leave any mark lower than two (2) for any question you must provide your reasoning on the score sheet.
- You agree that the following are NOT disqualifiers for an entry, and will not affect your scoring in any way: a) LGBTQIA+ protagonists or protagonists from traditionally marginalized groups, b) More than two (2) lovers (ménage), c) A story that does not end in marriage or engagement.
- You meet the judging criteria of being a published author.
Anti-Discrimination Policy
New Jersey Romance Writers does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, or religion. We expect the same from our judges and entrants with a zero tolerance policy.
To this end, we request and recommend that you read or watch the following articles/videos, and confirm that you have read and understand the Anti-Discrimination Policy.
i. https://inclusionnation.org/about/
ii. https://inclusionnation.org/ted-x-talk/
iii. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-BY9UEewHw )
iv. https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/white-fragility-and-the-rules-of-engagement-twlm/
Judge Oversight Committee
NJRW implements a judge oversight committee to secure the integrity of its contests.
The Judge Oversight Committee will be coordinated by the contest chairs and may include both contest chairs and other volunteers if needed.
The duties of the Judge Oversight Committee include monitoring scores and judges for all entries to ensure fair and objective scoring.
You confirm that you have read and understand the Judge Oversight Committee *
You confirm that you understand the concept of implicit bias, and that as far as possible, you will not allow implicit bias to affect your judging of the Put Your Heart in a Book contest. This includes an implicit bias on heat levels in romance novels. You understand that if you violate this policy, your scores will be invalidated and you will not be asked to judge future contests with NJRW.
Heat Levels
Judges are able to choose categories they do not wish to judge.
Level 1: No sexual action beyond hugs and kisses
Level 2: Closed-door sex or passionate kisses with no sex on the page.
Level 3: Open-door sex, but graphic terms are not used.
Level 4: Steamy. Open-door sex with graphic terms.
Level 5: Erotic Romance. Contains explicit sexual content with graphic language, often with kink.
Categories
(All Categories have a 40,000-word projected-length minimum.)
- Contemporary – Short: Novels that are set from 1970 to the present with the primary focus on the romantic relationship between the main characters, and a word count between 40,000 and 60,000 words.
- Contemporary – Long: Novels that are set from 1970 to the present with the primary focus of the novel on the romantic relationship between the main characters, and a word count of more than 60,000 words.
- Historical: Novels set prior to 1970, with the primary focus of the novel on the romantic relationship between the main characters.
- Speculative: Any romance novel in which either time travel, futuristic, fantasy world or paranormal happenings or beings are a major element of the plot.
- Romantic Suspense: Any romance novel in which suspense, mystery, or thriller elements constitute a major element of the plot.
Any questions? Contact Jennifer Wilck, Contest Coordinator, at [email protected].