The Judging Rounds

How it works

There are a total of three (3) rounds, the third round being the finale. 

The amount of eliminations (novels that won't proceed to the following round) may be adjusted based on the total number of entries. There will be sixty-five (65) books winning prizes, with one (1) book being the overall winner.

In the event the amount of entries is significantly more than expected, we may add a fourth (4th) or make amendments to the below rounds for smoother running of the contest. 

Updated: February 7, 2023

About the rounds of BBNYA

In each round, excerpts and books are judged based on their writing, plot, characters, engagement and the panelists' overall opinion.

Round One 

The first round focuses on the first two thousand (2,000) words of each entry and is scored based on the categories above. The books with the best scores advance to round two. 

Round Two

The second round will be a deeper dive into the book. The panelists read the first ten thousand (10,000) words of the books that advanced to round two, scored based on the categories above. The books with the best scores will advance to round three - the finale. We will announce the finalists on our official website and social media.

Note: The top 65 semi-finalists will receive prizes. The nature of these prizes depend on the novel's ranking at the end of this round. See all prizes here.

Round Three - The finale

The third round is the finale. Each novel will be read and scored by several of our panelists. The best fifteen (15) novels will be ranked by their cumulative scores; the highest score will be first place and the lowest will be 15th place. The final results will be announced via our official website and social media.

Note: The top 15 finalists will receive prizes. The nature of these prizes depend on the novel's ranking at the end of the final round. See all prizes here.

Disclaimers:

Panelists may choose, with permission of the BBNYA Team, to not finish the book or excerpt. Reasons can be, but are not limited to: triggering content or content that makes the individual otherwise uncomfortable, especially if the author failed to include it in the trigger/content warnings. 

We reserve the right to adjust the nature of the rounds listed above. The reason(s) can be, but not limited to: unforeseen events, encountering problems with the current design of the round.

We reserve the right to add more disclaimers over time. New additions will have date stamps.