The Wattys 2020 is opening up for entries from July 13, 2020 with the aim of helping writers to complete their novels and Wattpad has handed out some advice on how to impress the judges.
Wattpad says there are five elements that the judges consider when they are looking at a story and each element is rated on a scale from Excellent to Poor.
The five elements overall are:
- Concept/Plot
- Tone/Voice
- Spelling/Grammar
- Organization/Development
- Style
Within these elements, the judges look for:
Concept/Plot
- The concept is compelling, fresh, and unique.
- The ending brings the story to a remarkable conclusion.
- Clear concept and plot that is well executed
Tone/Voice
- The authorial voice and each character voice is compelling, strong and distinct.
- Strong, vivid, emotional language throughout. Words are above average, and used appropriately throughout the work.
- Point of view is clear, powerful, and maintained throughout the story.
Spelling/Grammar
- Punctuation, spelling, and grammar are always correct.
- Proficient editing (substantive, line, copy) has been applied to text.
Organization/Development
- The pace is well balanced, there are not too many or too few cliffhangers, there are moments of tension with emotional relief, and there is no major info-dumping.
- Narrative structure has a clear sequence of events that moves logically through a beginning, middle, and end.
- Characters are developed and evolved, multi-dimensional, relatable, unique and unforgettable.
Style
- Writing is extremely creative. Ideas and style is refreshing and imaginative. Talented writing.
- Dialogue is memorably mixed with narration, is not overused, and supports plot development.
Entries for The Wattys 2020 must have 50,000 words or more and the award categories are:
- Fanfiction
- Fantasy
- Historical Fiction
- Horror
- Paranormal
- Literary Fiction
- Mystery & Thriller
- New Adult
- Romance
- Science Fiction
- Young Adult
The story must be fiction, fully and exclusively available on Wattpad, complete, and your own original story. Your story cannot be traditionally published or self-published, although it can have been on Patreon.
Submissions open on July 13, 2020 and close on September 30, 2020. You can submit your story at any time within this period. All entries must have a submission form.
You can enter by going to the Story Details page of the story you want to enter and you will be prompted to complete a short submission form and get confirmation that your story has been submitted.
Winners of the Watty Awards 2020 will be announced on December 4, 2020.
There will be 55 winners overall who will get priority consideration by Wattpad Studios, consideration for Wattpad Paid Stories and for the Wattpad Stars writer development program.
Five winners will be chosen per category and language. Five additional stories from Wattpad’s Paid Stores program will be chosen as winners.
One winner will be considered for a publishing deal with Wattpad Books — this will be chosen only from winning submissions written in English.
You can get more details about the contest at The Wattys 2020 website.
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