The Wattys 2020 have changed direction this year to help writers complete a novel.
Wattpad says the 2020 Watty Awards will be designed to support the entire process of planning, creating, editing and submitting a novel.
But the changes mean that some categories which are usually part of The Wattys will be excluded this year. The categories that have been cut are poetry, short stories, comics, and non-fiction. Wattpad says these categories will be given their own contest later in the year.
Other changes to The Wattys 2020 include the end of the need to tag your story to submit it as there will be a submission form for entries.
Previous years have seen eligibility for stories restricted to being created from just the prior year onwards but The Wattys 2020 is extending eligibility in terms of when work was posted to Wattpad as far back as 2017. This gives writers the chance to return to stories they have set aside and take them on to completion.
Entries for The Wattys 2020 must contain 50,000 words or more and the award categories will be: Fanfiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror, Paranormal, Literary Fiction, Mystery & Thriller, New Adult, Romance, Science Fiction, and 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 will open on July 13, 2020 and close at 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 ‘orange carpet treatment’ to include priority consideration by Wattpad Studios, and 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.
Bravo wins Wattys 2019 top award and will be published by Wattpad Books
10 Years of The Wattys — 2019 Awards offer fast track to Wattpad Paid Stories