New in 2023 is the Sunshine Coast Writers and Editors Society Book Awards offering prizes in fiction, non-fiction and poetry in traditional and independent publishing streams. There will be a first-prize winner in each category announced at the Annual Sunshine Coast Art & Words Festival.

$100 will be awarded for the first-place winner as follows:
Traditionally published books:

• Fiction
• Nonfiction
• Poetry

Indie published books (includes hybrid):

• Fiction
• Nonfiction
• Poetry

For a total of six $100 awards.

Each entry receives comments from a judge, including areas of excellence and areas for improvement.

Entries for the 2023 SCWES Awards will open March 1, 2023.

RULES
Books must be published between January 2021 and May 30, 2023.
Books must be submitted in book form by midnight May 30, 2023.

• Submissions will be rated by a member of the judging committee.
• Entries with outstanding merit in each category will be shortlisted.
• The shortlist will be announced July 1, 2023.

Finalist Selection

• All shortlisted titles will be submitted to all judges and all entrants will be informed.
• All entrants will receive judges' comments of each title submitted.
• Three finalists will be selected in each category. Finalists will be announced August 1, 2023. Winner’s Selection • Finalists will be rated by two judges.
• Winning entries will be announced at the Annual Sunshine Coast Art & Words Festival.
• Judges may enter their book(s) in the contest but may not judge in the same category that their book(s) is entered in.

PRIZES
In addition to the first-prize winners cash prizes:
All entries will receive:

• Comments from a member of the Selection Committee.

Shortlisted authors will receive:

• A certificate “Shortlisted for the SCWES Book Award 2023” or “Shortlisted for the SCWES Independent Book Award”, as appropriate.
• 100 stickers for the book’s cover.
• Inclusion on the SCWES website with a link to the author’s or publisher's website.

Finalists receive:

• A certificate “Finalist for the SCWES Book Award 2023” or ”Finalist for the SCWES Independent Book Award 2023”, as appropriate.
• 100 stickers for the book’s cover.
• Inclusion in a list in the Annual SCWES Art & Words Anthology.
• An invitation to participate in a reading event during the Annual SCWES Art & Words Festival.
• Placement in book sales area during the Festival.
• A comment from each of the two finalist judges, if they are finalists.

Winners receive:

• The prizes above and one-year membership in SCWES.

Fee

• $50 per fiction or non-fiction, $20 or poetry book entry (etransfer to sunshinecoastwritersandeditors@gmail.com, or cheque made payable to SCWES)

The Sunshine Coast Writers and Editors Society was founded in 2021 as a non-profit organization. Our group includes about 75 members living on the Sunshine Coast. SCWES promotes literary arts, provides a forum for local writers to develop their craft within the community, and sponsors events such as the Annual Art & Words Festival, NaNoWriMo, and 100 Years of Writers on the Sunshine Coast, among others.

SUBMISSIONS

• Mail a copy of each book to: 787 Madison Place, Gibsons, BC V0N 1V1.
• Copies cannot be returned.

EVALUATIONS

• SCWES judges rate all books and provide comments for the author. The cost is included in the submission fee.
• The opinions and recommendations in the evaluations are those of SCWES judges and are solicited by the author having entered the contest.
• All content of comments and ratings will not be disclosed without prior permission of the author.
• The author may use judges’ comments given for both personal or promotional purposes.

© 2023 Sunshine Coast Writers and Editors Society. All rights reserved. Scwes.ca