here's some of the frequently asked questions that i wanted to answer, hope it helps :D

1. Has the judging began yet?

Yes, unofficially the judging has already started. As for official dates, I am not yet sure but it highly depends on the entries and how the genres fill up so they're being judged as they fill up.

As the other genres fill up, within around 2 weeks approximately, its results will be up.

If there's any extensions required past that approximate deadline, it will be told :D

2. How many chapters am I supposed to read? [judges]

From my experience in judging, reading 5-6 chapters should be good, though sometimes you might need to read more chapters to get enough context of the story and the plot, which is completely alright.

You never have to read the entire book, not unless its a one/shot or the short story only has some chapters, but for the rest- its on your discretion :)

3. How to access the scorecard and enter scores? [judges]

Okay, this has been a bit of FAQ and I wanted to make sure everyone's on the same page.

So all the judges who signed up till now (we're still in requirement for judges for some other genres, but- i will come to that later)

Here's a snippet of the email that you received so far:

the books link has the link to the reading list of entries as the books were added to the reading list.

Does it necessarily mean that you have to judge all the books on the reading list despite your preferences? Absolutely not.

After the genre is full aka it has 10 entries in the list, the official chapter is updated and if there's a difference in preference, it'd be assigned accordingly.

the scorecard link has the link to the google sheets scorecard and it roughly looks like this:

And edit access has been shared with you. Please make sure you've received the correct scorecard, I might've accidentally sent the wrong scorecard so please confirm the details.

Since edit access is already there, you can just enter the book name, scores and other details directly on the blue highlighted cells.

the interview is a google form link especially for judges, again, its optional but it'd be refreshing to know you better :)

4. What about the interviews? And how do I sign up for one?

Whether you're a participant or a judge, you can have a chance for your interview featured in the interview book :)

Go to the rules section and fill out the form in the in-line comment as indicated in the line that says EXTRA.

Once filled, I will be sharing the google form via the email you had shared on the information request.

Its slightly different for both participant and judges, so if you're both the Q&A will be merged :)

You should receive an email that looks like this:

Click on the "FILL OUT IN GOOGLE FORMS" and fill out the answers as per the questions and I'll add it to the interview book :D

5. When will reader's choice awards start?

Expect it to come somewhere around 5th or 10th June but again, it'll depend on the entries, we need more genres to be filled and more entries for it work out successfully.

6. What genres are filled and what genres need entries/judges?

Changes have been made in the genres as well as the number of entries that can be accepted, so please read through it.

1. Action/Adventure [7/10] and is judged by Gaiabamman (mentioning it here since it wasn't officially put in the other announcement chapters. just want to ensure everyone who participated for that genre knows who their judge is.)

2. Fan Fiction [10/10] JUDGING

3. General Fiction [6/10]

4. Historical Fiction [6/10]

5. Horror/Paranormal [5/5] JUDGING

6. Poetry [4/5] *entries are reduced to 5 limit since there weren't many but if we do actually have 10 entries, it'd be 10 instead of 5

7. Romance / Chicklit [10/10] JUDGING

8. Science Fiction [4/5]

9. One Shot / Short Story [10/10] CLOSED

10. Mystery/Thriller [10/10] CLOSED

11. Vampire/Werewolf [9/10]

12. Fantasy [10/10] CLOSED

13. Teen Fiction [7/10]

14. Mythology [3/5] *entries are reduced to 5 limit since there weren't many but if we do actually have 10 entries, it'd be 10 instead of 5

15. Art Book/Graphical Showcase [3/5] *entries are reduced to 5 limit since there weren't many but if we do actually have 10 entries, it'd be 10 instead of 5

* Miscellaneous [7] - this isn't actually a genre but is a mixed bag of books that'll be judged by Saramitra_  and also the books that were put on for hold will be added here.

If you have a book that you want to enter in the genres that are closed, you can still do it but it will be added to this list.

ALSO please let me know if I haven't added your book to any of the reading lists till now- I want to make sure everyone is included.

genres that need judges:

- Teen Fiction [optional since there's already one judge but additional help will be good]

- Poetry

- Art Book/Graphical Showcase

- Historical Fiction

This list will also be updated in the genre list chapter of this contest.

7. Why is mentioning warnings in brief important [participants] and why did I get a list of warnings mentioned in the entries [judges]?

Well, I have been on Wattpad for like five years now and in this time, I have judged a fair share of awards and also participated in them.

There was this one contest where I agreed to judge teen fiction books and one of the entries was about a girl who was.. well, forced. The execution was done not quite well and it traumatized me for weeks to come.

Since then, I took it upon myself that whenever I hosted some awards, whether alone or with some friends, I made sure the judges knew of the potential content that might be upcoming though, I have only done it full scale for this time and I hope to continue it that way.

I must've gotten a lucky bunch cause most of the people did mention warnings besides their entries. Proud of you all! 👏 

If you look at the warnings and be like, alright this information is helpful but I don't need it, that's totally okay! But, its better to be safe than sorry.

Mental peace of both judges and participants is precious and cared for :)

8. How will the winners be decided?

Fair question. So as you might've observed from all my ramblings before, the judging is happening on a excel sheet scorecard and points/reviews will be entered on it.

The person with the highest score should win 1st, then 2nd, and 3rd. Honorable position isn't based on scores, its about that one entry that even after you read the books and declared the winners will always stick with you.

9. What if I don't win? Can I still request for reviews and scores?

Absolutely! Winning or losing in a contest isn't the main goal of taking part in one. What you're trying to achieve is a genuine review on how your book looks like to other readers, who you may or may not know, which reflects an unbiased opinion and review on your book.

Ha, that was quite the round of questions, I hope I answered most of them and if not you can always ask here ➸

cheers,
thetranquilityteam