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Here's the judging criteria! This is what each judge will base their scores on. Judges, please refer to this if you aren't sure what to write your reviews on. All judges must read five chapters of each manuscript.

Fiction Rubric

For all genres except for Poetry:

TITLE (5 points)
- This should be fairly obvious, but the title is one of the first things a reader notices. Does the title fit the story? Is it too cliche and common? In other words, can you find the story easily if you search it up, or are there too many stories with the same title? Does it use correct punctuation and grammar?

COVER (5 points)
- Many people do judge a book by its cover, so the cover is extremely important for first impressions. Is it well-made? Is there too much happening on the cover, or is it too simple? Does it go with the story? Is it very common and cliche?

BLURB (5 points)
- The blurb is the first taste of the story before you actually start reading. The best blurbs reveal a little about the story and the characters, just enough to hook you without revealing too much information. Does it reveal too much or too little? Is it hooking you and bringing you into the story?

ORIGINALITY (10 points)
- Stories need to be original, or else there's no reason to read them. What makes this story stand out? Are the characters original? What about the plot? Has the writer made the story their own? Are the details specific and fresh?

GRAMMAR (15 points)
- While grammar seems to be pretty small, it can affect the story heavily. Is the story easy to read, or is it riddled with too many errors? Think about punctuation, word choice, spelling, and overall grammar usage in this category.

CHARACTER (20 points)
- Character is the most important part of any story. The plot can be exciting, the story can be original, the writing style can be beautiful, but if the character is not engaging, a reader will often lose interest. Do you, as the reader, have a good sense of who they are? Are they flawed and grounded and real, or are they too perfect? Are they likable or not, and is that a good or bad thing? Do you feel connected to them, or do you feel like you don't know them well enough? Do they have wants and desires?

PLOT/STRUCTURE (20 points)
- Stories need a story! Every story has a plot that unfolds. How are you, as the reader, experiencing the plot in the story? Is the writer setting up the plot points effectively? Is the pacing well done? Does the plot match the genre? If it's a thriller, you want a sense of what the mystery is and who the main players of the story are. If it's a romcom, you want to see the love interests meet in a cute way! What is happening in the chapters you're reading, and does it feel like enough plot for those chapters? Or is the story meandering?

WRITING STYLE/VOICE (20 points)
- Every story and writer has its own voice. That said, there is a certain level of style necessary to make for an engaging and interesting read. Is the writing easy to read, or clunky? Does the reader have enough description so you can picture everything clearly? Or is way too much description that distracts from the story? It's important to make sure to show more than tell. Is the reader showing us things through the scenes and interactions between characters? Or are they just telling us all in exposition? Is there too much exposition or too little? Does the writing style match the genre?

TOTAL - 100 points

Poetry Rubric

For the Poetry genre only:

TITLE (5 points)
- This should be fairly obvious, but the title is one of the first things a reader notices. Does the title fit the poetry (themes and messages)? Is it too cliche and common? Does it use correct punctuation and grammar?

COVER (5 points)
- Many people do judge a book by its cover, so the cover is extremely important for first impressions. Is it well-made? Is there too much happening on the cover, or is it too simple? Does it go with overall themes and messages of this poetry? Is it very common and cliche?

ORIGINALITY (10 points)
- For full emotional impact, the poems should have original messages. Have you read poems like these before? Are they too cliche?

WORD CHOICE/READABILITY (10 points)
- Poems should make use of words in ways that are unique or special. Does the poem do that or does it mostly read like regular prose? Does it make use of new or interesting words or have a wide vocabulary? Does it describe things in new and unusual ways that illicit emotional responses? Some poems are structured and formatted in very particular ways. If the poem you're reading is specifically formatted, do you think it works for the piece? Is the poem a good length or do you think it went on for too long? Did you stay engaged or lose interest?

PROSODY/RHYTHM (20 points)
- To properly assess a poem, you should read it out loud. How is the rhythm of the piece? How do the words feel coming out of your mouth? Just how a picture can be aesthetically pleasing, some poems can be pleasing to hear. Are there any parts you stumbled over when reading out loud or that broke the rhythm of the poem? Not all poems rhyme, but if they do, how are the rhymes working? Are they easy and traditional rhymes or do they rhyme words in interesting ways? Is the rhyming structure working well for the topic of the poem? Are there different kinds of rhymes used?

RESPONSE (20 points)
- Poetry should make you feel something. That doesn't mean poems have to be dramatic or overly emotional. But you should walk away from a poem thinking something or feeling something you didn't before your read it. In other words, it should have an effect. That's a great way to start commenting on a poem. Did it affect you? And if so, in what ways?

TOTAL - 70 points

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