ELIGIBILITY

Does my story need to be written in 2024?

How many parts does my story need to be?

Is there a minimum amount of words I need to enter?

Eligibility is dependent on whether your story is Complete (a category for all languages), or Ongoing (a category for English submissions only). Your story does not have to be written this year to be eligible.

For Complete stories, the first part of your story must have been posted to Wattpad on or after January 1st, 2022 to be eligible. You can finish it at any time before you submit your story. Your story must contain 50,000 words or more if written in English and must be marked as complete when submitted. Your story must be 40,000 words or more and marked as complete if written in Filipino or Spanish.

For Ongoing stories, Your story needs to have existed on the Wattpad platform from at least June 5th, 2024. Stories need to have been updated 8 out of the past 10 weeks at the time of submission. We define posting once a week as posting at least once between Monday to Sunday before 11:59 PM UTC. Story updates are recognized as being 500+ words each time. The story needs to have received an update in at least 80% of the weeks between the date you submit the entry and the date on which the Shortlisted Entries are announced or your story will be disqualified. Your story must contain 20,000 words or more and must NOT be marked as complete.

Submissions can have as many (or as few) parts as needed to tell the story.

Can I continue editing my story after I've submitted it?

If you are submitting a Complete story, your story must be marked as complete on Wattpad at the time of submission and must not be edited post-submission. An Edit is noted as any alteration to the story that requires toggling of the 'Edit Part' or 'Edit Cover' function, or adding/removing information from the Story Details page of your story. 

If you are submitting an Ongoing story, updating is required after submission to maintain the appropriate posting cadence but you cannot go back and change what you have already submitted. Please note that making changes to previously submitted story parts will result in disqualification.

Does my story have to be exclusively available on Wattpad when I submit it to the Wattys?

When you submit your story it does not need to be exclusively on Wattpad.

Can I submit:

A. More than one story?

You are welcome to submit more than one eligible story to the Wattys, but please note that only one story per creator can win in a given year.

B. Any story I've submitted to a previous Wattys?

We are no longer accepting complete submissions that have been previously submitted to the Wattys. If you submitted an ongoing story in 2023 but did not win, you are welcome to re-submit this story as long as it is still an ongoing story.

C. A story that has already won a Watty?

To encourage and support new writers on the platform, stories that have previously won a Watty are ineligible to enter.

D. A story I co-wrote with another writer?

Group or collaborative stories are eligible for The Watty Awards. However, the award itself will only be presented to the account the story was originally published on.

E. A mature story?

Yes. Remember: stories must abide by our content guidelines.

F. A comic or graphic novel?

No. Your story can contain images and media, similar to what can be seen in a light novel, but comics and graphic novels won't be part of this year's Wattys.

H. A story written in more than one language?

Yes. For example, if your story is written primarily in English, but sentences and minor conversations are had in Spanish, this is acceptable. Remember to submit your story in the language that it is primarily written in.

I. A translation of a story someone else wrote?

No. Your story must be your own.

What is the difference between Primary and Subsequent Genre selection on the submission form?

Primary genre selection is used to help us identify the genre you feel BEST describes your story. Subsequent genre selection is used to help us identify any additional genres your story may also be categorized under. Note that subsequent genre selection is not required, but available to those whose stories may transcend multiple genres.

Why have the genre options, 'Social Themes', 'Race, Culture and Religion', and 'LGBTQ2+' been removed from the submission form this year?

We are now capturing diverse themes in all languages using the "Character Representation" question.

Why do complete stories have to be 50,000 and 40,000 words?

While the definition varies, in English, we're considering 50,000 words as the minimum for a story to be novel-length. For other languages eligible in the Wattys, we consider 40,000 words as the minimum to be novel-length, based on market standards.

Can we submit short stories? What about alternative storytelling?

We're making a specific choice in pursuing novels and ongoing stories with this year's Wattys. This means, unfortunately, alternative storytelling and shorter formats will not be included in the contest this year.

How will word count be calculated?

It will be calculated via the Wattpad platform. You can see your word count using the web version of Wattpad on each part.

Is there an upper word count limit?
No. Wattpad only allows a story to have a maximum of 200 parts though, so you could not exceed that part count. There can be as many words as you can fit in 200 parts.

Are sequels/series eligible?
Yes, sequels or stories written in a series are eligible, but in the English language ONLY. Remember, they must also be able to be read as standalone stories to be evaluated.

Can an entire series be posted under one book and still enter?
Yes. If you have a single story on Wattpad that is multiple stories (typically duologies), it can be submitted. However, its eligibility will be evaluated on its initial publication date and on the length of the first story. Only the first story will be judged and awarded if it wins.

If I don't finish my book this year, will I be eligible for next year?
The Wattys always evolve in some way year after year. We cannot guarantee that the rules or eligibility will be identical next year.

Can my novel include poetry in it or is that ineligible?
Stories submitted to the Wattys may include poetry in some scenes, interludes, or openings, but we will not be accepting collections of poems this year.

My language isn't included. Can I still enter?

While the Watty Awards are committed to celebrating the best in storytelling around the globe, we're also committed to creating the best awards experience possible, which means we aren't able to review submissions in every language. If your language isn't included, your story won't be eligible to win. We're happy to accept submissions in the following languages:

English

Filipino

Spanish

Please be sure the language you are submitting your story in has been selected in your settings before submitting your form.

Why are the Wattys only offered in three languages this year?

As Wattpad evolves, so does our operational and logistical capacity. This year the decision has been taken by Wattpad to concentrate The Wattys on the largest three languages supported by our platform.

Can I participate in other contests too?

Yes. Participating in the Wattys doesn't preclude you from entering other Wattpad contests and activities.

How old do I need to be to enter the Wattys?

Wattpadders must be 13 years old or older. If you're under 18 years old, your parent or legal guardian must consent both to you entering the contest and to collect any prizes that you might win.

Why are Wattpad Originals eligible for the Wattys?

We want to represent strong diverse stories across the platform and some of those stories are also Wattpad Originals.

JUDGING & PRIZING

Who judges the stories?

Content experts who work for Wattpad judge submissions. For Spanish and Filipino, we work with a team of associates from around the world who are content specialists trained in evaluating stories.

How are the Winners selected?

Winners are selected through a combination of data science and editorial judgment. For a detailed look at the judging process, read the Judging Criteria Chapter. The quality of the story is always the final defining factor.

Does Wattpad read every submission?

The Wattys receive thousands of entries each year and it would take us several lifetimes to read every single one. That's why our Wattys judging process combines human review and data science to make sure every single eligible story qualifies as an entry. The best way to ensure your submission qualifies? Make sure it meets our submission standards.

Do spelling and grammar matter?

Yes, these matter! We consider a variety of criteria, one of which is spelling and grammar. Remember: The Wattys is a writing contest. You should put your best story forward.

Will a machine judge my spelling? What if I'm writing 'made-up' words?

Some of our data does involve using machine-learning components to help evaluate content. It does not work like spellcheck or discriminate against Fantasy and Science Fiction that tend to employ invented words more frequently or spelling differences between different versions of languages. It's why we partner humans with machines so we can make these sorts of adjustments and not penalize stories for made-up words.

Do I have to be famous to have a chance at winning?

Absolutely not. The Wattys aims to recognize storytellers of all kinds — at every stage of their writing journey. In fact, The Wattys has helped launch the careers of several Wattpad writers. There is no minimum amount of reads your story needs to qualify.

Do undiscovered stories have a chance at winning?

Yes, they do! We're making an active effort to discover and surface great writing and amazing stories. Even if you haven't racked up hundreds of reads, we want to shine a spotlight on you.

Will we get feedback on our submission?

Due to the volume of submissions and the scale of the Wattys, we cannot provide feedback on submissions. There are many key elements to a story, and when judging, our team evaluates entries based on the criteria you see in the "Judging Criteria" chapter.

Can stories win more than one award?

In order to celebrate as many stories as possible, there is a limit of one Watty Award per story.

Can I win money with the Wattys?

We have a cash prize for the Grand Prize Winners in each language! There will be 1 Grand Prize Winner in Spanish and Filipino, and 2 Grand Prize Winners in English; 1 in Complete, and 1 in Ongoing, chosen out of the pool of 40 Winners. The Grand Prize Winners will receive a cash prize of $5,000 USD!

How will the Winners be contacted?

Winners will be contacted via the email they submit on the entry form. It is your responsibility to ensure that the email address you use on the form is correct.

Are WWS and WWBG involved in the awards this year?

Although we are no longer offering formal studios or books prizes this year, these teams will still monitor submitted titles and connect with authors should there be interest in pursuing the title.

What happened to the Fan's Choice Award?

After carefully considering community feedback and facing several logistical challenges, we have decided not to include the Fan's Choice award in the 2024 season. We are committed to providing the best experience for our community and appreciate your understanding.

PROCESS

How does the submission process work?

Want to submit your story for consideration? Entry is simple. Between July 15th, 2024 and August 6th, 2024 visit the Story Details page of the story you wish to enter. If it's eligible, you'll be prompted to complete a submission form.

Why isn't there a tag to submit?
The submission form helps us understand stories and gives writers a chance to better advocate for their work in their own words. Combining it with a tag could sometimes cause confusion or stress if the tag disappeared or encountered a bug.

When will the shortlist be announced?

On October 14th, 2024.

When will the Winners be announced?

Winners of the Watty Awards will be announced at the beginning of December 2024, date to be confirmed.

Where can I find the Winners from last year? Other years?

You can view all past Watty Winners (from 2014 onwards) by visiting http://wattys.wattpad.com/YEAR.

Where can I sign up for the Creators Newsletter?

You can sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/wattpad/creatorsnewsletter

Can I change my username during the Wattys period?

No. We highly recommend that you retain the same username for the duration of the Wattys season as changing it may void your submission.

Can I nominate someone else's story for the Watty Awards?

No. The only official way to submit a story to the Wattys is via the Story Details page of that writer's story.

Why is the submission window only three weeks?

After evaluating trends in the submission process, data shows that most of the Wattys entries come in at the beginning and end of the submission window. We've shortened the window this year with that in mind, so our judges will have enough time to go through the judging process without the weight of incoming submissions interfering with their timelines.

Will there be an award show this year?

Yes! This year the award show will be fully virtual and available on the Wattys website. More details will be provided as the awards progress.

What is the best way to stay up to date on the Wattys?

Follow our profile on Wattpad: @TheWattys (see this profile for links to all additional language profiles)

Follow along on the Wattys website: https://www.wattpad.com/wattys/

Follow us on Instagram: @wattpad

Subscribe to the Creator Newsletter

Visit the Creator Portal: https://creators.wattpad.com/