STAR Award Information for 2025

The STAR Award Contest is limited to the first 50 entries in each of the two categories. 

Important Dates

Entry Opens: February 1, 2025 (9:00 am EST) for WFWA members; February 12, 2025 (9:00 am EST) for non-WFWA members, space permitting.

Entry Closes: February 28, 2025, midnight, EST.

Preliminary Judge’s Scores in: May 31, 2025

Finalists Announced: June 8, 2025 Live on National Women's Fiction Day

Deadline for Finalists' Books to be Received by the Award Coordinator:  June 20, 2025

Final scores due: September 1, 2025

Winners Announced: September 27, 2025 at the Albuquerque Retreat 

Submission Details

Preliminary Round: Submission has two parts. First, complete the registration form and pay the registration fee. Your confirmation email will direct you to our submission portal, where you will complete the second step. A complete submission will include either: An uploaded .epub file of your novel OR three (3) unredeemed Amazon Kindle gift links. Kindle gift links will be provided to the judges in order for them to download a copy of your submission.

Final Round: Finalists submit (4) copies (either ebook or professionally printed book) to the STAR Award Contest Coordinator by June 20, 2025.

Entry Fee

Paid electronically only – no mailed checks.

Guidelines

Eligibility

Definition

Format

Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility

Open to all authors of book-length women's fiction (60k words or more). Books must be written in English but do not need to follow standard American English spelling and grammar rules. All work must have an ISBN and copyright page with an original copyright date in the calendar year 2024. If an entry doesn’t meet these requirements, it will be disqualified and entry fees forfeited. No novellas or short story collections are accepted.

My book is available online as an eBook only. May I enter?
Yes. But for the final round, all entries must be able to submit as a printed book alongside an eBook.

I’ve self-published my book. Can I still enter?
Yes. Providing it has an ISBN and is available at retailers, either physical stores or online.

I’m published in another genre, but this is my first work of women's fiction. Can I enter as a debut author?
No. The novel entered in this category must be a true debut – your first published in any genre, including memoir and non-fiction. Novellas and short story collections count as being published.

Definition

How do I determine if my novel is Women's Fiction?

Women's fiction is defined as a story where the emotional journey of the protagonist is the driving force of the story. The protagonist’s journey must lead to a more fulfilled self.

Women’s fiction is a flexible genre in that it may include romance, or it may not. It could be contemporary or historical and have magical, mystery, thriller, suspense, or other elements.

The driving force of a romance novel is a love story, a mystery's is the exposure of an event, a thriller's is a fear-inducing chase or escape, etc. If your manuscript's driving force best fits another genre, such as romance, science fiction, thriller, etc., it is not eligible for the STAR Award.

For more information, click here.

PLEASE NOTE: A book can have a protagonist of any gender, he, she, or they. It's the genre, not the gender that matters. 

Format

The STAR Award accepts published .epub format entries only for round one. If you are selected as a finalist, you will need to be able to provide a physical book (Traditionally bound as a hardcover, trade, or paperback. No unprofessionally printed manuscripts will be accepted.)

Additional Questions? Contact the STAR Award coordinator at [email protected].