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The Quills Awards

For Published Texts

Winners announced at the Quills Conference Awards Ceremony
August 10, 2024

 

Winners!

Be sure to download your award logos for use on your websites and social media.

Visit the contest award logo download page here.

Young Adult & Middle-Grade Novels

 

  • Gold Quill: Stephen F. Capone Jr. “Max in the Capital of Spies: A Max Fredericks Story” (Utah Screenwriters Guild/Salt City Genre Writers/Horror Writers Association)

  • Silver Quill: Kat Farrow “Bobbin and the Magic Thief” (Unaffiliated)

  • Bronze Quill: Amanda Empey “White Crown Academy” (Write On – St George)

  • Recommended Read: Robyn Dabney “The Ascenditure” (La Sal Legends)


Novellas & Novelettes

 

  • Gold Quill Bryan Young “BattleTech: Giving Up the Ghost” (Salt City Genre Writers)

  • Silver Quill Sara Fitzgerald “A Kiss for Kate” (Herriman)

  • Bronze Quill Jill Ammon Vanderwood “Keeping Secrets: The Path (Brigham City Writers)

  • You Choose #4"

 

Adult Novels

 

  • Gold Quill: Gail Knezevich “Forgotten Dreams” (Woodcraft)

  • Silver Quill: Sara Wetmore “Searching for Your Song” (Romance chapter)

  • Bronze Quill: Cambria Williams “The Befallen” (Infinite Monkeys/Salt City Genre Writers)

  • Recommended Read: Christian Bradley “Nanobots, Murder, and Other Family Problems”(Salt City Genre Writers)

  • Recommended Read:  Becca Lee Gardner “Worldbreaker: An Eldros Legacy Novel”(Unaffiliated)

Nonfiction

 

  • Gold Quill: C. H. Lindsay “The Ted Bundy Files: A 1976 Companion”(Oquirrh Writers/Red Butte Bards/Infinite Monkeys)

  • Silver Quill: Haley Cavanagh “Adulting: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet” (Just Write)

  • Bronze Quill: Hilary Camille Thompson “Dear Mama in the Darkness: Words of Encouragement for Parents of Medically Complex Kids” (Nebo Novelists)

 

Collections

  • Gold Quill: Drienie Hattingh “Coming to America: Journeys of Modern-Day Immigrants” (Blue Quill/Ogden)

  • Silver Quill: David Rodeback “The Dad Who Stayed and Other Stories” (Good AF Writers)

  • Bronze Quill: David Rodeback “Poor As I Am and Other Stories at Christmas” (Good AF Writers)

  • Recommended Read: Elizabeth Suggs “Darkness 101: Lessons Were Learned” (Romance)

Past Winners:

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

Entry Fee

 

$40 per entry. Each submission may be entered in one category only.

 

Rules and Guidelines

 

Submission period begins March 11th and closes May 10th.

 

Must be a member of the League of Utah Writers. Note: At contest close, submissions will be verified for member eligibility at contest close. If membership will have lapsed or will be lapsed by September 2024, the submitter will be prompted to renew their membership. If a week goes by without their membership being renewed, the submission will be denied without their entry fee being refunded. 

 

Publishing Date of submitted work must be between  May 2023 - May 10, 2024. For traditionally published works, if an ARC is available prior to the submission deadline with a release date before July 31, 2024, the work is eligible.

All forms of publication are welcome - indie, traditional, etc - as long as it's in its final form and available to audiences.

Previous winning works are ineligible to be entered again.

2024 Categories

 

  • Novel (40k+ words)

  • Novella/Novelette (10k-40k words)

  • Middle Grade 

  • Young Adult (40k+ words)

  • Collections. This category is open to editors who edited an anthology and single author collections.  Authors who submitted a short to an anthology collection, please submit your short story to the Typewriters.

  • Graphic Novels -- minimum of 50 pages

  • Nonfiction (all types) (25k+ words)

 

Gold Quill, Silver Quill, and Bronze Quill awards are given in each category.

 

The Diamond Quill Award is given to the highest score among all entries.

 

Categories may also include Recommended Read awards in the event of close scores.

 

Restrictions and Judging

 

Multiple entries may be submitted, but each text may only be entered into one category.

 

Judges are anonymous professionals from outside the League of Utah Writers.

 

Judges will know the author's name since it is impossible to redact names or other identifying information.

 

In no way does the League of Utah Writers share your personal information with any third party. Any information of such a nature is only for use in contacting the submitter, should you need assistance.

 

Award winners will be announced at the Quills Awards during the Quills Conference. Please make sure your submission provides a valid MAILING ADDRESS, along with your email address. You do not need to be present at the awards ceremony to win. If you are not present and you place in a category, we will mail you your award, but can only do so with a valid mailing address. 

 

Submission

 

Entries can only be accepted electronically via Submission Manager.

 

Formats Accepted: PDF, DOC, DOCX

 

Please include your cover for marketing purposes should your piece place.

 

File will be deleted at the conclusion of judging.

 

Final Notes

 

Contacting a judge, editor, or agent regarding the contest (before, during, and after) will result in the contestant being disqualified from future participation in any hosted contests by The League. 

 

Violation of the rules will result in a non-judged piece and forfeiture of entry fees. 

 

Categories may be combined if there are insufficient entries. 

Contact

For any questions regarding the Quills published book contest, please email us!

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Diamond Quill Winner 2024

Alex Hugie

“Loophole”

(Just Write Chapter)

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