The 2023 Watty Awards

FAQ

Who judges the stories?
Content experts who work for Wattpad judge submissions. For international languages, 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 Official Rules. The quality of the story is always the final defining factor.

Why are there fewer Winners this year?
This year we are aiming to make the Wattys a more meaningful path to growth as a writer and to other monetizable opportunities at Wattpad. This means we need to focus our efforts on fewer Winners.

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 take a variety of criteria into consideration, 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.

What is the Fans' Choice Award?
The Fans' Choice Award is an exciting opportunity for readers to be involved in this year's Wattys! From the Shortlist, judges will nominate up to 3 stories for readers to vote on to win the award. Fans will be able to vote directly on wattys.wattpad.com. This story will be a part of the English pool of 20 total Winners.

Will we get feedback on our submission?

Due to the volume of submissions and the scale of the Wattys, we, unfortunately, cannot provide feedback on submissions. There are many key elements to a story, and when judging, our team evaluates entries based on the following:

Immediate: There's a compelling hook/conflict, the premise is clear in the opening chapter and it gets to the point quickly. Get us into the action of the story as soon as you can. What will grab your reader's attention right away?
Engaging: Your characters have strong motivations, we can already feel the core story engine pushing the narrative forward, and your chapters end in ways that get us excited to read the next chapter.
Commercial: Consider the audience for this story's genre and what will appeal to them. Think about this genre's tropes and how you will embrace or subvert them. And remember to keep it accessible, even when dealing with deeper themes.
Character: The main character(s) in your story propel it forward. We need to love them, love-hate them, or at least feel something for them in order to let them take us on a journey. If your characters have "it," we're way more likely to want to hop into the passenger seat.
Hook: Give us a hook we can sink our teeth into, like a unique concept or a new twist on a beloved cliché, and give it to us right away with high stakes. The 'What If' of your story is that important spark that will turn a reader's head. It's definitely something we look for when choosing our Winners. The stories that intrigue us right from the get-go are the ones we're least likely to forget.
Voice: When used well, your narrative voice can shape the story you want. This is where writers show off their creative artistry by weaving ordinary words into something magical. But we know it's easier said than done. That's why it's one of our key criteria for The Wattys.
World: Your world is your playground, and while we're reading your story, it's ours, too. While great world-building doesn't have to be complicated, it should be specific, clear, and logical within the scope of your story. Give us too little and we're lost. Give us too much and we're buried under the details.
Pacing: Be it a high-action thriller or a slice-of-life story, it's important to maintain a balanced pace. We want to be highly immersed in the actions of your characters, and irrelevant details, clunky descriptions and bad dialogue will take us out of the story. Effective pacing is crucial to the flow of your story and will keep us hooked.
Readability: A key part of writing is the technical side, such as diction, spelling, and grammar. Are the words you're using correct? Do your sentences make sense? Do your paragraphs flow well? These are important factors that give both your readers and the Wattys judges a smooth reading experience while making it easier to immerse themselves in your story.

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?
Once again we have a cash prize for the Grand Prize Winners in each language! There will be 1 Grand Prize Winner per language, and 2 Grand Prize Winners in English; 1 in Complete, and 1 in Ongoing, chosen out of the pool of 100 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.

If I win, do I have to accept the Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group (WWBG) or Wattpad WEBTOON Studios (WWS) prize(s)?
No, you don't have to. While we hope that the opportunity to work with WWBG or WWS is something that aspiring authors would greatly value, you can choose not to accept prizes if you wish. On the submission form, you can consent to consideration for a Studios prize or not.

How are the WWBG prize and WWS prize Winners selected?
WWBG and WWS is looking for a wide range of authentic stories from unique voices that range across age and experience in any genre. Winning submission(s) will be selected by a panel of content, publishing, and entertainment professionals who will review eligible entries for their storytelling craft, including the strength of voice, compelling characters, and an adaptable hook. Special attention will be made to stories and authors with strong social followings both on and off-platform, although this is not a requirement.  

PROCESS

How does the submission process work?

Want to submit your story for consideration? Entry is simple. Between July 17th, 2023 and August 8th, 2023 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 or around October 16th, 2023.

When will the Winners be announced?
December 1st, 2023.

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.

Can I nominate someone else's story for the Watty Awards?
The only official way to submit a story to the Wattys is via the Story Details page of that writer's story. However, this year we are introducing a Fans' Choice Award in the English language, which gives users the opportunity to be involved in this year's Wattys! A pool of up to 3 stories from the Shortlist will be announced, at which point readers can vote on which they believe deserves to win!

Why is the window to submit shorter than last year?
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 YouTube as well as the Wattys website.

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
- Follow us on Instagram: @wattpad  

Why are the genre labels LGBTQ2+, Social Themes, and Race, Culture & Religion listed as 'English Only?' Does this mean I can't submit my story to the Wattys if it explores these themes, but is not written in English?
All genre labels are for data collection purposes only and don't impact who will win a Watty or how the story is judged. We are only collecting data on LGBTQ2+, Social Themes, and Race, Culture, and Religion in English at this time. You are encouraged to submit your story to the Wattys if it explores these themes but is not written in English. To do this, simply choose one of the other genre options offered on the submission form and submit.