The Untitled Awards 2018 [CLOSED]

Judging Criteria

Hey guys, so we've included the format that the judges will score each book with as well as what each individual score actually means and what it will be based on. Be aware that there are variations in the criteria for the Poetry genre. Each judge will only be judging 3-5 novels of their chosen genre (we made the number of books to judge small hoping that it provides incentive for judges to judge fairly and thoroughly). Also, feel free to DM us with any queries you have about the criteria or anything else judging/entering wise!

Criteria for most genres: (everything except Poetry*)
Cover /10
Description /10
Grammar/Spelling /10
Characters /10
Character Development /5
Writing Style /10
Plot /30
Relevance to Genre /5
Enjoyment /10
Feedback:

What these actually mean:

IMPORTANT: Judges DO NOT have to answer all these questions for each book as that would be quite tenuous. They simply have to read through them once or twice to get the idea before judging each book. Thanks :)

Cover:
Does the title fit with the plot/characters of the book?
Does any media (photos, sketches, collages etc.) on the cover fit with the theme of the book?
Do any colours utilised on the cover fit with the mood of the book?
Judges can also choose to factor in whether the fonts used on the cover suit it's theme as well as whether the layout/design adds to the mood of the book.

Description: (also called a blurb)
Is the description detailed enough? If not, is the lack of detail effective in piquing the reader's interest?
Does the description provide enough information to give the reader a clear idea of what to expect in the book?
(We may add more here at a later time before judging starts.)

Grammar/Spelling:
Is the grammar in the book of a fairly high level?
Are the sentences mostly well-worded in ways that makes sense?
Is the spelling for the most part accurate?
(Note: a few typos here and there are acceptable as humans make mistakes. However, if you think there are a few too many grammar mistakes or typos, when you write feedback you can suggest that they proofread their work a little more carefully by perhaps reading it aloud to themselves or something like that.)

Characters:
Were the characters eloquently introduced?
Was enough information about each character provided in the book? If not, was this done purposefully?
Were the characters original and non-cliche?

Character Development:
Was there actually any character development?
Was it effective and relevant to the story?

Writing Style:
Were any themes present in the book conveyed eloquently?
Was the writer's tone clear throughout the book?
Was the mood and atmosphere of majority of the scenes expressed effectively?

Plot:
How original and creative was the plot?
Does the plot progress naturally?
Was the pacing of the plot effective in achieving the general goal of the book? (e.g. In a Romance book the goal usually revolves around two main characters falling in love.)

Relevance to Genre:
Are the themes present in the novel related to the conventions of the genre it was entered in?

Enjoyment:
This score doesn't necessarily have to be a personal judgement. Judges can score enjoyment by approximating how much they think the Wattpad community in general would enjoy the book.

Feedback:
Just a few sentences (3-5) regarding which aspects of the book the judge enjoyed and which aspects of the book the judge thought could have used a little improvement.

Cheers,

The Untitled People :D

*We will publish the Poetry judging criteria separately and hopefully soon!