wELCOME TO-
And my caps lock button was on. Apologies.
Welcome to the chapter about awards! I will be structuring this in a certain way -- it'll sort of be like a myth-busting thing where you tell me if something is true or false before you proceed. We will go through this methodically, through a few different types of awards across Wattpad.
But before that, I must say that lepus_leporis did a fantastic long rant about awards and their thoughts them in the comments section in the last chapter. I totally recommend checking it out. It's a very insightful read, and they actually helped me add more structure to this chapter!
Now, let's launch straight into it!
MYTH #1: YOU ARE READY FOR THIS CHAPTER. [comment on whether you think this is true or false before continuing to read]
I mean, I can't answer this one for you. Go read your own tarot cards. Jeez.
And onto the contents!
THE WATTYS.
We'll start big. We like big things here.
Um. Don't take that out of context.
These ones are the most popular, I would say, across Wattpad. They're the big ones you can sign up for every year, as long as your story fits certain criterion. There are certain genres it can enter, a few available languages, and the judges are actually people who work for Wattpad or who are considered professionals when it comes to literature in some way/shape/form. It's super exciting, easy to sign up for, requires nothing but a story to submit.
Now...
MYTH #2: The books who win The Wattys will become extremely famous. [comment on whether you think this is true or false before continuing to read]
Now, the prizes that Wattpad does offer the winning books are no laughing matter. They're pretty big promises.
But does that mean the book becomes famous?
In some cases, absolutely. Once your story wins The Wattys, the platform will absolutely be showcasing it -- advertising it in the "look at our winners!" category, making it more accessible for readers.
However, similar to what I said in the last chapter, some stories will naturally do better than others, even if both of them are crowned winners. Some genres simply won't get that many reads, even if they won The Wattys. So, after a few more reads, some books just don't get that much love once the hype is over.
Don't despair, though! Some stories do extremely well once they win, even if they're in unpopular genres. And once the growth begins, it's hard to stop.
But, overall, the answer to that myth? FALSE.
MYTH #3: THE BOOKS THAT WIN ARE ALWAYS ALREADY SUPER POPULAR.
I don't want to get too much into is, because it involves way too much social media science voodoo witchcraft which I do not have a degree in. However, it is important to recognise: a lot of the times, the winners are already really popular.
They're popular because, quite simply, they're good books. But also, Wattpad knows that -- hey, if they offer these authors the "paid story" option, it's fantastic for their platform; with the story already having lots of clout before The Wattys, it'll be easier for the platform itself to gain a lot by offering these books some extra privileges.
I have not judged The Wattys. I have never personally spoken to a judge of The Wattys. Which is why I don't want to make assumptions. But, yes, there are absolutely a lot of cases where the winners are already super popular, and I don't think that's a random chance. I credit it to fantastic authors who know what they are writing -- there's a reason they're popular to begin with. I also credit it to, well, Wattpad being an entrepreneur.
Nonetheless, there are lots of stories that win The Wattys that are not that popular! I get so happy seeing them win. I remember reviewing a book, it only had about 800 reads in total, and two days after I posted their review, they won The Wattys. And it was extremely well deserved -- I loved their book!
So, this myth? FALSE. (Mostly.)
MYTH #4: THE BOOKS THAT WIN THE WATTYS ARE THE BEST BOOKS EVER.
Okay.
If you are a Wattys winner, do not hate me. Do not send me hate mail. And, if you do, stop sending it from anonymous accounts, cowards!
Anyways.
Basically, winners of The Wattys are usually very, very good. Very high quality. That's because the judges are also very professional -- a lot are editors, content creators, marketers, and engineers for the platform. They are very passionate about what they do.
However, I have spotted quite horrifying punctuation errors in winners before. I've seen really awkward instances of telling instead of showing. Some of this stuff... feels cliché.
So, no, you may not necessarily find the best books in The Wattys. However, the books are always very accessible, very enjoyable, and generally very high in quality. They are genuinely good books most of the time, even if they seem to be an overdone trope.
However, there are also some incredible books that apply for The Wattys that don't win. That doesn't mean theirs aren't as good -- not at all. Sometimes it simply means that the judge did not vibe with your story as much, or maybe it was just short of being a winner -- there's a lot of subjectivity in the field of writing, and there's no running from that. So, if you lost, hold your head up! Be proud of yourself for signing up!
Overall, this myth? FALSE.
Now, let's move onto my favourite of the awards!
THE OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST
Ugh. These are so amazing. Whoever came up with this concept is simply brilliant and I will not hear a word that says otherwise.
These contests happen every year. Essentially, there are prompts -- a lot of them -- and you have a certain period of time to write a novella loosely inspired by that prompt. There are deadlines you have to meet -- you need 10K words by a certain date, and then 20K by another date.
They're so brilliant. Even if I have to specifically close the review store just before the contest ends because then I get 40+ requests to review people's novellas.
MYTH #5: ALL THE STORIES END UP BEING SIMILAR BECAUSE PEOPLE CHOOSE THE SAME PROMPTS.
The contest provides a lot of prompts. From memory, it's at least sixty? I can't recall the exact number, but it's a lot. And they are always super vague, super intriguing, that I sometimes get more enjoyment reading all the prompts than actually writing a story based on a single prompt.
So, the answer to this one is a big FALSE.
MYTH #6: THE NOVELLAS NEVER GET FINISHED.
I wish I had actual statistics. However, I'm confident that a lot of the entries do end up completing this competition. Obviously, not everyone can and will -- even 20K is such a big task, and people get busy with other projects or school or work. And there is no shame in not making the deadline. In fact, if you love your novella, just keep going with it anyways! What do you lose? Finish it off and give those characters the ending they deserve.
But overall, FALSE.
MYTH #7: SINCE IT IS NOT JUDGED BY A PANEL OF EDITORS/CONTENT DESIGNERS, THE WINNERS ARE NOT AS GOOD AS THE WATTYS WINNERS.
Similar to The Wattys, you may not like the winning novellas. There is a lot of subjectivity in this field. Sometimes, the judge may have been in a bad mood when reading your story. Or your story included aliens and they have trauma stories about aliens kidnapping their baby and so you triggered them.
However, it's pretty safe to say that all winners of the ONC contest have been really good. I always read a few of the winning novellas and I am always really impressed.
Are there errors? Rarely, but sure. Are they perfect? Well, it depends on the reader and what they love.
But generally, FALSE. The books, similar to The Wattys, that win are usually incredible.
MYTH #8: YOU WILL GET FAMOUS BY ENTERING + WINNER THESE AWARDS.
Your novella might be a star for a while, but I think the most important thing about the ONC contest is that you build connections from it.
Hear me out -- your novella may win. It will shown around on the winner's profile. People will curiously click and read it. If they love it, they may check out your other books, as well.
However, chances are, you may not win. But what you can develop is an amazing sense of community.
A lot of times, I've seen writers support other writers throughout the contest. They chose similar prompts, or they reached out because they saw a comment on the ONC rulebook that made them laugh, and suddenly they're now reading each others' novellas, giving feedback, and powering through as a team. These moments are gorgeous, and part of why I simply love the ONC.
Similar to what I said in the last chapter, you get as much as you give. You can get thousands of readers if you're willing to read thousands of other novellas.
If you write your novella but slink in a hole and refuse to communicate to others, then you may get a jaw-dropping count of six reads from your judges.
So, once again? FALSE.
MYTH #9: SINCE IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE YOU FAMOUS, IT'S A WASTE OF TIME.
The best thing about the ONC is... well, you're writing novellas.
You have to have a plot. A coherent and fluent development of conflict, a climax, and resolution. You need characters that sing and feel real, as well as develop in the span of this shorter novel. You need to have a good grasp of grammar/punctuation to do well, and your writing needs to be smooth and accessible.
It is perfect practise as you continue in your writing journey. You cover all the essentials in a shorter period of time.
For those who are wanting to practise their skills, you should definitely give it a go when it rolls around next year!
AMBASSADOR/GENRE AWARDS
I actually know little about these. I've taken part in a few of them, but not many! These are basically awards run by accounts such as Fantasy and WattpadShortStory and such. They are run by ambassadors of Wattpad, and are usually minor short story tasks and prompts.
Some blow up big time. I remember one a while back for the National Geographic -- that one took off, with thousands of entries. Others -- for example, I did one run by the short story account that had to do with Disney Princesses, and I don't recall seeing too many entries at all.
MYTH #10: WINNING THESE WILL MAKE YOU POPULAR.
They are definitely fun to brag about. You will definitely get a few more reads from judges.
However, guess what I'm about to say!
Guess.
Guess.
Guess.
Answer: I just saw a thread comparing Twilight to Monsters Inc.
Actual Answer: You get as much as you give.
If you want to be popular through these, support other authors who are also signing up for the same awards as you.
That being said, I know when I won the awards, I got a bunch of random readers who checked out the story! So winning will get you a few more readers, but not a lot, as these are not very popular and well known. However, I'm going to give this a... FALSE.
MYTH #11: THEREFORE, THEY'RE ALSO A WASTE OF TIME.
No. Again, anything that motivates you to write and practise is not a waste of time.
The only waste of time around here is me stubbornly eating powdered milk instead of drinking actual milk because it's too cold for actual milk.
And yes, I know microwaves forgot, okay. But I only remembered after I took out the powdered milk.
Moving on.
FALSE.
Now we're going to move into my favourite territory.
THE REGULAR AWARDS.
These come in many names. They're usually super dramatic, or have to do with astronomical stuff. The Star Awards... The Lunar Awards... The Galaxy Awards... The Solar System Awards... The Pluto Was Robbed Awards...
So many names!
Anything can host them. Anyone can judge them. Anyone can sign up for them.
Cue: a mess (most of the time!).
MYTH #12: THESE AWARDS NEVER GET FINISHED.
I feel like a lot of us have signed up for awards, and it's been two years since results were supposed to come out. There's a few reasons this happens:
- The host(s) realise how much of a responsibility it is, and it becomes too much so they drop it.
- They just can't find enough judges.
- One host got power hungry and hacked the account and kicked the other one out and this feud has taken up too much time to properly host awards.
Sometimes, I even see half-complete awards where some genres are judged and results are posted, while other genres are crying for help and judges.
However, there are plenty of successful awards out there! So... FALSE.
MYTH #13: THE JUDGES ARE GOOD AND RELIABLE SO EVERYTHING THEY SAY IS FAIR AND THE WINNERS ARE FAIR AND THE WORLD IS FAIR AND GOOD AND POVERTY DOESN'T EXIST.
I wonder if this one will be true or false?
Mind you, I have judged for awards. I still judge for awards if I'm asked to do so. I like to think my judging is super fair.
However, as someone who has hosted awards, or has actually participated in awards and has read some of the feedback given... it's genuinely quite shocking. There's a lot of the following:
"The book was good! I like it a lot! It was so brilliant! It was amazing! It was not at all cliché! It was so original! I would give you examples but then you'd realise I didn't actually read the story story!!!"
"Consider making your character names easier to remember."
"I know I only read up to chapter two but I just feel like the romance is going way too slow?"
"I loved your story but my best friend actually made me sign up for this category because she signed up here and she wants me to make sure her story wins lol"
In some cases, you will get great, descriptive feedback from judges who know what they are doing and genuinely care. In other cases... well. At least you got some reads?
If you win an award, congratulations! This could mean your story 100% deserved it.
If you lost, maybe your story does need work. However, don't take the scoring or feedback too much to heart unless it sounds like you had a professional, reliable judge.
Which reminds me! If anyone has awards that need judging, do let me know! I'm happy to help out my pals.
Anyways. FALSE.
MYTH #14: HOSTS ARE RELIABLE AND HARD WORKING AND GOOD AND FAIR AND THE DODO BIRD ISN'T EXTINCT.
There are some amazing hosts out there. Amazing. I could list a whole bunch.
Unfortunately, there will always be some of the following:
- Hosts who did it because it would be fun but simply do not have time.
- Hosts who wanted popularity [via asking for permanent follows and reads on their book to sign up].
- Hosts who did it just to see if theirs would be better than their rivalS ARE YOU READING THIS SALLY?? MY AWARDS HAD MORE ENTRIES THAN--
However, a bunch of hosts do it for the right reasons and the right ideas. So, if they are a few days late organising things, please be patient with them. They're human. We all are.
Overall, though: FALSE.
MYTH #15: AWARDS ARE EASY TO RUN.
I mean. They can be. If you sacrifice enough socks to the God of Feet.
No, I'm kidding.
I think awards are definitely doable if you have good time management and work ethic skills. You also need a reliable set of judges, and you're basically all set.
However, it can be very difficult to keep track of all the stories -- especially in grand awards where they do ten different genre categories, and thirty stories in each. That's 300 stories to keep up with, including deletions and title changes and author username changes. Then, there are judges who vanish and drop out. Then, there are the complaints. And the lack of respect, sometimes.
So, again, FALSE. And if you see someone running a well-organised award, be sure to respect them. They're putting a lot of time in.
MYTH #16: WINNING THESE MAKES YOU POPULAR.
Unfortunately, I think that even winners don't really get people flocking towards their stories. Only the entrants really stay involved with these awards, after all.
However, there is usually a sense of community where entries can and should check out each others' works and leave tips and feedback. Additionally, you automatically get more reads by having judges go through your story. It's so funny because you can usually tell which stories are popular by how many reads they have on certain chapters -- their first five chapters will have 1K+ reads and then chapter six is like 'hello I have 12 reads please love me'.
But sometimes you'll find judges/readers who love the book and stick with you!
Overall: FALSE.
MYTH #17: THE CRITERIA IS USUALLY FAIR.
Yeah, sure. A criteria that asks if the climax of the story is effective and powerful, even though judges are only permitted to read the first three chapters? Totally. A criteria that says: "make sure thet all the grammer/punctuation thingz are gr8" with judges who don't know what a run-on sentence is? Sure.
FALSE.
MYTH #18: THE "RULES" ARE ALWAYS FAIR AND SHOULD BE FOLLOWED.
There are some rules that, in my eyes, ring alarm bells. These include permanent follows once the awards are over. I don't mind follows throughout the awards -- I ask for them during reviews, but only because I want to make sure they can see any announcements I post about reviewing delays. These also include "voting on my story lol thx" because you're not allowed to exchange votes, fam.
My biggest pet peeve is the "add #bigmoonenergyawards" to your book tags -- like... why? They say it's to make it easier for judges to find, but as a judge, there has never once been an instance where I have used those tags. Seriously.
So, FALSE.
If you don't agree with someone's rules, just move along. No need to harass them.
MYTH #19: YOU CAN MEET SOME AMAZING PEOPLE THROUGHOUT AWARDS.
How else did I meet some of my friends on Wattpad? Awards. Hosting them. Reading their works. Learning from them.
100% TRUE.
MYTH #20: IT'S ALL CREATED BY THE HOST.
Let me tell you a story.
I have hosted awards before. And, one day, my friend tags me in an award. And they're like, "You HAVE to see these rules."
I read the rules, and I see this:
5. Your book must be written in English. Sorry. Google Translate and I had a massive argument over the weekend. I can't believe they thought it'd be funny to propose to my best friend.
And then, more alarmingly:
9. Make sure your story actually represents the theme for the month. I mean, otherwise, where's the fun? I want to see those toenails that taste like celery!
What was incredibly concerning was that... those sound like they had written by me.
Because they had been written by me.
And no, the host was not my evil twin. They simply copied everything -- the rules, the criteria, the guidelines, and such.
Now, I don't mind if people use my criteria. It's a pretty generic criteria. I don't even mind if they use the same rules, because, again, the rules should usually be consistent across awards.
But... using my own exact words? That are very much me? And seeing people comment "Hahahaha you're so funny!!" in their chapter? It was literally so weird for me. I felt like someone had just stolen my identity and I was watching them use my passport to sneak into Vietnam.
It was weird.
So, my advice: if you are inspired by someone's awards, let them know, and don't... steal their humour. It's so weird. Ugh. I still get shivers. I want to go to Vietnam.
Overall: FALSE.
All done! Lots to talk about, hey? I hope this was helpful!
I just want to say that I hope I haven't scared people away from hosting awards! They can be so rewarding when done right — and that's where I met half the amazing people who I speak to now! There are amazing judges out there, there are fantastic hosts out there, and they can be great experiences!
I'm going to be doing another fun chapter next, all the way in part one: most frustrating reviewers! So, tell me about some frustrating reviewer experiences that you've had! I'd love to hear them.