There's three rounds to the judging process of Heartstring Awards. Here's how it goes:
Round 1: All contestants participate. Judges will read first chapter of each contestant's book and eliminate 3 entries. All remaining contestants advance to round 2.
Round 2: The remaining contestants participate. Judges will read the next four chapters of each remaining contestant's book. They will choose a top eight to participate in the final round.
Round 3/Final Round: Top ten contestants participate. Judges will read until they lose interest and choose a first place, second place, third place, and an honorable mention.
I understand that the short story genre submissions will most likely not have as much as five chapters. Here is how short story judging works:
Round 1: All contestants of the short story genre participate. Judges will read the complete story and eliminate about half the entries.
Round 2: Judges will then eliminate all but ten people for the final round. The judges might re-read your short story if they feel the need to review the plot, etc.
Round 3/Final Round: Judges will choose four winners: first, second, third, and the honorable mention of the short story genre.
Good luck!