Omega Writers Inc
‘words with wings’
Entry Form Please click here.
This part of the award is for works that have been published. If you have an unpublished work that you would like to submit, you should go here for the unpublished section of the award.
Sections
1. Fiction
2. Non-Fiction
3. Poetry
4. Unpublished (see separate entry page here)
5. Reviewers' Choice
6. Booksellers' Choice
7. The Boom Prize
Prizes CALEB Prize Sections 1-3:
There is a grand prize of $1000.
There will be a winner in each section, fiction, non-fiction and poetry. The overall winner may be drawn from any of these sections. Sectional winners will receive $250. Discretional cash prizes may be awarded in sub-sections of the judges' choosing. In the past, discretional categories have been created in children's books, devotional books and biography/memoir. Discretional cash prizes are usually $100.
CALEB Prize Section 4 (for unpublished works):
Publication through our ministry partner, Even Before Publishing, and editing by a professional editor at Omega Writers. For more details, click here.
CALEB Prize Sections 5-6:
The reviewers choose their own winner. A trophy is given, but no cash award.
The participating bookstores choose their own winner. A trophy is given, but no cash award.
This special prize offered by Rosie Boom is a cash award of $250.
Entry Form Please click here.
Entry fees: see below.
Eligibility
1. The CALEB Prize is for a book published in paper format in English. eBooks are not eligible at this time.
2. The CALEB Prize is for a book written by an Australasian resident (Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific) between 1 January 2011 and 31 May 2012. For books outside this period or non-Australasian residents, see opportunities within marketing entry conditions.
3. Translations are eligible and books published outside Australasia are eligible.
4. The author or the publisher may submit an entry. The entry form must be signed by the author/s to signify the entry is his or her original work.
5. The entry may have one or more co-authors. In the event of multiple authors, all authors must sign the entry form.
6. An author may submit more than one entry, providing a separate form is used for each. All contact details for the author must be included on the entry form for the entry to be valid.
7. The Boom Prize is a cash award of $250 for a fantasy or YA book which embodies the ideal Tolkien wrote about in On Fairytales: hope. It is provided by Rosie Boom, winner of the children's section of the CALEB Prize in 2010 and 2011.
Exclusions
1. The judges will not consider any eBook or book which has had only internet publication at this time. Consider the unpublished section or contact us if you have any queries
2. Judges and Omega Writers Committee members are ineligible for the CALEB Award but may enter to obtain reviews through the extensive reviewing process provided by our ministry partners. They may not progress beyond the short list stage.
3. Australasian residents are eligible for the CALEB Prize and the Boom Prize, non-Australasian residents are eligible only for the Boom Prize.
Entries
1. Entry fees:
• Basic entry (single-section only): $40 plus 3 books
• Marketing entry (multi-section): add $30 plus at least 4 extra books. This includes a personal review page on the Omega website with re-direction to your own website. Discount for Omega Writers members: $10.
(a) Basic entry provides sectional judging only: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry. Entrants who choose only basic entry are eligible for the CALEB Prize but are not eligible for the Reviewers' Choice Award or Booksellers' Choice awards.
(b) Marketing entry provides entry to Booksellers' Choice Award (at least one book), Reviewers' Choice Award (at least one book), Australian Church Library Association review in Off the Shelf (one book).
(c) Authors or publishers whose works are otherwise ineligible (either due to publication date, non-resident status or otherwise) may enter this section only, in order to receive the benefits of exposure to participating bookstores and the reviews provided by our ministry partners. Non-Australasian writers and publishers may enter this section. Children's authors and authors of Young Adult books are particularly encouraged to enter this section as we begin to establish links with a new ministry partner to find books suitable for supply to schools.
(d) To be eligible for the (Published) CALEB Prize, entries must be submitted to either Basic Entry or Basic + Marketing entry. Entries submitted in Marketing only are not eligible for the CALEB Prize 2012, however they are eligible for the Boom Prize.
(e) Payment may be by cheque, money order or Paypal. To pay for a published entry via Paypal, please click here. When paying by Paypal, please include your name and the book you are entering. It is difficult to match entry payments when the name on the Paypal account differs from that on the entry.
2. The date for submissions opens on 1 January 2012 and closes on 18 May 2012. Completed and signed entry forms must be received by that date.
3. Omega Writers ensures that, from year to year, there is an overlap period of eligibility for the CALEB Award in order that no work is excluded by the constraints of its publication date. Late entries will therefore not be eligible. Because of the overlap period, it is possible that some publications from early 2011 will also be eligible this year. Authors or publishers are welcome to re-submit their books: the CALEB Prize is about opportunity, not exclusion.
4. Entries will not be returned.
Judging Process
1. Books entered are sent to judges, reviewers and participating bookstores.
2. Reviews are posted on the Omega Writers website. Authors and publishers are encouraged to enter books early to expedite this process. Reviewers are entirely separate to judges and select their own award. Reviews reflect only the thinking and opinions of the individual reviewers and are no guide to the status of a book within the judging process. The Reviewers' Choice Award is separate from the Prize judging process. Please note: Omega Writers is run by volunteers. To enable us to post reviews quickly, enter sooner rather than later!
3. Booksellers rate books according to their volunteers' reports. Authors and publishers are encouraged to enter books early to expedite the process of liaising with bookstores. This is a separate award.
4. The judges may recommend that no Award be made in a section if they consider that no entry is of sufficient merit.
5. The judges may recommend that a section of the CALEB Award be divided between a number of entries.
6. The judges make recommendations for the CALEB Award to the Omega Writers Committee. The committee is guided by the recommendation of the judges but, if there is a marked difference of opinion, will call on the advice of reviewers.
7. The winners of the CALEB Award will be decided by the Omega Writers Committee and their decision is final.
8. A shortlist will be released prior to the Award announcement (expected mid to late August), followed by a finalist announcement (expected early to mid September).
9. Reviewers' Choice and Booksellers' Choice finalists will be announced as soon as possible.
10. Announcement of the winners will be made at the CALEB Awards Dinner in October 2012.
Selection Criteria
1. Faith inspired - the author is required to indicate on their entry form how their Christian faith has influenced the writing of the book. The author may choose to allow Omegas to publish this information with their review.
2. Engagement with the reader - focusing on ability to connect with the target audience, overall style and design, skilful use of language, clarity of expression and sustained development of themes or ideas.
3. Excellence - well-edited, relevant, timely, needed to fill a gap in present literature.
4. Potential - books are sought that are not restricted to the Christian market but that extend to a wider market as well.
Omega Writers Inc is a support group for Australasian wordsmiths writing faith-inspired work. We offer:
- regular meetings and events
- publishing & marketing information
- manuscript critiquing & assessment
- appraisals, editing, proof-reading, reviews
- prayer support
Ph: (07) 3375 1775 Email: info@omegawriters.com
Omega Writers Inc is generously sponsored by Light the Dark Australian Christian Party Plan, ACLA (Australian Church Library Association), Wendy Sargeant (Editor), Ruth Bonetti (Words and Music).