Editors' Choice Award Judge Interest Form

Thank you for your interest in serving as a judge for the Christian Editors Association's Editors' Choice Awards.

The Editors’ Choice Award was developed to honor and promote books that even a professional editor would love! But professional editors are picky. So it’s not an easy award to win.

Copyeditors can’t read a book without noticing typos, inconsistencies, and errors in “PUGS” (punctuation, usage, grammar, and spelling). Developmental and substantive editors can’t read a book without noticing leaps of logic, slow pacing, insufficient characterization, and plots that meander along like a crooked stream without ever getting anywhere. We use both kinds of editors to judge the books entered for the Editors’ Choice Award.

 
HOW THE CONTEST WORKS
 
Judges are provided a score sheet for each book they review. They notate on the score sheets any PUGS errors, formatting errors, citation errors, typos, or inconsistencies they find, using the most recent editions of The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), The Christian Writer's Manual of Style (CWMS), and Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. They also make comments on content and editing issues.
 
QUALIFICATIONS
ECA judges must be established, professional developmental/substantive editors or copyeditors/proofreaders with at least two years of paid experience.
 
After reading the above guidelines, if you are interested in being an ECA judge, please answer the following questions.

As a Christian book contest, we ask that all our judges read our Statement of Faith.

Are you a member of the Christian Editor Connection and/or The Christian PEN?

Paid Experience

ECA judges must be established, professional developmental/substantive editors or copyeditors with at least two years of paid experience.   

HOW THE CONTEST WORKS

Judges are provided a score sheet for each book they review. Using the most recent editions of the book publishing industry’s standard guidelines for PUGS, formatting, and citations, they list typos, inconsistencies, and errors in punctuation, usage, grammar, and spelling on these score sheets. There is also space for leaving comments.

Round 1 Judging

Round 1 is usually conducted by copyeditors, though developmental/substantive editors are welcome to apply if they are familiar with CMOS and CWMS guidelines.

The judge's first step is to judge the book’s front and back covers. There can be no errors on the front cover. 
A few minor errors on the back cover may be tolerated, but they will be added to the Score Sheet, so a book will lose points before it’s even read. A cover with more than a few minor errors will immediately eliminate the book from further judging. 

 
If a book passes review of the covers, the judge will read the book’s content, marking down each typo, inconsistency, and error in punctuation, usage, grammar, and spelling they find on their PUGS List.

Mistakes and concerns not related to typos, inconsistencies, or errors in punctuation, usage, grammar, and spelling will be marked in the comment section on the judge’s Score Sheet. These are usually content or editing issues or inconsistencies with the book's formatting.

While we want our judges to be thorough, it is not their job to edit these books, only to review them. 
 
If a judge finds too many errors in the first few pages, the judge will stop, disqualify the book, and move on. 

Round 2 Judging

Round 2 is conducted by developmental/substantive editors. 

 
In Round 2, the judge reviews the quality of the writing and content.
 
FICTION BOOKS
For a fiction book, judges consider the following:

- Attention-grabbing first chapter
- Engaging plot and subplots
- Satisfying ending
- Lack of plot holes or implausibility
- Three-dimensional, relatable characters
- Realistic dialogue properly formatted
- Appropriate dialogue tags and action beats
- Applicable setting, appropriately described
- Clear and consistent point of view
- Consistent character movements
- Interesting action in every scene
- Sprinkled backstory/flashbacks placed naturally
- Accurately researched

NONFICTION BOOKS
For a nonfiction book, judges consider the following:
- Clear opening
- Interesting content
- Logical organization
- Appropriate for intended audience
- Clear message
- Accurate research, properly cited
- No legal issues with quotations, permissions, or invasion of privacy

AVAILABILITY

Judging for our ECA awards begins in July. We will only ask you to judge one book at a time, although you are welcome to request more when you finish.
 

Since our books undergo four rounds of judging, we require our Round 1 and Round 2 judges to return their Score Sheets within 30 days of being assigned their books. After January 15, we usually request 15 days in order to provide our Round 3 and Round 4 judges with enough time to complete their Score Sheets.