Paid-entry recognition
The BookFest Book Awards
Black Chateau Enterprises, with Books That Make You (Southern California)
In short
A paid-entry program from a book marketing agency, open to any kind of author in more than 200 categories, with placements from first to honorable mention. The fee is set by how many categories you enter (one, three, or five, with a lower price per category in the larger bundles; the amounts are on the fee line of this page), and the physical seal or trophy costs extra. What you get is a certificate, a graphic, and a listing; its audience is mainly independent authors and readers rather than booksellers. Check the category fit and the current close date before paying.
This cycle closedChecked September 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Every label is a fact from the official rules, never a judgment about whether the award is worth entering. How we describe awards.
The last verified deadline has passed. Check the official source for the next cycle.
Sign in to be emailed when entries open again.
The BookFest Book Awards are a paid-entry program run twice a year by Black Chateau Enterprises, a book marketing agency, alongside its online BookFest event. Traditionally published, independently published, and self-published authors can enter, and so can the people around a book: designers, narrators, publicists. There are more than 200 categories across fiction, nonfiction, poetry, series, and artistic and technical work, and each category can name a first, second, and third place and an honorable mention.
The publication window is wide: the fall 2026 cycle takes books published from January 1, 2021 through the closing date. Print, digital files, and audiobooks are all accepted. Entry is priced by how many categories you enter, with a shipping charge for the physical copy in most categories.
Winners get a downloadable certificate and award graphic, a place on the awards page, and social promotion for first place; framed certificates, seals, and trophies are optional purchases. The live event follows the deadline by a few weeks.
Why it may matter
The program's value is the award graphic for your marketing and the listing, not trade attention. With more than 200 categories and up to four placements in each, a large share of entrants come away with something to show, which is the point for a marketing seal and worth knowing when you weigh the fee. Consider it if you want a recognized-looking seal for a cover, an Amazon listing, or a press kit, and treat it as a marketing expense rather than a literary prize.
2026 cycle: Fall 2026
- Eligible publication dates
- January 1, 2021 to September 15, 2026
- Final deadline
- September 15, 2026 (passed)Checked September 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Deadline note
- Entries close September 15, 2026; the online event runs October 24 to 25, 2026. A spring cycle follows.
- Entry fee
- $74.99 for one category, $174.99 for three, $249.99 for five, $58.99 for each further category, plus $25 shipping for a print copy in most categoriesChecked September 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Results
- Winners announced around the October event
| Tier | Deadline | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| One category | September 15, 2026 | $75 |
| Three categories | September 15, 2026 | $175 |
| Five categories | September 15, 2026 | $250 |
Worth knowing
Our reading, not a rule the organization published. We judge an award on the rubric in how we describe awards.
Runs twice a year (spring and fall) with a rolling close before each event. An author writing online estimated that a small share of entrants receive a placement; the program does not publish entrant counts, so treat that as one person's account. As of September 16, 2026 the awards page (thebookfest.com/bookfest-book-awards/ (opens in a new tab)) showed fall 2026 submissions closed and offered a sign-up for spring 2027 pricing notices, with no spring open date or deadline posted. The same page listed an eligibility window ending March 8, 2027, which may belong to the spring cycle; it is not recorded here until the spring dates are posted.
Rules and deadlines change. We last checked this information on September 16, 2026. If you see something that needs updating, please tell us.
Run this award? Confirm or correct this record.
Use your work email. If it is on the domain the record already links to, we send you a link that opens the record for you to confirm or correct. Otherwise a person reads it and gets back to you.