Whether you’re referring to lottery tickets, succeeding in business, or entering contests, “You can’t win if you don’t play” sums up the strategy.
In the advertising and marketing industry, creative awards are a driving force. Awards are proof that the creative work stands out among the competition, and they allow agencies an opportunity for PR.
I subscribe to both strategies as an author. There are a lot of book award competitions out there – frankly, more than I can afford to enter. But I study the competitions that best fit my books, and then I invest in the entrance fee.
Like lottery tickets, creative award competitions are a gamble. Judging is subjective. What’s the judging criteria? What are the judges looking for?
But sometimes, when I open an email and see a subject line like “Congratulations!” Your work is a Finalist in the 2025 LARAMIE Awards! I do get a thrill.
The first book award I received was a doozy – the Western Writers of America Spur Award. And I won not one, but two, trophies: Best Western Romance and Best Debut Novel. Wow!
Since then, all of my books have been recognized in a variety of award competitions. In 2025, three of my books, Medicine Creek Claim, When the Chokecherries Bloom, and Iron Horse Claim, received a total of seven awards.
Iron Horse Claim has received two more awards in 2026: Winner of the Independent Press Award’s Western Fiction award, and is a Finalist for the Laramie Award from Chanticleer International Book Award. The winner of the Laramie Award will be announced at Chanticleer’s Book Awards Banquet in April.
Fingers crossed.