The Published Maggie Award for Excellence opens on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2026.  Entries must be RECEIVED by April 4, 2026, no later than 11:59 pm Eastern, and must follow all format requirements listed on the entry form. Finalists will be notified on June 22, 2026, and winners will be announced at the Moonlight & Magnolias Conference banquet on October 17, 2026.

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Published Award Eligibility:

• Open to all works of romantic fiction over 40,000 words with an original publication date between January 2025 and December 2025.

• Books submitted must not have been previously published.

• Both traditional and self-published works are eligible for entry as long as they meet all Maggie rule requirements for published fiction novels.

• Digital/eBooks in the .pdf format are required. All eBooks must be readable using the Amazon e-reader apps. (Please note: If your publisher is unable or unwilling to provide a PDF format, you may contact maggiechair@gmail.com to discuss other means of providing a .pdf format.)

• Any book that doesn’t meet the eligibility requirements as outlined in the Maggie rules will be disqualified. 

• An entry may not be entered in more than one category.

• If the minimum number of entries in a category is not met, the entry will be moved into the second-choice category, or the entrant can request a refund.

• NEW AI RULES: AI use is allowed for research, generating ideas, lists, and other brainstorming tasks, much in the way one might use Google, DuckDuckGo, Firefox, Bing, etc. AI may be used as a spelling and grammar checker as well as general copy editing (Think Grammarly and/or Autocrit). And, AI may be used to manage dictation and transcription. AI may not be used to write, generate, or create the actual text or plot of your novel.

• Please submit via the Reviewr platform. Log in, set up an account, and follow the prompts. You will receive a notice by email that your submission was received. NOTE: If you don’t receive a confirmation email once you have submitted your entry, please send an email to maggiechair@gmail.com. ​
   

**Important Notice: By entering the Maggie Awards for Excellence, you agree not to post book reviews on any other books entered into the contest (as of the contest start date)—including but not limited to finalists—so long as your book remains in the contest. We understand that you can't know every book that could be entered into the contest, but use your best judgment and err on the side of caution. Failure to follow the rules may result in your own Published Maggie entry disqualification.

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If you don’t receive a confirmation email once you have submitted your entry, please send an email to maggiechair@gmail.com. 

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​​Published Judging Description: 

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• Two (2) judges will evaluate each book. In the event of a large discrepancy between scores, a third judge will be chosen to evaluate the book in order to determine a fair score.

• Finalists will be notified by June 22, 2026.

• Decisions of the judges are final.

• Scores will not be made available to finalists.

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Fees:

GRW Member: $30

Non-Member: $40