1. Authors must be age 18 years or older.
2. An author whose work has not been previously published in novella* or any book-length fiction (in ANY print or online form, including lead magnets and sites such as Wattpad, Substack, etc.) is eligible to enter The Crown. *For the Crown Award, a novella is any work of fiction whose length is between 20,000-50,000 words.
3. Authors who are published in non-fiction and picture books are eligible to enter an unpublished fiction manuscript.
4. There is no limit to the number of entries an author may submit, however, a single manuscript may not be entered into multiple categories.
5. Contest is open to ACFW-VA members and non-members.
6. Any author contracted for publication in fiction, on or before August 9, 2023, is not eligible to enter. If an entrant receives a contract after August 9, 2023, they may remain in the contest. Please email us to withdraw your entry if you are contracted for any work of fiction prior to this date.
7. Any author who has entered The Crown may not independently publish any work until after The Crown finalists are announced. However, if they are a finalist in the contest, then they may not independently publish any work until after the winners are announced on November 4, 2023.
8. In any category, if fewer than five (5) entries are received, the category will be dissolved and the entrant’s alternate choice category on their submission will be used. The author is responsible for choosing the appropriate category for their entry.
9. Previous winning entries of The Crown are not eligible to be entered in this year’s contest. Previous finalist (non-winning) entries may be entered again.
10. The manuscript should not contain profanity, graphic sex, gratuitous violence or other objectionable material, and must otherwise conform to generally accepted standards of the CBA. The ACFW-VA Conference Board may order the disqualification of submissions not meeting this requirement.
11. Manuscripts are not required to be complete in order to enter, but it is strongly suggested as industry professionals will judge the finalists.

Questions regarding eligibility can be asked via our contact form. Please put Crown Award Questions in the subject line.