Title: SHADOW by lily_wanders
Source: 🅱🅾🅱🅰 🅶🆁🅰🅽🅳 🅰🆆🅰🆁🅳 by iloveboba1stacct
Category: Best Cover
Mature: N
LGBTQIAP+: N
Status: Complete
Special note (rubric): Provided by the awards organizer to the other judge (arrowgig). I pasted it below. Normally, I type feedback for each section of a rubric, but I never received the rubric from the organizer, so I used a modified version of the cover section from my "First Impressions" review when I judged these entries initially, and I typed a full paragraph of feedback from that. When I received the rubric from the other judge, I copied and pasted sections of that into corresponding sections of the new rubric.
Special note (judging): I had 7 books from this category, and arrowgig had 10 books.
Result: 97/100 (3rd place)

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*****

Rubric:
- Visual appeal: 20
- Thematic relevance: 20
- Originality and creativity: 20
- Typography and layout: 15
- Overall impact: 15
- Judge's opinion: 10
Total: 100

*****

Total: 97/100

Visual appeal: 20/20
Yes. Just yes. The reds and blacks, the image, the font style, color, and size - it all goes together so, so well.

Thematic relevance: 20/20
The reds and blacks give this a creepy, bloody vibe, perfect for the horror/paranormal tags.

Originality and creativity: 20/20

Typography and layout: 12/15
I normally hate "written by," but I don't mind it that much the way you've done it. Since I've got to be picky here so there aren't multiple ties, I cut points for that and the placement of your name. It didn't bother me at first, but once I sat down and really started analyzing this cover, it struck me as weird. Right in the middle of his hair. Hm... Maybe cut "written by" and move your name up? Or move your name down to the very bottom? It might be too unbalanced if you do that, though. I don't know. Something to play around with, but if you just leave this cover alone, that isn't a problem at all.

Overall impact: 15/15

Judge's opinion: 10/10