THEME: DIVERSITY

And this officially marks the sixth month that we have been running! Can you believe it? We've been going for half a year. Six more rounds of these awards to go! It's always such a joy reading these amazing stories, and I honestly feel so honoured over the fact that these awards - along with reviewing - allow me to find such incredible undiscovered gems. 

But another thing about these awards that I love is the opportunity to meet some amazing people - or, more specifically, amazing judges: 

funkycookie8 - Thank you for offering to be a judge! I really appreciated your dedication and your thorough scores. Your feedback was professional and kind, and you were very quick in delivering the scores. Thank you so much! 

GryffindorsLoneWolf - My queen. I always get so excited when I receive the notification saying that you have signed up to be a judge. I cannot thank you enough for dedicating so much time to me and these awards, and you really, truly are a pleasure to work with. 

lionobsession - Thank you so much for coming back to judge! It's a relief to know that I haven't scared away such talented authors. Once again, you amazed me with your detailed judging, as well as your professional feedback. Thank you so much! 

Magnamentum - Thank you for joining us this month! You got the job done with no fuss, and followed the instructions and criteria perfectly. I really appreciate the time you took to judge the books, so thank you very much! 

NDeMeer - Is there an award for being one of the best human beings alive, as well as a phenomenal judge? Not only did you submit all the scores well before time with exceptional detail in the feedback, but you also stepped up to judge a few more books only hours before the limit because a few other judges went on hiatus. I honestly could not have done it without your help and, guess what? You judged the most books this month, too. Congratulations and thank you so much! 

PheonixGuardian - Thank you so, so much for judging for us this month! I know how incredibly busy you are, and you stilled stepped up, regardless, and completed a few of the books on time. I really appreciate you taking out time out of your busy schedule to help us, and words cannot express how grateful I am. Thank you! 

And now, time for the results!

The competition, as always, was incredibly tight. We had, for the most part, at least two judges per story, and while most judges seemed to have very similar scores for stories, there were a few stories who missed out on third place by just a point or half a point. Most stories scored in the 80s and 90s, so you should all be very proud of yourselves. 

And now, before we announce our winners, let's congratulate our shortlisted members! 

STORY: The Spectacular Sick Shot 

AUTHOR: WyPark02

FEEDBACK: 

The cover is pretty and shows the superhero genre quite well in its font. However, there is nothing there to really grab a reader's attention. The blurb is intriguing and hooking, but I feel like it's a bit short. Try and expand a little bit on Tyler himself and on the conflict, so that readers have a clearer idea of what they're getting into when opening your book. I feel like the explanation in chapter 2.3 comes at the wrong moment. There are still so many questions relating to Tyler and how he ended up there; these should be handled before diving into a planet-background explanation. It would be more logical if he said, "You are here because we need your help." I also think Tyler's response to all of this isn't quite believable. You've been saying he's terrified, but then he talks back to them as if they were annoying teachers. I can't see the fear in his interactions. Out of nowhere Tyler says "I don't know how I'm going to balance earth life and life here." I hadn't got that from the conversation at all. I don't think Lord Crip said anything about him going back home, so why would he assume so? And if he doesn't know he is allowed to go home, why would he agree to help them? What I love about this story is the way you put your own spin to the superhero genre. It's not as if being abducted by aliens has never been done before, but the way you described that planet, the background of it, and the aliens we've met so far, definitely felt original and unique. I like the humor you've put into the story, to lighten up the mood. And your writing style is always clear, never confusing in any way. 

By the way, special shout-out to you - your story was half a point from placing. 

STORY: Twilight: A Different Kind of Love

AUTHOR: EmberShy

FEEDBACK: 

The story is really slow - the plot, the way the descriptions were. There wereareas where the descriptions seemed over the top or very dry. I think in thesecond chapter, you write, "I woke up to the quaint sounds of birds singinglike Opera stars"....have you ever heard an opera singer? I can assure you thatthey are anything but quaint and nothing like what birds sound like. They maybe old-fashioned, but I've usually seen quaint to describe someone's looks orclothes, not a voice. It's very stereotypical (hair over the eyes, which seemedto pop up a lot, and his descriptions of himself, the way he goes to school andhe's already the center of attention). Your wording is very verbose. Simple itdown, it'll make it easier to read and understand. I also suggest making use ofan editor, because there are areas where your sentences look like run-ons. I dolike that it's a gay fanfic (we need more of those!).

STORY: Thanks, Tim

AUTHOR: Nodaxi

FEEDBACK: 

This work has some very likeable characters that feel realistic and grab the reader's attention. The narrative voice is clear, unique, and engaging, which really draws the reader into the story. The relationship between Jack and Tim is wonderful, full of banter that made me laugh, and seems very genuine. Be careful of your use of bold/italic/normal text. Make sure you're clear about what each of them represent. Also, be mindful of your use of commas and writing out small numbers like 17 and 10 as seventeen and ten. But apart from that, an interesting insight into your character's mind.

STORY: Candy Gram 

AUTHOR: Olivaughn

FEEDBACK: 

I thought the premise of this was really interesting. I understood what the story was about from the beginning thanks to the useful summary. First of all, the characterisation was amazing. I felt like these were all real people that I was reading about, with realistic thoughts and actions. The plot was very nicely paced, although a little predictable in areas. There were a few typos in there (e.g. 'elad' instead of 'lead') but I'm sure they'll be ironed out in editing. Finally, be careful with your use of italics and brackets. At some points, there were brackets almost every other sentence. I get that it's meant to represent internal voice, but you also you italics for that. Pick one or the other – I personally think italics work better – just to keep the continuity.

STORY: Mr Right

AUTHOR: ThatgoofyNerd

FEEDBACK: 

This book had a very Bridget Jones kind of feel to it. It's got all the humour and relatable, though sad, plot lines as well. Be careful of details with very important consequences. For example, journalists always have editors look at their work, right? Surely someone would've told her if that story that got her fired was not done. In fact, wouldn't her boss be the one to check the content of articles? I really like the way you show us your character's personality. You use lots of different little tricks to show us different parts about her. Great job. I find it a bit unbelievable that Tony is so horrible to her when they finally see each other again. I get that he doesn't love her anymore, but there's a difference between not loving her and outright hating her guts. There is a lot of tense switching going on, especially further into the story.

STORY: Born in a Storm

AUTHOR: SouthMarie

FEEDBACK: 

I feel like the blurb is a bit too vague to really be hooking. This story has some beautiful writing. There are some amazing metaphors and similes that add a new depth to your writing. The mc is clever and flawed, all in a unique way. The premise also seems to be original and creative. On the other hand, I feel like there's too much flashback going on in the first chapter. There's a large part of the first chapter going into background detail and I just don't think this is the right spot for that. There's just not enough plot in between. I also believe there's a lot of "unnecessary extra" in every chapter. Too many details that just don't seem necessary. They slow the plot down considerably and sometimes even make things confusing. Stay focused on the right things.

STORY: Stranger Danger

AUTHOR: Komfort88

FEEDBACK: 

I find the cover a bit too simple and it doesn't really show the genre, or the mysterious mood of the story. The blurb is great though! Very hooking. Have faith in your dialogue. When you have a character say something rude, you don't then need to write "he said in a rather rude way". Trust that your readers get it. I also feel like there's a lot of repetition throughout the first chapter. You keep saying the same things in slightly different words. It seems like you're trying to show us how the mc feels, but a lot comes out as tell, rather than show. Instead of telling us "the stalker behind her terrified her", show us that her heart starts racing as she glimpses behind her and still sees him sitting there. Shows us he's peering through the gaps between the seats at her. Etc. It also helps to use active verbs, rather than passive ones. You've got a lot of "was" in the narrative; "her hearing was still intact", "her lips were gummed together", etc. Try and make them active: "she still heard the distant voices", "her lips stuck together". I love the mystery of the stalker and who he might be. It's nice to see some clues sprinkled throughout the story. You've got a large vocabulary range, which you use very well. Your characters are intriguing and unique.

STORY: Fortis

AUTHOR: IAmStrong-

FEEDBACK: 

It seems a bit unlikely that her mother gets mad at her over her tics at the start of the story. Surely, she knows she can't control them; you've just talked about how much her mother loves her. Maybe I just don't understand their relationship well enough yet, but that's why I don't think this should be at the start of the story. Keep an eye on "show don't tell"; for example, when you say she comes around a corner to see Kieran being bullied, it's better to show us that (and how) he's being bullied, rather than just flat out stating it. My main problem with Eme is that I don't see the reason why she should get picked on from the very first moment. I don't recognise autism in her behaviour at all; the tics are the only thing I can see. What I love about this book is the originality; these characters are as unique as can be. I like the way the characters interact with each other and how you show us the hardships of high school.

STORY: Creatures Among Us: Everescent Guardians 

AUTHOR: EtherealAppifany

FEEDBACK: 

a. I really like the concept and originality of the story and also the vocabulary/description used is very sophisticated but in a way where the reader can clearly picture what you're trying to portray. I personally was a bit confused at the beginning because so many characters are introduced straight then so I had a hard time keeping up with so many of them and finding some individuality with certain characters especially because that's lots of action happening. However I really like the main character (Kysmey) as her background makes sense with the story and also makes the readers empathise with her instantly and get a feel for the cruelty of the Everescent community.

Overall it is a good concept and I really liked the plot. 

STORY: Victorian Love

AUTHOR: IzzBizz747

FEEDBACK:

The book is quite short so it's hard to give some proper feedback but I enjoyed the few chapters that were there to read, especially liked the change of perspectives between Elizabeth and Addie. The dialogue is very appropriate to each character and I really liked it. The characters really strengthen the general plot and they have a lot of individuality which I like and I didn't get confused with any characters. I think there should maybe be stronger descriptions with a little more use of language devices and more use of sophisticated vocabulary. The characters are well written and have the potential to develop when more chapters are written.

Congratulations to all our shortlisted authors! And now, the winners: 

IN THIRD PLACE: 

STORY: Flares in the Dark

AUTHOR: ThaisaKing

FEEDBACK: 

The coveris good. The blurb is quite hooking (probably because your premise is veryinteresting), although I think you can expand a bit on the details withspecifics; it's all a bit vague. Such beautiful words and metaphors in chapterone! They really helped convey the mood at the start of the story. It alsohelps readers dive into the MC's head. However, when I got further into thestory, I realised that the entire first chapter consists of these metaphors andsimiles; of purple prose. There's a fine balance between beautiful prose andtoo much purple prose. In my opinion, you went a little bit too far with ithere. I believe it takes away from the actual plot. You can also use some moredescription of his surroundings. 

SCORE: 86/100

IN SECOND PLACE:

STORY: Phantom Tap

AUTHOR: _huckleberry

FEEDBACK: 

The cover has a dark and mysterious mood, and the title and led lights fits perfectly and makes the cover very attractive. The blurb is hooking and gives a clear idea of what readers can expect in this story. I have told you this before, but I genuinely love this story. The storyline flows very nicely, with hardly any hiccups or jarring bits. The characters are realistic and intriguing. A few more details of Ethan's background might be nice to really make him a rounded character, but you're doing great so far. The dialogue is especially commendable. The premise of this story is super original, with its twist on the old ghost-story. Every now and then a little more detail might make the scenes even better. Overall, this is a fantastic story and I can't wait to see you finish writing it. 

SCORE: 91/100

AND IN FIRST PLACE: 

STORY: A Darkness of Wolves

AUTHOR: tidalbay

FEEDBACK: 

Loved. This. 

It's so real. It's so amazing and real and just perfect! I loved reading Wyn's inner thoughts and her struggles with daily issues. Many people try to sexualize or try to turn mental illness into a funny thing. You didn't. I did see a few grammar issues with tenses and I do suggest that you play around with longer and shorter sentences. But I loved reading this story! It's important that teens be able to read stories like this, and understand them. I'm so glad you wrote this because I struggled with depression and many other issues and having a story like this would've helped a bookworm like myself. Wyn's amazing. She's real and definitely not stereotypical. She doesn't start off by describing herself as beautiful and then saying she's ugly. She's got emotions and she's in tune with them. Once again, I'd like to thank you for writing this story and keep up with the awesome work!

SCORE: 92/100

A massive congratulations to our winners! Of course, the competition was incredibly tight, so all authors on the shortlist should be very proud. As always, it's important to remember that writing is subjective (which is why I try to get at least two judges per story). So, really, your story is probably a winner to someone - and if that someone is you, that's perfectly okay. 

We would love to see all contestants and judges come back next month, as well! We might be in desperate need of judges, in particular, because the theme... well, let's just say that I have a feeling that we will have a lot of entries. If you'd like to check it out, it'll be open in just a few minutes.

Once again, thank you to all my phenomenal judges! Also, if anyone - both judges and contestants - have any feedback that they would like to share, feel free! While we have been going for six months and counting, I'm always open to change things up to make the next six months even better and more enjoyable. 

There is one thing that I don't exactly want to change, though (sorry!). Someone requested that I post scores only, so the 'Winners' chapters are shorter. However, I think that feedback is far more important than the number attached, so I'm going to keep the format the same for these chapters. Sorry! 

Anyways, I wish everyone an amazing August! I hope to see everyone again.