Orange County Romance Writers has continued to sponsor this long-running contest, originally an OCCRWA event. The purpose is to showcase excellence in the romance genre by recognizing books published by authors in the preceding year.
Authors (and/or their publishers) who have published in the previous year may enter their titles for consideration in a given category. A large group of devoted romance readers read the submitted books and rate them using the OCRW BBB rubric, which considers the book on its reader engagement, the quality of the relationship between the main characters, and the resolution of their story arc.
Deadlines to enter the contest are mid-Spring. The book must have been first published the previous year. Republished titles are not eligible. Authors are also asked to score at least two other titles in a category other than the one for which they submitted a book.
Each category awards a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. A final judge, usually a professional in the publishing industry or a career librarian reads and rates the top winner in each category, then choose the Top Pick and the 1st and 2nd runner ups.
Winners are announced at the OCRW’s Celebration of Romance event in mid-October.