Judging Information

Judge Eligibility

  • Individuals must demonstrate an understanding of romantic fiction to effectively critique the story, characters, and plot. Book reviewers, librarians, professional critics, bookstore personnel, and published romance authors are examples of individuals who may possess the background necessary to serve as judges.
  • All judges will go through an application process to affirm qualifications. Applying to judge the contest does not guarantee acceptance.
  • RWA Staff will affirm judges as to qualifications based on eligibility requirements.
  • Selected judges must agree to complete all required training (e.g., DEI training, Round 1 training, Round 2 training, Round 3 training, and Understanding Categorical Romance training; passing score is 80%). Judges who took either the DEI or Categorical Romance training during the 2025 contest can take a refresher course instead of the complete training.
  • Judges must follow the prescribed rubrics when judging.
  • Entrants to the contest are not required to judge. Judging is therefore voluntary and independent of contest participation as an entrant.
  • Judges will not be eligible to judge the category(ies) in which they are entered.
  • Judges must familiarize themselves with the rubrics and strictly adhere to them when judging entries. The purpose of the rubrics is to minimize bias in judging and elicit useful critiques.
  • First, Second and Third Round judges must read the entire work for each assigned entry. Romance Writers of America Board members who enter the contest must recuse themselves from decisions related to a contest entry to maintain the integrity of the organization and its contest rules. Appeals must be handled by the staff and contest committee.
  • To the extent permitted by law, RWA will track and analyze all submitted scores. In the event there is a concern that a judge’s scores are out of compliance with the rubric or constitute a violation of RWA’s Anti-Discrimination policy, the judge may be contacted for more information. If the explanation given is unsatisfactory, RWA reserves the right to remove an entrant from the Golden Heart and Diamond Heart Awards contest and/or the future judging pool. These decisions will be made by RWA staff. Decisions can be appealed to the RWA Board.

Approximate Deadlines (2025-2026)

  • Wednesday, October 1, 2025: Judge sign-ups close. Last day for judges to complete training and testing.

  • Wednesday, October 15, 2025: An initial entry cap will be announced based on the number of accepted judges.

  • Wednesday, October 22, 2025: The contest opens at 11 a.m. CT. Members and non-members may submit one entry at this time. Entries will be placed on a waitlist if the initial entry cap is met.

  • Wednesday, November 12, 2025: Both member and non-member entrants may enter a second book if the final entry cap has not been met at 11 a.m. CT. All entrants may enter up to 2 books in total (if space allows).

  • Monday, December 15, 2025: The first round of judging will open, and books will be sent to the judges for evaluation.

  • Monday, January 26, 2026: Round one scores due to RWA Office.

  • Monday, February 16, 2026: The second round of judging will open, and books will be sent to the judges for evaluation.

  • Monday, March 30, 2026: Round two scores due to RWA Office.

  • Monday, April 20, 2026: Emails and phone calls to notify finalists will commence. Release of official finalist list on RWA’s website by 2 p.m. CT.

  • Monday, April 27, 2026: The Third round of judging will open, and books will be sent to the judges for evaluation.

  • Monday June 8, 2026: Round three scores due to RWA Office.

    The dates in here are approximations and may be adjusted at any time. If changes happen they will be posted to the official Golden Heart and Diamond Heart Awards websites.

Judge Eligibility by Round

Round 1

Individuals who fall under the following categories whose application has been submitted and accepted are eligible to judge the first round if they have completed and passed the required DEI, sensitivity, and Round One rubric trainings:

  • RWA General Members
  • RWA Associate-Writer Members
  • Non-RWA member authors who have published in romance fiction within the past five years, do not work for a publisher or agency, and do not acquire works of romance fiction.
  • Book reviewers who have published critiques of at least three works of romance fiction within the year before the contest open date, have an established platform or contribute to an established platform such as a personal blog or social media or YouTube account dedicated to posting reviews. Reviewers who post solely on platforms such as Goodreads, BookBub, NetGalley, online retailers, or similar are not eligible.
  • Booksellers and Librarians who are currently employed at a bookstore or library or have been employed at a bookstore within three years before the contest open date.
  • Professional critics paid by a media corporation (e.g., The New York Times, Library Journal, etc.) for critiques and have had three published critiques of romance fiction within the year before the contest open date.

Individuals who fall under the following categories whose application has been submitted and accepted are eligible to judge the second round so long as they have completed the required DEI, general sensitivity, and Round Two rubric training:

  • RWA General Members
  • Non-RWA member authors who have published in romance fiction within the past five years, do not work for a publisher or agency, and do not acquire works of romance fiction.
  • Book reviewers who have published critiques of at least three works of romance fiction within the year before the contest open date, have an established platform or contribute to an established platform such as a personal blog or social media or YouTube account dedicated to posting reviews. Reviewers who post solely on platforms such as Goodreads, BookBub, NetGalley, online retailers, or similar are not eligible.
  • Booksellers and Librarians who are currently employed at a bookstore or library or have been employed at a bookstore within three years before the contest open date.
  • Highly qualified judges from rounds one and two who have demonstrated a breadth of knowledge of genre romance.
  • Professional critics paid by a media corporation (e.g., The New York Times, Library Journal, etc.) for critiques and have had three published critiques of romance fiction within the year before the contest open date.

Individuals who fall under the following categories whose application has been submitted and accepted are eligible to judge the second round so long as they have completed the required DEI, general sensitivity, and Round Three rubric training.

  • Book reviewers who have published critiques of at least three works of romance fiction within the year before the contest open date, have an established platform or contribute to an established platform such as a personal blog or social media or YouTube account dedicated to posting reviews. Reviewers who post solely on platforms such as Goodreads, BookBub, NetGalley, online retailers, or similar are not eligible.
  • Booksellers and Librarians who are currently employed at a bookstore or library or have been employed at a bookstore within three years before the contest open date.
  • Professional critics paid by a media corporation (e.g., The New York Times, Library Journal, etc.) for critiques and have had three published critiques of romance fiction within the year before the contest open date.
  • Freelance editors, book coaches, creative writing educators who teach genre romance.
  • Highly qualified judges from rounds one and two who have demonstrated a breadth of knowledge of genre romance.

The final round judges will evaluate works from different categories.

Judging Criteria By Round

Round 1

The purpose of this first round is to establish a minimum standard for submissions. Judges will receive the entire work and answer six yes/no questions.

  • Does it have a central love story?
  • Does it have an HEA or HFN?
  • Does the entry fit the category?
  • Overall Quality: Was the reader engaged throughout the work?
  • Should this work progress to the next round?
  • Is the work free of problematic content?

The purpose of Round Two is to narrow the entrants to the finalists. There are 10 areas to be scored and 1 yes/no question per entry.

  • Opening
  • Characters
  • Romance and Plot
  • Climax
  • Pacing
  • Dialogue
  • World Building
  • Authorial Voice
  • Mechanics
  • Overall Impression
  • Is the work free of problematic content?

The purpose of Round Three is to select the winners. There are 5 areas to be scored and 1 yes/no question per entry.

  • Resonance of Theme and Content
  • Emotional Impact and Reader Engagement
  • Quality of Writing
  • Originality and Innovation
  • Cultural Impact
  • Is the work free of problematic content?