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The Golden Heart Awards will begin in September 2025 with judge recruitment and training. Submissions will open in November 2025. Winners will be announced during an in-person awards ceremony at the RWA2026 Annual Conference, with the location to be determined. Please keep checking the website for updates and important announcements.

Purpose

The Golden Heart Awards recognize authors who have mastered the craft of romance writing and showcase their talent and creativity in producing romances that are equitable and inclusive and are exemplary models of the romance genre. We celebrate the power of the romance genre with its central message of hope and love, because romance is for everyone.

Vision

Envisioning a celebration of romance in its myriad forms, we aspire to recognize, honor, and elevate the craft of romance writing in all its diversity, inclusivity, and equity. Through the Golden Heart Awards, we aim to recognize and honor those storytellers who beautifully weave narratives of love and hope, breaking barriers and embracing all shades of the human experience. We champion authors whose writing redefines the contours of the romance genre, contributing to a literary world where “happily ever afters”  or “happy for nows” are for everyone. Our vision is to illuminate the power of romantic narratives that transcend differences, foster connections, and inspire hope, while ensuring the rich tapestry of our collective experiences is reflected and respected in every romantic tale we celebrate.

Golden Heart Entries

  • Entry to the Golden Heart Awards is open to RWA members who have not accepted a publishing contract for, or self-published, a work of original fictional narrative prose of 20,000 words or more under any pen name.
  • Entry must not have finaled in whole or part into previous contests for unpublished works administered by the RWA national organization (e.g., the VIVIAN or past Golden Heart Award contests).
  • By entering the Golden Heart Award Contest, entrants agree to hold their manuscript from publication until after the announcement of the winners.
  • Finalists cannot enter the same manuscript in the Golden Heart competition again. Doing so will result in disqualification, and the entrant will be barred from entering the Golden Heart competition the following year.
  • Entries previously entered in the Golden Heart Awards will not be disqualified from the 2025 Golden Heart Contest, provided the entry did not final in any past RWA administered contests for unpublished works (e.g., the VIVIAN or previous Golden Heart Awards).
  • Golden Heart entries must be full manuscripts submitted as a single PDF file.
  • The work must be completed and ready to be submitted to an agent/editor or self-published.

Format

  • The body of each document must be double-spaced with 1” margins on all sides.
  • Standard font (example: Arial or Times New Roman); Font size 12.
  • The manuscript title and page numbers must appear in the headers (top of page) on every page of the complete manuscript.
  • Other than the author’s name, which may (at the author’s discretion) appear in the header on the full manuscript, no other personal identifying information (such as address, email, or phone number) may be included on the entry.