# Question about a writers award-Is it legit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 3, 2026, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124 "2026-08-03T17:57:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/1 "2026-08-03T17:57:29Z")
A couple of writers have contacted me about a book award supposedly using AI to pick winners. It can be found here: [Book Awards for Authors That Are Actually Honest — BookyAwards](https://www.bookyawards.com/), and they do charge an entry fee. They have six judges that supposed have backgrounds and a marvelous portrait…but all six judges are totally AI. Is this for real, so to speak? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/2 "2026-08-03T18:04:35Z")
I don’t see how it could possibly be legit. From their site: > [@](#): > > One of six specialist AI judges read your book, evaluate it across ten craft axes, and award a Booky in the category your book genuinely earns. Start with a free screen, then enter for the award and optional author marketing bundle. As near as I can tell, every book gets an award, you just have to pay for it. And, from “how it works”: > [@](#): > > Our judges read the opening of the book for evaluation; you don’t need to extract anything yourself. There is some wiggle room that a book might not qualify, but by all signs it’s a case of “you get what you pay for.” Edit: oh, man, and check out their page about their judges. It makes my skin crawl. > **[Meet the Judges](https://www.bookyawards.com/judges)** > > AI-judged book awards. Every entry receives an honest, category-specific Booky based on what's genuinely strong about the book — or your money back if our judges can’t award one in good conscience. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/3 "2026-08-03T18:10:10Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > > or your money back if our judges can’t award one in good conscience. Now there’s a good contest! See who can submit a book so bad they actually refuse to give you an award. The prize is you get your money back! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/4 "2026-08-03T18:14:16Z")
Is there anything online about this particular “award” that isn’t from their own website? I can’t seem to find anything about them. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/5 "2026-08-03T18:26:07Z")
The only mentions I can find are from people bragging about winning one, which is deeply pitiful. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/6 "2026-08-03T18:37:09Z")
Sounds like a scam. And it won’t be well judged. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/7 "2026-08-03T18:39:13Z")
Oh my God, they actually gave the “judges” AI slop pictures and fake names. Holy fuck. I’m actually temped to submit two books. One will be one of my actual novels, and the other will be something I get an AI to write, which I’ll ensure will be fucking awful. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/8 "2026-08-03T18:41:06Z")
Still need some independent confirmation. New authors are (by nature) mostly largely trustful when others seeming in an authoritative position tell said authors that are the bees knees. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/9 "2026-08-03T20:04:42Z")
Sounds like an updated version of paying to get into _Who’s Who_. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/10 "2026-08-03T20:32:58Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Oh my God, they actually gave the “judges” AI slop pictures and fake names. Holy fuck. The quotes from them are especially painful. I laughed that the first judge has a nickname. Who calls her that? The other AI judges? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/11 "2026-08-03T22:17:27Z")
The [Writer Beware](https://writerbeware.blog/) site that was spawned by science fiction writers has always made a point that any contest that charges an entry fee is probably a scam. I checked Amazon and the six judges had a total of one self-published novel. Run. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/12 "2026-08-03T23:19:40Z")
Who sponsors this shit, FIFA? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/13 "2026-08-04T01:52:15Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Still need some independent confirmation. Why? _You_ can’t find any independent confirmation that it’s legit. If you can’t find confirmation, how do you expect anyone else to? Our Google skillz are the same as yours. > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The [Writer Beware](https://writerbeware.blog/) site that was spawned by science fiction writers has always made a point that any contest that charges an entry fee is probably a scam. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/14 "2026-08-04T02:10:48Z")
Considering that everyone considers AI generated material to be crappy at best and incomprehensible at worst, do you really want AI to evaluate the work into which you’ve poured your heart, soul and time? And what could be worse than to have AI tell you your work is so bad it’s refunding your entry fee? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/15 "2026-08-04T02:18:29Z")
There are legitimate book awards that charge an entry fee, just as there are legitimate publication opportunities and contests for poems, stories, and essays that have a fee. There are many that aren’t kosher. I suggest checking with an entity like Authors Guild with your question. I myself have a 🤨 🤨 🤨 response to AI “judges.” ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/16 "2026-08-04T06:22:18Z")
FWIW, the mailing address on their website is a Staples store. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/17 "2026-08-04T06:36:59Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Who sponsors this shit, FIFA? No, more likely sponsored by the orange-hued recipient of the FIFA Peace Prize, who has his tiny hands in so many different scams that it’s hard to keep track. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/18 "2026-08-04T07:20:03Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Authors Guild I just asked Copilot whether it was legit…and this thread was the primary info source. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/19 "2026-08-04T12:26:10Z")
It’s at least as legit as "Who’s Who Among American High School Students: > **[Who's Who Among American High School Students](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who%27s_Who_Among_American_High_School_Students)** > > Who's Who Among American High School Students was a Who's Who-style web site and publication owned and managed by Educational Communications Inc. that listed what it claimed were high school students "who have excelled in academics, extracurricular activities and community service." The website shut down in November 2007 due to the bankruptcy of its parent firm. Who's Who Among American High School Students compiled and published an annual edition in which students' names and achievements are li... ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124/20 "2026-08-04T12:29:10Z")
> [@susan](#): > > There are legitimate book awards that charge an entry fee I assume they don’t say “We’ll make you an award or your money back” on their page like the “Booky Awards” do: > No award we’d be embarrassed to publish. Refund if our judges can’t find one to stand behind. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-writers-award-is-it-legit/1032124.md?page=2)