gateway to the best

2020 Winners

MORWA congratulates all entrants to the Gateway contest. 

single title/
contemporary series/romantic suspense

Final round judge: 
Rachel Gilmer, Editor, Sourcebooks

1st Place - Cloud Tide 
by Jenny Devon
2nd Place - West Texas Heat  
by Denise Huddle
3rd Place - Don’t Start Now 
by Tara September

HISTORICAL

FINAL ROUND JUDGE:
MICHELE GRAJKOWSKI, AGENT, THREE SEAS LITERARY AGENCY

1st Place - The Brewery Bargain
 by Esme Cooper
2nd Place - Baby and the Bank Robber 
by Candace Lucas
3rd Place - The Captain’s Kidnapped Bride  
by Abby Rice

Paranormal/
Fantasy/Time Travel/Alternate Reality

final round judge: 
Amy Acosta, Editor, Entangled Publishing

1st Place - Star Crossed 
by Geneva Fox
2nd Place - Kiss of Life and Death 
by Elle McKay
3rd Place - Mind Crime by Elle Keen

WOMEN'S FICTION

FINAL ROUND JUDGE:
JOSETTE ARTHUR, EDITOR, 
WILD ROSE PRESS

1st Place - All the After 
by Vicki Volden
2nd Place - Lost and Found Heart 
by Kate Lutter
3rd Place - A Safe Distance 
by Bernadette Walsh

Grand Prize Winner:  A Safe Distance by Bernadette Walsh

what is the gateway to the best?

A contest for unpublished and self-published authors
The annual Gateway to the Best contest is open to anyone not published since July 30, 2017 and self-published authors with any work that has not at any time been published or self-published. MORWA will consider any work available for purchase online or in print at any time, up through the conclusion of the contest, to be published and ineligible. 

 You do not need to be a member of RWA® to enter this contest.

Open to the public.

** All information on this web page is subject to the Official Rules of this contest.

View Official Rules

Gateway to the best categories

single title/
contemporary series/romantic suspense

Final round judge: 
Rachel Gilmer, Editor, Sourcebooks

A novel set between 1950 and the present that primarily focuses on a romantic relationship overcoming conflicts to reach a satisfying romantic conclusion. A contemporary single title romance generally exceeds 70,000 words and is targeted for release as a stand-alone novel. A contemporary series romance generally has between 40,000 and 70,000 words and meets the requirements of existing publisher series, like the many Harlequin series lines. Romantic Suspense must be a novel in which mystery, suspense, thriller, or action and adventure elements create or contribute to the main conflicts to be overcome in the satisfying resolution of the romance.

 Submit a Single Title 
Contest Entry Now
historical

Final Round Judge:
Michele Grajkowski, Agent, Three Seas Literary Agency

A novel set in any time period prior to 1950 wherein the historically appropriate conflicts result in a satisfying resolution of the romance. Historical romances may use real historic locations or completely imaginary historic locations (for example, a fictional island kingdom off England's coast), but they use minimal (if any) magical, paranormal, fantastic, or fictional scientific elements. For example, a ghost story set in an otherwise historically and scientifically accurate Victorian England would be classified as an historical romance but a steampunk romance would not.

Submit a Historical
Contest Entry Now
Paranormal/
Fantasy/Time Travel/Alternate Reality

final round judge: 
Amy Acosta, Editor, Entangled Publishing

A novel (taking place in an alternate reality present or past, fantasy, or futuristic setting) in which magical, paranormal, fantastical, or science fiction elements (such as preternatural characters, imaginary creatures, magic powers, and fictional technology) create or contribute to the main conflicts to be overcome in the satisfying resolution of the romance.

Submit a Paranormal
Contest Entry Now
women's fiction

final round judge:
Josette Arthur, Editor, 
Wild Rose Press

A novel (in any tone, style, or time period) told mostly, if not completely, from a female's point of view in which a woman's journey to understand her life or rediscover herself is the primary plot but where overcoming or dealing with a romantic conflict is integral to the story's satisfying resolution.

Submit a Women's Fiction
Contest Entry Now
novella

Final round judge:
Lauren Blecher, Agent, 
Fine Print Literary Management

A novella has a targeted word count of between 17.500 and 40,000 and can be in any category listed above. Please note that novellas also need to conform to the same romantic journey as listed in the book-length categories for this contest. 

Submit a Novella
Contest Entry Now
New/young adult

Final round judge: 
Tia Mele, Agent, 
Talcott Notch Literary Services

Novels about young adults, emphasizing their growth as they overcome conflict. The typical character is 15-21 years old and the plot may or may not include a romantic relationship. Good examples: Harry Potter, Twilight, The Vampire Diaries. Completed word count of 60-90,000 words. Example target imprints: Harper, Teen Dial Group/Penguin, St. Martin's Press, Little, Brown.

Submit a New/Young Adult
Contest Entry Now

prizes

Grand Prize:
$100 cash

First, second, and third places are awarded in each category.  See official rules for category winner prizes and judging calculation methods.

View Official Rules

schedule & deadlines

The Gateway to the Best contest will open for entry submission on August 10, 2020. 

Entries must be RECEIVED not later than 11:59 pm CDT September 12, 2020.

First Round Finalists Announced on/about: November 2, 2020. 

Final Judging Results Announced on/about: November 23, 2020.

judging criteria

Each entry will be judged by three experienced judges with the lowest of the three scores dropped from the final tabulations. 
 Judges will be encouraged to write comments on both the score sheet and manuscript.

View Judge's 
Score Sheet

submission package

The Gateway to the Best Contest is an electronic format only contest. Please read the official rules prior to completing the submission process. 

Manuscripts must be in Word .doc, .docx (preferred) or standard .rtf (rich text format) only. We will reject entries that do not conform to one of these formats.

View Official Rules

here are some of our frequently asked questions

HOW DO YOU CHECK THE WORD COUNT I SUBMITTED?

We use the word count feature in our word processing software when we first review your manuscript.  

We have found instances in which documents converted from Mac Pages to .docx format has increased the word count between the two programs.

WHAT IF MY WORD COUNT IS OVER 7,000 WORDS?

Accidents happen.  The contest or category coordinator has the option of contacting the author and asking for the submission file to be fixed, letting the manuscript pass on to the judges as is, modifying the manuscript themselves, or refusing to accept the entry. 

 Please note that refusing the entry because of incorrect word count does not justify a refund of entry fees.

SHOULD I SEND A SYNOPSIS WITH MY MANUSCRIPT?

Please don't send a synopsis.  

The Gateway to the Best contest asks our judges to look at your story the same way most readers do - by sitting down with the first 25 or so pages and reading them.

We don't want the judge to be influenced by the story your synopsis reveals, but by the writing you provide them.

If you do include a synopsis, we will remove it from the file before forwarding your ms to the judges.

IF YOU'VE READ THE OFFICIAL RULES, LOOKED OVER THE SCORE SHEET AND STILL HAVE QUESTIONS...
Send us a message!