Next Generation Indie Book Awards

The 2025 Next Generation Indie Book Awards is open to all indie book authors and publishers including independent publishers (small, medium or otherwise), university presses, self-published authors, e-book authors, seasoned authors and even first time authors in the U.S., Canada or internationally who have a book, a manuscript, or a galley proof written in English and published in 2023, 2024 or 2025 or with a 2023, 2024 or 2025 copyright date.

All Winners and Finalists for the 2024 awards will be announced mid-May. Only the Winners and Finalists will be notified by email of their placement. Please check our website at the end of May for a complete list of all Winners and Finalists for 2024! We recommend following us on our social media platforms for updates.

How To Enter the Next Generation Indie Book Awards

All books must be received in our offices by February 13, 2025

1 Select the category or categories you wish to enter

Select the category or categories you wish to enter, based on which category most applies to your book or to your marketing strategies. You may enter as many categories as you like.

Categories are listed here

Note: Two copies of the book must be sent for the first category entered and one additional copy of the book for each additional category entered. For example, if you enter three categories, you must send four copies of the book in total (two for the first category, one for the second category and one for the third category).

2 Complete the online entry process

You can complete the entry form online by following the guidelines below.

Note: Only one entry form is required regardless of the number of categories you wish to enter. However, if you wish to enter more than one title, you must complete a different entry form for each title.

If you are entering an e-book, you can enter completely online by following the steps indicated on the online entry form for e-books.

ONLINE ENTRY GUIDELINES

The easiest and most efficient way to enter the 2025 Next Generation Indie Book Awards is by completing the online entry form and paying online with a credit card through PayPal. Submitting an entry requires an IBA Account, which will allow you to manage your entries and personal information.

There are four simple steps to complete your online entry:

1. Create/login to your IBA Account

2. Fill out and submit the Online Entry Form

3. Pay the entry fee(s) through PayPal

If you pay by credit card, the charge on your credit card statement will either show up as IBPPG or Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group.

Note: After you submit payment for your online entry, you will receive an email from info@indiebookawards.com with important entry details. Please ensure you add info@indiebookawards.com to your address book so you can receive emails from us including an email notifying you if you win or place as a finalist in the awards program.

IMPORTANT: We have had people miss the awards ceremony because their winning email went into their spam folder. Make sure to whitelist us!

4. Submit your books

By Mail Or Courier

Send a copy of the "Important Entry Confirmation Details" email, which will include your entry's title and author(s), together with two copies of your book for the first category (plus one additional copy of your book for each additional category entered) by no later than February 13, 2025 to:

Next Generation Indie Book Awards
7916 NE 173rd Ave.
Vancouver, WA 98682
USA

If you are shipping your books direct from your publisher or outside source, you do not need to email or mail your confirmation email to us. We will match up everything to your account once received and processed.

When mailing in copies of your books, please be sure to include the correct postage on the package. Incorrect postage could result in your package being returned to you resulting in delayed processing time and possibly missing the entry deadline date.

Please avoid sending book shipments requesting a signature. Requesting signatures for proof of delivery can cause a delay in receiving and processing your books.

We do not accept in-person book drop-offs. If sending in copies of your books, they should be sent by mail or courier.

Digital Uploads

Once you have paid for your entry/entries into the awards, you will be able to use your Account page to upload a copy of your book and avoid having to send your book in by mail.

When uploading your book digitally, if you choose to include the cover, it must be uploaded as a single file that includes the cover and contents. Uploading the file again will overwrite the previous upload. Uploads must be in PDF format only, no other formats are accepted. Please ensure your submission is not password protected.

Note: You can upload your book digitally to be judged in any category we offer. You only need to upload your book once for all categories you have entered. We do not accept email attachments for book submissions. If you choose the upload method, you do not need to send in print copies as well.

If you enter one of the two e-book categories and additional categories and choose to send in print books, you would also be required to upload your book digitally for the e-book category. When submitting your book digitally, you do not need to forward your confirmation email separately to us. The upload will automatically connect to your account.

Entering your book into the Series category

The Series category is the only category that must be entered on its own. If you want to enter the Series category and submit only one book in the series in another category or categories, you will need to enter the one book title in a separate paid entry for the other category or categories. The correct number of books will need to be submitted in accordance with our entry guidelines.

When entering the Series category, you must enter the complete series with a minimum of 3 books in the series. At least one of the books in the series will need to be within the current awards year copyright and release dates. The correct number of complete sets of the series will need to be sent in accordance with our entry guidelines.

You can upload books digitally in the Series category by following the same procedure as above for uploading your book digitally. You will be able to upload each book individually within the series as separate files.

OFFLINE ENTRY

While entering and paying online is the easiest and quickest way to enter your book into the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, we also offer an offline option. Entering offline still requires you to create an account in order to access the Enter with Offline Payment form and upload your book(s).

Offline entry instructions

3 Arrange payment of entry fee

The 2025 entry fee is $75 per title for the first category entered, and $60 for each additional category entered.

For example, if you enter one book in one category, the total fee is $75. However, if you enter one book in three categories, the total fee is $195 ($75 for the first category plus $60 for the second category plus $60 for the third category).

The easiest and most efficient way to pay the entry fee is to pay directly online using PayPal or a credit card via PayPal. After submitting your entry or entries to the awards program, you will be able to pay for your entries individually or all at once from within your IBA Account.

Alternatively, you can pay the entry fee by sending in a company check, cashier's check, or an International Money Order (to be cashed within Canada) made payable to Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group in US dollars when you send in your books with a copy of the completed entry form. Personal checks are not accepted. All prizes will be paid out via PayPal.

4 Send completed entry form, entry fees and books by no later than February 13, 2025

Whether you enter online or offline, ensure that the items to complete your entry are sent for receipt by no later than February 13, 2025 to: