15 Notable Self-Published Nonfiction Book Contests

You’re sitting in an auditorium. The host taps the microphone with their finger, tests it. They say, “And the winner of this year’s nonfiction book award is…” you! Once you have published a book, you have the opportunity to submit it to numerous book contests to help spread the word about your amazing new product. And sometimes, you might even be able to exit that contest with cash, recognition, and even some real concrete sales as a result.

Book awards are a fantastic way of gaining external validation. If you place in a contest, you’ll be able to share this exciting new announcement with your fans and even convince new followers to invest in a now-validated product. As long as you are choosing to submit to a book award that you truly believe in, I recommend that you take the leap and submit your book for award consideration.

Book awards are often category-specific, meaning you have the opportunity to place in your own niche like Self-Help, Christian, Health, Fitness & Dieting, and more, but with a few awards, you can also be in contention for the award’s biggest prize: best nonfiction book of the year. Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

There are a number of awards that self-published authors can submit to, but there are also a few that I would not recommend. In order to help you with the submitting process, I’ve compiled my fifteen favorite nonfiction book contests that are available to self-published authors. Click through their websites, find their guidelines, discover what the winners get, pay a fee, and submit a physical or digital book. 

Good luck!

Nonfiction Book Contests for Self-Published Authors:

1. IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards
   • https://www.ibpabenjaminfranklinaward.com/
2. National Indie Excellence
   • https://www.indieexcellence.com/
3. Next Generation Indie Book Awards
   • https://indiebookawards.com/
4. Foreword Indies
   • https://www.forewordreviews.com/awards/
5. Illumination Book Awards
   • Christian
   • http://www.illuminationawards.com/
6. Ippy Awards
   • http://www.ippyawards.com/
7. Elit Awards
   • http://www.elitawards.com/faqs.php
8. Axiom Business Book Awards
   • www.Axiomawards.com
9. Living Now Book Awards
   • http://www.livingnowawards.com/
10. Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards
    • Paperback: https://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions/self-published-book-awards
    • Ebook: https://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions/self-published-ebook-awards
11. Nautilus Book Awards
    • http://nautilusbookawards.com/
12. Royal Dragonfly 
    • https://www.dragonflybookawards.com/royal-dragonfly
13. Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Award 
    • https://shelfmediagroup.com/competitions/
14. Book Excellence Awards 
    • https://www.bookexcellenceawards.com/home
15. Cipa Evvy Awards
    • https://cipabooks.com/cipa-evvy-awards/