This page explains how to enter the Monarch Compass Awards, including fees, categories, eligibility, Safe Shelf Certified standards, and submission steps.
Overview of the Process
The Monarch Compass Awards exist to celebrate literature that readers can trust and authors can feel proud to stand behind. Our process is designed to be clear, consistent, and worthy of the work it honors. Every submission is first reviewed through Safe Shelf Certified standards to ensure Clean Reads alignment. Approved titles then move into Compass Judging, where they are evaluated for excellence in storytelling and overall reader experience. From these category winners, True North Book of the Year is selected as the program’s top honor.
Fees & Dates
Entry fees
Early Butterfly Entry: $47.00
Regular Entry: $77.00
Key dates
Submissions open: March 1, 2026
Early butterfly ends: June 1, 2026
Submissions close: November 1, 2026
Finalists announced: February 1, 2027
Reader’s Champion Vote: February 1, 2027 – February 14, 2027
Winners announced: February 27, 2027
Why is there an entry fee?
Entry fees support Safe Shelf Certified screening, rubric-based judging, production and shipping of Monarch Compass Awards medals to winners, sticker packs and digital seals to winners, podcast and website promotion packet, and the administrative work required to run a high-quality awards program with integrity.
| Clean Reads Categories Accepted: | Description: |
| Caterpillar Compass Award | For children’s Clean Reads literature intended for grades K to 5. |
| Chrysalis Compass Award | For middle grade Clean Reads literature intended for grades 6 to 8. |
| Monarch Compass Award | For young adult Clean Reads literature intended for teen readers. |
| Bloom Compass Award | For adult Clean Reads fiction. |
| Nectar Compass Award | For adult Clean Reads nonfiction. |
| First in Flight Compass Award | Recognizing a first published book by a debut author that demonstrates excellence, originality, and strong storytelling in Clean Reads. |
| Reader’s Champion Award | A reader-vote recognition selected during the finalist period. Titles must be official finalists to be eligible. |
| True North Book of the Year | The highest honor of the Monarch Compass Awards. True North is selected from the top category winners and is not entered directly. |
Eligibility
Eligible titles must be first published in 2025. Traditional and self-published works are welcome.
Titles must meet Safe Shelf Certified standards to advance to Compass Judging.
Re-releases, revised editions, and previously published titles are not eligible unless the book is a substantially new work with a new 2025 publication date.
The Monarch Compass Awards are built on reader trust. Every entry must meet Safe Shelf Certified standards before it advances to Compass Judging. Safe Shelf Certified means the title is appropriate for a Clean Reads audience and aligns with a safe shelf experience for homes, classrooms, and libraries.
Safe Shelf Certified confirms that the submitted title does not include:
- Profanity or vulgar language
- Explicit sexual content of any kind
- Graphic or gratuitous violence
- Content designed to eroticize, degrade, or exploit
- Other material that would compromise a family-friendly reading experience
We recognize that meaningful literature can address real life. Safe Shelf Certified is not a call for shallow storytelling. It is a commitment to excellence with restraint, integrity, and care for the reader.
Author affirmation
By submitting, you affirm that your entry meets Safe Shelf Certified standards and that you have disclosed any content considerations honestly.
How to Enter
Step 1: Pay the Entry Fee:
Use the PayPal link below to submit your entry fee. Save your PayPal receipt or transaction ID.
Early Butterfly Entry (1 category): $47.00
Extra $20.00 to be entered into First in Flight Compass Award (total – $67.00)
Regular Entry (1 category): $77.00
Extra $20.00 to be entered into First in Flight Compass Award (total – $97.00)
*Important note about email matching
The email address you use when paying through PayPal must match the email address you enter on the Monarch Compass Awards Entry Form. This allows us to confirm payment quickly and accurately. If you must use a different PayPal email, please include your PayPal transaction ID in the form and note the difference in the payment confirmation field.
Step 2. Complete the Entry Form
After payment, complete the Monarch Compass Awards Entry Form using the link below. You will be asked to provide your PayPal receipt or transaction ID as confirmation.
Judging and integrity
The Monarch Compass Awards are judged using a consistent rubric designed to honor excellence in Clean Reads literature. Titles that pass Safe Shelf Certified screening advance to Compass Judging, where entries are evaluated for storytelling craft, clarity, reader impact, and overall excellence. Judges follow a conflict of interest policy and do not evaluate submissions where a relationship could compromise fairness. Our goal is simple: a credible award that readers can trust and authors can respect. We believe award-winning titles should be honored and celebrated. We will upheld professional and ethical standards when judging. Judging rubric highlights include craft, clarity, character development, world-building, reader impact, and excellence in Clean Reads storytelling.
What happens next
After you submit your entry fee and complete the Entry Form, you will see a confirmation message. Please keep your uploaded files accessible through the judging period. If we need clarification, we will contact you using the email address provided. Finalists and winners will be announced on the Monarch Compass Awards page and recognized during our Virtual Awards Ceremony.
Entry fees are nonrefundable. If a title is disqualified during Safe Shelf Certified screening, the entry is not eligible for judging. No refunds will be given.