Monarch Educational Services · Clean Reads Recognition Program
Honoring Clean Reads That Shine
With Excellence
A premium literary recognition program created to celebrate books that are both beautifully written and safe for families, educators, librarians, and homeschool communities to trust.
★ Safe Shelf Certified · Reader Trusted · Author Honored ★
Clean Reads Excellence · Safe Shelf Certified · Literary Recognition With Integrity · Trusted by Families, Educators & Librarians
Why This Matters
A trusted place to celebrate literature readers can welcome home with confidence
In a world overflowing with reading options, families, educators, librarians, and homeschool communities are asking one essential question: can we trust the contents are clean and age-appropriate? The Monarch Compass Awards were created to honor books that do more than entertain. They protect innocence, uphold integrity, and still deliver literary power.
Our Mission
We are here to champion Clean Reads authors, strengthen reader communities who want a safe place to land, and elevate literature that truly shines with excellence. When a title earns Safe Shelf Certified approval and wins a Monarch Compass Award, it becomes a marker of trust for the shelf.
Overview of the Process
A clear, consistent process 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.
Safe Shelf Certified Review
Each title is screened for Clean Reads alignment and safe shelf suitability for homes, classrooms, and libraries before it can advance.
Compass Judging
Eligible titles are judged for storytelling craft, clarity, reader impact, and overall excellence within their award category.
Award Categories
Built around the Monarch brand and reader journey
The awards recognize Clean Reads across children’s, middle grade, young adult, adult fiction, adult nonfiction, debut excellence, reader-voted distinction, and the program’s top overall honor.
Caterpillar
Caterpillar Compass Award
For children’s Clean Reads literature intended for grades K to 5.
Chrysalis
Chrysalis Compass Award
For middle grade Clean Reads literature intended for grades 6 to 8.
Monarch
Monarch Compass Award
For young adult Clean Reads literature intended for teen readers.
Bloom
Bloom Compass Award
For adult Clean Reads fiction.
Nectar
Nectar Compass Award
For adult Clean Reads nonfiction.
Debut
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 Vote
Reader’s Champion Award
A reader-vote recognition selected during the finalist period. Titles must be official finalists to be eligible.
Top Honor
True North Book of the Year
The highest honor of the Monarch Compass Awards, selected from the top category winners and not entered directly.
Integrity
Judged With Care
Judges follow a conflict of interest policy and do not evaluate submissions where a relationship could compromise fairness.
Fees & Dates
Clear entry pricing with a strong professional structure
Entry fees support Safe Shelf Certified screening, rubric-based judging, production and shipping of medals, sticker packs and digital seals, podcast and website promotion, and the administrative work required to run a high-quality awards program with integrity.
Early Butterfly Entry
One category entry during the Early Butterfly period.
Add $20 to enter the First in Flight Compass Award for a debut title.
Regular Entry
One category entry during the regular submission window.
Add $20 to enter the First in Flight Compass Award for a debut title.
Suggested Flow
A polished timeline for the awards cycle
The Monarch Compass Awards follow a clear, professional process designed to honor Clean Reads with both integrity and excellence. From submission through finalist recognition and the final awards announcement, each stage is structured to create trust for authors, readers, and the broader Clean Reads community.
Authors may begin entering eligible 2025 titles into the Monarch Compass Awards program.
The discounted Early Butterfly entry period closes after June 1, 2026.
All entries and required materials must be submitted by the final deadline.
Official finalists are revealed and move into the next stage of celebration and visibility.
Readers vote for the Reader’s Champion Award during the finalist period.
Winners are officially announced and celebrated through the Monarch Compass Awards recognition cycle.
Eligibility
Built on reader trust from the very beginning
Eligible titles must be first published in 2025. Traditional and self-published works are welcome. 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.
- Eligible titles must meet Safe Shelf Certified standards to advance to Compass Judging.
- Authors affirm that the submitted title meets Safe Shelf Certified standards and that any content considerations have been disclosed honestly.
- Entry fees are nonrefundable.
How to Enter
- Step 1: Pay the entry fee using the PayPal link on the entry page.
- Step 2: Complete the Monarch Compass Awards Entry Form.
- The PayPal email should match the entry form email whenever possible.
- If a different PayPal email must be used, include the transaction ID and note the difference in the form.
Safe Shelf Certified
Every recognized title points readers toward a trusted shelf
Safe Shelf Certified means the submitted title is appropriate for a Clean Reads audience and aligns with a safe shelf experience for homes, classrooms, and libraries. Meaningful literature can address real life, but this standard protects the reader through excellence with restraint, integrity, and care.
Recognition Package
Meaningful benefits for winners and finalists
The Monarch Compass Awards are designed to elevate Clean Reads excellence and expand visibility for authors through beautiful, useful recognition.
What Winners Receive
- A shipped Monarch Compass Awards medal and award certificate
- Official Winner seal and digital badge pack for web, social, and print
- Sticker pack for packaging and promotions
- Podcast promo feature
- Winner spotlight across Monarch platforms, including website and newsletter
- Recognition during the Monarch Compass Awards livestreamed virtual ceremony, with a replay link and shareable graphics provided for promotion
What Finalists Receive
- Official Finalist seal and digital badge pack with digital finalist certificate
- Finalist recognition on the Monarch Compass Awards website and social platforms
- A chance to enter the voting round for the Reader’s Champion Award
- Recognition during the Monarch Compass Awards livestreamed virtual ceremony, with a replay link and shareable graphics provided for promotion
For Authors
Do you have a Clean Reads book that deserves trusted recognition?
The Monarch Compass Awards were built to honor authors readers can trust and books communities can proudly place on the shelf. Enter your title, preserve your integrity, and let your work shine with excellence.
Enter the Awards Email Questions“The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”
Proverbs 4:18 KJV