Why Manuscript Formatting Matters for Award Judges
You've spent months—maybe years—crafting your novel. The story is tight, the dialogue sings, the character arcs land. Then you upload it to an award platform and wonder: does formatting even matter?
It does. Not because judges are pedantic, but because poor formatting creates friction. Inconsistent fonts, wild line spacing, or mangled chapter breaks force judges to work harder to evaluate your prose. They're reading dozens of manuscripts. Clean formatting removes obstacles and lets your writing speak.
When you submit to award-winning fiction competitions—whether it's BookyAwards or a traditional contest—formatting signals professionalism. It tells the judge: "I took this seriously." That matters, especially for self-published authors competing alongside traditionally published work.
The Technical Formatting Standards Judges Expect
Font and Size
Use a serif font for the manuscript body. Times New Roman, Garamond, or Calibri are industry standards. Font size should be 12pt—no smaller. Judges need to read comfortably for hours.
Why serif? It's easier on the eyes in long reading sessions. Sans-serif fonts (Arial, Helvetica) are fine for headers and front matter, but body text should be serif.
Avoid: Comic Sans, Courier, or anything decorative. These read as amateurish and slow down the judge's evaluation.
Line Spacing and Margins
Double-space your manuscript. This is the golden rule. Double spacing makes it easy for judges (and agents, and editors) to read and annotate. It also gives the text room to breathe.
Margins should be 1 inch on all sides. This is standard across publishing. Wider margins look sparse; narrower margins feel cramped.
Quick check: If your manuscript looks like a wall of text, you need more white space. Judges read faster and retain better with proper spacing.
Paragraph Indentation and Spacing
Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches. Do not add extra space between paragraphs—the indent is your paragraph break signal.
Exception: Scene breaks (indicated by a centered # or asterisks) should have a blank line above and below.
Use a single space after periods, not two. This is modern standard. Two spaces after periods is a typewriter holdover and dates your manuscript.
Headers and Chapter Breaks
Center your chapter headings. Use the same font as the body, but you can bold it or increase the size slightly (14pt is fine). Keep it simple: "Chapter 1" or "Chapter One: The Beginning."
Start each chapter on a new page. Insert a page break (Ctrl+Return or Cmd+Return), not a series of line breaks. This keeps your manuscript file clean and prevents formatting shifts when judges open it on different devices.
Formatting the Front Matter
Title Page
Your title page should include:
- Book title (centered, bold, larger font—16pt or 18pt)
- Author name (centered, below title)
- Word count (centered, below author name)
- Genre (centered, below word count)
- Contact information (centered at bottom: email and phone)
Keep it clean. No graphics, no fancy fonts. The title page is your introduction—make it professional.
Copyright Page
Include a copyright page with your name, publication date, ISBN (if applicable), and a brief copyright notice. This is standard in published books and shows you understand industry norms.
Table of Contents
For longer manuscripts (especially non-fiction or memoirs), include a table of contents with chapter titles and page numbers. For novels under 100,000 words, it's optional—but doesn't hurt.
Formatting the Manuscript Body
Dialogue and Punctuation
Follow standard dialogue formatting:
- Dialogue goes in quotation marks.
- Dialogue tags ("she said," "he whispered") are lowercase unless they start a new sentence.
- Punctuation inside quotes: "Hello," she said. (Comma inside.)
- New speaker = new paragraph. Always.
Italicize internal monologue or thoughts. Example: What was he thinking?
Emphasis and Special Text
Use italics for emphasis, not underline or bold. Underline is outdated; bold should be reserved for headers.
Italicize:
- Book titles, movie titles, song titles
- Foreign words or phrases
- Internal thoughts
- Words you want to stress for rhythm
Scene Breaks and Section Dividers
Use a centered # symbol, three asterisks (***), or a single line break to indicate a scene change. Keep it consistent throughout. Don't use decorative symbols unless they're integral to your book's style.
File Format and File Naming
Save as PDF or DOCX
Most award platforms accept PDF or Word (.docx) files. PDF is safer because it preserves formatting across devices—no risk of font substitution or spacing shifts. However, many judges prefer DOCX because it's easier to annotate.
Best practice: Check the award's submission guidelines. If they don't specify, submit both formats, or ask support. When you submit to BookyAwards, the platform will guide you on accepted formats.
File Name
Name your file clearly: LastName_BookTitle_Manuscript.pdf
Avoid "Final_FINAL_FINAL_v3.pdf" or generic names like "Manuscript.pdf." A clear filename shows organization and makes the judge's job easier.
Common Formatting Mistakes to Avoid
- Inconsistent spacing: Don't mix single and double spacing. Don't add extra blank lines between paragraphs.
- Widow/orphan lines: Avoid leaving a single word or line at the top or bottom of a page. Adjust spacing or reflow text.
- Fancy fonts or colors: Stick to black text on white background. No exceptions.
- Multiple spaces between words: Use Find & Replace to clean these up. They're distracting.
- Tabs instead of indents: Use the indent function, not the Tab key. Tabs don't transfer cleanly between devices.
- Smart quotes vs. straight quotes: Use smart quotes (curly quotes). Straight quotes (typewriter style) look amateurish.
- Dashes: Use em dashes (—) for breaks, not hyphens or double hyphens. Example: "She walked in—and stopped cold."
- Headers in all caps: Avoid "CHAPTER ONE" or "THE BEGINNING." Use title case: "Chapter One: The Beginning."
Pre-Submission Formatting Checklist
Before you upload your manuscript, run through this checklist:
- ☐ Font is 12pt serif (Times New Roman, Garamond, Calibri)
- ☐ Manuscript is double-spaced
- ☐ Margins are 1 inch all around
- ☐ First line of each paragraph is indented 0.5 inches
- ☐ No extra space between paragraphs
- ☐ Chapter breaks start on new pages (page break, not line breaks)
- ☐ Chapter headers are centered and consistent
- ☐ Dialogue is formatted correctly (punctuation inside quotes)
- ☐ Italics used for emphasis, thoughts, and titles
- ☐ Scene breaks are centered and consistent
- ☐ Title page includes title, author, word count, genre, contact info
- ☐ File is saved as PDF or DOCX
- ☐ File name is clear and professional
- ☐ Manuscript has been spell-checked and proofread
- ☐ Smart quotes are used, not straight quotes
- ☐ Em dashes are used correctly
Why This Matters for Award-Winning Fiction
Judges evaluate award-winning fiction on craft: plot, character, dialogue, pacing, voice. But they can't fairly assess those elements if they're distracted by formatting issues. Clean formatting is invisible—it gets out of the way and lets your story shine.
When you submit to a platform like BookyAwards, the AI judge evaluates your manuscript against a published rubric that includes craft axes like dialogue, pacing, and originality. Proper formatting doesn't directly affect those scores, but it ensures the judge can read your work clearly and fairly.
Self-published authors especially benefit from tight formatting. You're competing for recognition without a traditional publisher's production team. Flawless formatting signals that you've invested in your work and understand professional standards.
Final Thoughts
Formatting isn't glamorous, but it's foundational. Spend an hour cleaning up your manuscript before submission. Use the checklist above, run a spell-check, and have a trusted reader scan for any formatting hiccups. Then upload with confidence.
Award-winning fiction starts with a great story, but it's delivered through professional presentation. Get the formatting right, and you've removed one barrier between your manuscript and recognition.
