The Impact Honors & Gala Weekend
Two days built entirely around authors getting recognized. A festival, a welcome night, a conference, and a gala where your name is called and you take the stage.
Invitations are earned
One thing puts you in this room: a book that met the IIBA Standard of Excellence.
That is what changes the room. Nobody is quietly wondering what anyone else did to get in, because everyone did the same thing. They wrote a great book. It is the reason the conversation over dinner actually goes somewhere.
Your invitation arrives with your result, for the next weekend following your evaluation. We hold two a year. Invited authors choose their experience and reserve their place when they register.
An acceptance speech at the Grand Gala, Phoenix
Two weekends a year
Distinguished Authors are invited to the one that follows their evaluation. Here is when they are.
January 30–31, 2027
Impact Author Festival, then Welcome Night
Impact Conference, then the Grand Gala
340 N. 3rd Street, Phoenix, AZ
Received your invitation?
July 2027
Dates and venue announced in early 2027.
Two days, four moments
Every weekend follows the same shape. A detailed schedule with exact times is sent to every attending author beforehand.
The Impact Author Festival
The weekend opens with a full day of authors, readers, and books. Stages, signing tables, and a room full of people who came to meet writers. Admission is included with your weekend ticket.
- Authors speaking from the main stage
- Book signing tables throughout the day
- Live entertainment
- Open to authors, readers, and the public
Speaking slots, signing tables, and other festival placements are available separately. See the festival
A signing table at The Impact Author Festival, Phoenix
Welcome Night
The evening is for meeting the people you have only seen in a community feed. Authors arrive from across the country and around the world, and most of them are here for the first time.
- Open networking among Distinguished Authors and guests
- Champagne toast
- Premiere movie screening
Authors meeting in person for the first time, Phoenix
The Impact Conference
The final day opens as a working room. Sessions built for authors who want to do more with the book they have written, and time with people who are further along the same road.
- Sessions and keynotes for working authors
- The year in review from the IIBA team
- Open networking among Distinguished Authors and guests
The Impact Conference, Sunday morning
The Grand Gala
The heart of the weekend. The evening opens on the red carpet, then every attending Distinguished Author is called to the stage by name, receives their award in person, and speaks. Not a list read from a podium. Your turn at the microphone, in front of a room that understands exactly what it took.
- Red carpet arrivals, photography and interviews
- Each Distinguished Author called to the stage individually
- Award presented in person, with your acceptance speech
- Candlelit dinner
- Dancing to close the night
Red carpet arrivals, The Grand Gala
Recognition you can hold
Your award trophy
Presented on stage and carried home. Every author who attends receives theirs in person.
The Distinguished Author Collection Set
A lasting record of the recognition, given to every attending author.
Professional photography
Photographs from the stage and the carpet, yours to use on your site, your covers, and your media kit.
Where to stay
The weekend takes place at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, 340 North 3rd Street, Phoenix, Arizona. The hotel is a short ride from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Everything happens in the building, so staying on site means you can step out of the ballroom and into your room. Most authors arrive Friday and leave Monday morning.
Sheraton Phoenix Downtown
340 North 3rd Street · Everything happens in this building
Staying on site means you can step out of the ballroom and into your room, and the lobby bar is where a good deal of the weekend actually happens.
The Sheraton is close to sold out for that weekend. If being in the building matters to you, book now rather than waiting. Most rates can be cancelled free until close to the date, so there is little downside to holding a room early and deciding later.
If the Sheraton is full
These three are all within walking distance, and plenty of authors stay at them by choice. Nothing about where you sleep changes anything about the weekend.
Hyatt Regency Phoenix
122 North 2nd Street · 3 minute walk
Full-service, directly across from the Convention Center, with a rooftop revolving restaurant.
Hampton Inn & Suites Phoenix Downtown
77 East Polk Street · 5 minute walk
The value option, with free hot breakfast included. Suites have a separate living area.
AC Hotel Phoenix Downtown
414 North 5th Street · 6 minute walk
Quieter and more modern, at the Arizona Center. No pool, but usually the better rate.
Rates and availability are set by each hotel, not by us, and we do not hold a block of rooms at any of them. Late January is high season in Phoenix and downtown fills up, so book as early as you can.
If you cannot travel to Phoenix
We recognize authors in more than forty countries, and travel to Arizona is not possible for everyone. Attendance has no bearing on your recognition. If you cannot join us, write to us and we will arrange for your award and your Distinguished Author stickers to be delivered to you wherever you are.
Questions about the weekend
Can I attend if my book has not been recognized?
The Grand Gala is by invitation, and invitations go to Distinguished Authors and the guests they bring. Seats are not sold to the public.
That said, we do occasionally welcome an author who asked to be there, whether or not they have submitted. If that is you, write to us at contact@internationalimpactbookawards.com and we will consider it individually. These are case-by-case decisions rather than a route in, and no purchase of any kind affects the answer.
The Impact Author Festival on Saturday is open to everyone, with tickets sold separately.
Can I bring guests?
Yes. Distinguished Authors may bring guests, and most do. Family, co-authors, editors, and the people who kept them going through the writing. Guest passes cover the full weekend, from the festival on Saturday through the Grand Gala on Sunday.
Why do I have to buy a ticket if I am already being honored?
Your recognition is complete the moment your book meets the standard. It costs nothing further, and nothing about it depends on attending.
The Grand Gala is how that recognition is celebrated in person. Your ticket covers the venue, the production, the conference, dinner, the red carpet, and your moment on stage alongside fellow Distinguished Authors. Running a weekend at this scale is what the ticket pays for.
Attending is never required to receive or keep your recognition. Whether you celebrate with us in Phoenix or from home, the honor is yours.
Do I have to attend to be recognized?
No. Your recognition is complete whether or not you travel. Authors who cannot attend can request their award be delivered to them.
Do I speak at the gala?
Yes. Every attending Distinguished Author is called to the stage and gives an acceptance speech. It is the reason the evening takes the time it does.
Is the Impact Author Festival included?
Festival admission is included with every weekend ticket, and with every guest pass. Speaking slots, book signing tables, and other festival placements are purchased separately by authors who want them.
What is the dress code?
The festival on Saturday is relaxed and the conference on Sunday morning is smart casual. Welcome Night is smart. The Grand Gala is formal, black tie optional. There is a red carpet and a professional photographer, so most authors dress for the photographs.
Which weekend will I be invited to?
The next one following your evaluation. Weekends are held twice each year and the upcoming dates are listed above. Your invitation arrives with your recognition.
The way into this room is your book
Fifty categories, open all year. Send us the finished book and let it answer for itself.