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LGBTQ+ nonfiction book awards
Recognition for nonfiction that centers LGBTQ+ lives, history, and experience. Every book is read in full and measured against our published Standard of Excellence.
What this category recognizes
This category covers memoir and biography, queer history and activism, books on transition and identity, family and parenting from LGBTQ+ perspectives, guidance for young people and for parents, and social and cultural analysis of queer life.
Books are assessed against the same ten pillars as any other nonfiction, read through what each book is trying to do.
What the standard looks like here
The ten pillars apply to every category. This is how each one is read when the book is LGBTQ+ nonfiction.
The Writing
Voice, Tone and Style
Whether the voice is specific rather than representative. A book speaking for a community rather than from a life usually weakens here.
Craft and Technical Execution
Whether experience is rendered concretely rather than summarised.
Structure and Organization
Whether the book has a shape beyond chronology, particularly in memoir and coming-out narratives.
The Substance
Originality and Concept Strength
Whether the book brings something to an increasingly written field.
Depth of Content and Insight
Whether complexity, disagreement within the community, and contradiction are allowed.
The Reader
Audience Impact and Purpose Fulfillment
Whether it serves the reader it addresses, whether that is someone inside the experience or outside it.
Emotional and Psychological Impact
Whether the reader is moved by what happens rather than by what they are told to feel.
Overall Impact and Distinction
What the reader carries about the lives in it.
The Finished Book
Production Quality and Presentation
Trade-standard production, with sourcing where history or research is claimed.
Category Relevance
Whether LGBTQ+ experience is genuinely central.
Questions about entering LGBTQ+ nonfiction
Do I need to be LGBTQ+ to enter?
No. The category is defined by the book.
My book is a memoir. Which category?
Either this or Memoir, and many authors enter both. Each is assessed independently.
Is a book for parents of LGBTQ+ children eligible?
Yes, and it is assessed on how well it serves that reader.
Related categories
Submit your LGBTQ+ nonfiction book
Entry is $79 for your first category. Your complete manuscript is read in full and measured against the ten pillars.