Golden Crown Literary Awards

Judge's Agreement

1) Confidentiality

In order to create an environment in which the judging process is fair, equitable, and where secrecy is retained, we require that all judges commit to a strict confidentiality agreement. This pledge of confidentiality extends to all aspects of the judging and awards process, as well as all communications including, but not limited to, the contents of all discussions, email exchanges, phone calls, and/or side conferences with the Awards Administrators. This pledge continues throughout perpetuity.

Pledge of Confidentiality:

As a judge for the Golden Crown Literary Awards, I agree to maintain complete confidentiality - as described above - before, during, and after the judging process. I will not ever discuss any aspect of my deliberations or the results of the process. I will not discuss any communications or deliberations I engaged in or mention them verbally, in print, or in any public online forum, ever.

Furthermore, I will not disclose my identity as a judge until after the awards are announced at the awards ceremony for this round of awards. I acknowledge that this is the only information I can disclose, and I can only do so after the Awards Ceremony.

I agree, unless I select the opt-out option below, that my name, as a judge, may be listed as part of the Awards Ceremony presentation and program. If I happen to learn the identity of another judge, I will not disclose the identity of that judge at any time. I further agree not to communicate with other judges during the judging process unless instructed to do so by GCLS Awards Administrators.

2) Conflict of Interest

Conflicts of interest potentially exist when a judge has personal or financial relationships with other persons or organizations or has author/editor/beta reader connections that could influence award-judging decisions.

The existence of such relationships may not necessarily represent a true conflict of interest and may not necessitate withdrawal from judging, but it is vital that they be disclosed to the Awards Administrators.

Personal Relationships: Books written by friends, life partners, business colleagues, your own editor or agent, or family members that are submitted in the category you are judging represent a potential conflict of interest and should be reported immediately to the Awards Administrators.

Financial Relationships: Books published by your own publisher and submitted in the category you are judging represent a potential conflict of interest. In addition, books published by other publishers to which you contributed (artwork, reviews, blurbs, etc.) and/or were paid for one reason or another represent a potential conflict of interest. These should be reported immediately to the Awards Administrators.

Author/Editor connections: If your work appears in an anthology or book submitted in the category you are judging, or if you edited or contributed in any way to that anthology or book, this represents a definite conflict of interest and must be reported immediately to the Awards Administrators.

Pledge of Notification of Conflict of Interest:

As a judge for the Golden Crown Literary Awards, I recognize that I may know some or all of the authors in the awards category I am judging. Nevertheless, I guarantee that all aspects of my judging will be fair and impartial.

I agree to disclose any potential conflict of interest as soon as it develops or as soon as I recognize it. If a conflict of interest emerges during the judging process, I agree to notify the Awards Administrators immediately. I am aware that such disclosure may disqualify me from judging or the Awards Administrators may re-assign me to a different category.

3) Ownership of Books. Ebooks, and Audiobooks Received

As a judge for the GCLS Literary Awards, you will be given copies (either paper or digital) of each book in your category. These books have been supplied to you for this purpose and ownership of them is transferred to you, under the understanding that you will not break publication rights by redistributing these books, ebooks, or audiobooks.

If a judge requests to withdraw or has been asked to withdraw from the judging process after the process has begun, s/he agrees to return any physical and/or ebooks that have been provided. The GCLS reserves the right to invoice the former judge for costs associated with purchasing and delivering additional book(s) to a reserve judge to continue the judging process if you fail to return the book(s) as requested.

4) Pledge of Understanding of my Responsibilities as a Judge

I certify that I have read in detail and fully understand and accept my role and responsibilities as a judge for the GCLS Literary Awards, as well as all rules that apply to the judging process as spelled out in:

The 2025 Judging Process, Rules, and Regulations;
The 2025 Required Online Instructional Videos on Judging for the GCLS Literary Awards; and
This document (including all four sections of Confidentiality, Conflict of Interest, Ownership of Books and eBooks, and Understanding my Responsibilities as a Judge).