PEN Awards
The prestige annual writing awards on PenEarn. Genre tracks, multi-phase judging, and life-changing prizes for the best authors on the platform.
How It Works
Submissions Open
Enter your work during the submission window
Community Review
Readers vote for their favourite entries (30% weight)
Panel Judging
Published Nigerian authors judge quality and theme fit (70% weight)
Winners Announced
Top 25 authors revealed and prizes credited
Prize Table
Top 25 authors win cash prizes credited to their PenEarn wallet. All winners also receive a Featured Author badge and 1 year free Premium.
| Position | Cash Prize | Wallet Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | — | 7.4 Sapphires |
| 2nd | — | 29.62 Rubies |
| 3rd | — | 17.78 Rubies |
| 4th | — | 11.86 Rubies |
| 5th | — | 7.4 Rubies |
| 6th–10th | — | 44.44 Gold Coins each |
| 11th–25th | — | 26.66 Gold Coins each |
Rules & Eligibility
Judging Criteria
Entries are judged on a 60/40 split between a panel of published Nigerian authors and community reader votes.
Panel Judges
60%Published Nigerian authors assess writing quality, originality, theme relevance, and commercial potential.
Reader Votes
40%PenEarn readers vote for their favourite entries once per day. Engagement and readership directly impact your score.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to compete for the PEN Awards?
Join thousands of writers competing for cash prizes and national recognition.