Nominations for the 7th annual 15 Book Awards are open. Books must be Utah-centric (author must live in Utah, have a strong connection to Utah, and/or the book must be set in the state or have important themes that speak to the population of the Beehive State).

15 Bytes is an art magazine, published by Artists of Utah and book nominations should reflect the literary and artistic vision of the magazine and its publisher. Genre works (historical fiction, romance, mystery, thriller, memoir, etc.) are welcome but will be vetted and ranked by the standards, aesthetic(s) and craft requirements of high-level literary mainstream and experimental works.

In addition to content and craft requirements noted above, nominated books must be published by an independent, traditional publisher; have an ISBN number; and be published in 2018. Categories include:

· Fiction (short fiction or novel) at 50,000 words +
· Poetry, minimum of 40 pages
· Creative nonfiction (including memoir, lyrical essays, and other nonfiction material) at 50,000 words +
· Art Book

Deadline for nominations is February 22, 2018. Finalists and winners will be announced in late summer/early fall.
Send three judges copies (no galleys) of the book to:

Artists of Utah
15 Bytes Book Awards
P.O. Box 526292
SLC, UT 84152

There is no entry fee.

Judges are anonymous and include 15 Bytes staff and writers and selected guest judges.

A winner and two finalists in each category are typically acknowledged at a ceremony/reading/book signing during the Utah Humanities Book Festival in Sept./October 2019. The winner is awarded $100 and will be profiled in 15 Bytes. Judges and 15 Bytes reserve the right not to award winners and/or finalists in any or all categories in any given year.

The 15 Bytes Book Awards is funded by individual donations and grantors to Artists of Utah and by underwriters to 15 Bytes Magazine.