Virginia Romance Writers
Virginia Romance Writers (VWR) is an affiliate chapter of Romance Writers of America®, RWA® Chapter 19.
Contests/Awards
HOLT Medallion Award is awarded by the Virginia Romance Writers chapter. The award originated in 1995 and was named for VRW's first elected president, Cynthia Holt. The acronym HOLT stands for Honoring Outstanding Literary Talent. The award is given to romance novels, or novels with a strong element of romance, with a copyright date of the year preceding the competition (i.e., for the 2007 contest, books must have a 2006 copyright).
The HOLT is unique because the judging panels are made up of avid romance readers who decide based on whether the book is a good read, a book they would buy and an author they would follow. Books are submitted in the following categories: Historical, traditional Regency, mainstream/single title contemporary, long contemporary, short contemporary, traditional, long inspirational, short inspirational, paranormal/time travel/futuristic/fantasy, romantic comedy, romantic suspense, extra spicy/erotic, best first book, and southern theme.
