You like to win awards, right? Then you’ll be interested in this special blog post about the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) annual awards.
Following on the heels of the James Beard Foundation awards in offering free entry to some awards for two weeks, IACP offers two big changes that affect food writers and self-published authors:
1. There’s free entry for a limited time.
Between now and November 14, IACP offers free entry for the Digital Media, Food Photography & Styling, and Food Writing awards.
After November 14 the fee is $50 for members and $75 for non members. You may apply until February 15, 2019.
2. Self-published books get some respect.
If you self-published a book this calendar year, you may now enter it in any category of the Cookbook Awards. IACP has reduced the fee to $150 from $200 if you enter before January 3, 2019. The fee is $200 between January 3 and February 15, 2019.
(If your book is traditionally published, ask your publisher to submit it for you so you don’t have to pay.)
These changes follow a period of turmoil after last year’s awards. For reference, see this post I wrote: IACP Strips Winner of Cookbook of the Year Award after Outcry.
“Our goals in this work have been to greatly increase the transparency and fairness of our awards, the diversity of our judges and award recipients, and to improve accessibility to our awards program,” said the IACP email announcement.
If you think your work is worthy of an award, please enter. This sounds obvious, but if you don’t apply, you can’t win.
Best of luck!
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(Disclosure: I am a member of the IACP Awards Advisory Committee.)
I am a travel and food blogger with a small following. Would I be able to join IACP and how would it benefit me? I’m in a few organizations which have been very helpful with learning social media and on-line publishing for bloggers and writers. It’s important IACP is a good fit for me and the organization.
Thanks and I always read your blog for helpful information.
What you can get from IACP is a lot of good networking with professionals in your field — other bloggers, other writers. Also there are good sessions on various aspects of writing, blogging, publishing, social media, marketing, making money, etc. The conference always inspires me. I have been going for probably 15 years.
You must be a member to go to the conference, and it can be costly, depending on the location and how close you are to it.