Honoring Creativity and the Arts

The 2026 Merit of Distinction Awards

Celebrating excellence with the Merit of Distinction in Literature Award, Artistic Expression and Short Cinema Awards, and the grand prize: The Distinction in Creative Arts Award (DICAA).

Submit Nomination 2026 Award & Prize Details

Submissions Open February 10, 2026 Official opening across all categories

Late Registration May 1, 2026 Late nomination period begins

100% Human Created Strict No-AI Policy Works using AI are ineligible

The Supreme Grand Prize

Distinction in Creative Arts Award (DICAA)

The DICAA is our highest overall honor and grand prize. Regardless of category—whether submitted in Literature, Artistic Expression, or Cinema—one extraordinary artist is selected to win the Distinction in Creative Arts Award across the entire competition.

View Grand Prize & Award Details

2026 Award Hierarchy

Primary & Category Awards

Led by our flagship Literature Award, followed by our specialized honors in Artistic Expression and Cinema.

Primary Flagship Award 2025–2026 Works

2026 Merit of Distinction in Literature Award

The 2026 Merit of Distinction in Literature Award submission period officially begins February 10, 2026. Our panel of voluntary judges include book critics, editors, and industry experts who are actively involved in the book industry. Books will be awarded in multiple categories for the previous and current year (2025-2026).

Late Nomination Date: Begins on May 1, 2026.

Books written part or in whole by AI are ineligible for submission.

Incomplete nominations are automatically discarded within 24 hours.

Submit Book Nomination Submission Guidelines Learn more about award winning books (here)

Previous Year Works

2026 Merit of Distinction in Artistic Expression

The 2026 Merit of Distinction in Artistic Expression nominee submission period officially begins February 10, 2026. Late registration begins May 1, 2026. Art submissions will be awarded in multiple categories for works created in the previous year.

Late Registration: Begins May 1, 2026
Strict Authenticity: No AI will be allowed in any aspect of this category.

Art Nomination Page Learn More About Submission Guidelines

2025 – Dec 2026

2026 Merit of Distinction in Cinema

The 2026 Merit of Distinction in Cinema official nomination begins February 10, 2026 with late registration starting on May 1, 2026. Nominated short films will be awarded in multiple genres for works completed in 2025 and by December 2026.

Late Registration: Starts May 1, 2026
Awarded across multiple short film genres.

Short Cinema Nomination Page Learn More About Submission Guidelines

Important Submission & System Policy

Visit our submissions page to learn more about the nomination process and submission guidelines. Incomplete nominations are automatically discarded from our system within 24 hours. Books or art created in part or in whole by AI are strictly ineligible.

Submission Guidelines Have Questions?

Official Results

2025 Award Winners Announced

Winners of the 2025 Merit of Distinction in Literature Book Award and Art categories has been announced. Explore the extraordinary works that earned top honors from our judging panel.

See Our List of Winners Here

Honoring Finalists

Congratulations to Our Finalists

Our 2025 nominee shortlist has been announced. We extend our warmest congratulations to all the authors, artists, and filmmakers whose work stood out among this year's submissions.

View the 2025 Shortlist & News