Each award category (Literature, Artistic Expression, and Film) will have one winner and two finalists.
Prizes for the winning title and nominees of the 2026 Merit of Distinction in Literature are as follows:
WINNER:
The following prizes will be awarded for the 2026 Merit of Distinction in Literature Award:
The winning author will receive the following:
- Our winners will win a literary medal and honors
- A Certificate of Merit displaying the Merit of Distinction in Literature to be mailed to the winner’s physical residence.
- Our official seal on your book to show your award-winning status.
- We will notify book distributors, appropriate library associations, and other parties of the award-winning status.
- A written review with official documentation highlighting the achievement and exceptional quality of the winning work, designed to aid in the promotion to readers, bookstores, libraries, schools, and other interested parties.
All category winners will be automatically considered for the prestigious Distinction in Creative Arts Award, which will be announced at the end of 2026 if eligible.
Merit of Distinction in Literary Works
Our stated objective is to endorse winning books that are eligible for placement in brick-and-mortar bookstores. Books distributed by self-publishing platforms with a nonreturnable status like KDP, Lulu, and other platforms are often ineligible for placement in brick-and-mortar bookstores and are often limited to online sales. The industry is often biased and exclude these books from eligibility regardless of literary merit. We have created a special category books with distribution through self-publishing platforms like KDP, Lulu, Barnes and Noble Press, Draft2Draft, etc: Merit of Distinction in Literary Arts, which is specifically for independent works. These are titles that have the met the highest quality of writing standards regardless of distribution type. There will be a fiction and nonfiction winner in this category.
FINALISTS:
Each finalist will receive:
- A certificate bearing “Merit of Distinction in Literature (Finalist)” to be mailed to the physical address of the Finalist.
- A short written review of their submitted work and why the work was honored.
- Official documentation recognizing their work and outstanding achievement as a Merit of Distinction in Literature Finalist.
MERIT OF DISTINCTION IN ARTISTIC EXPRESSION:
Prizes for the winning title and nominees of the 2026 Merit of Distinction in Artistic Expression are as follows:
WINNER:
The following prizes will be awarded for the 2026 Merit of Distinction in Artistic Expression Award:
The winning artist will receive the following:
- A Medal and a Certificate of Merit displaying the Merit of Distinction in Artistic Expression to be mailed to the winner’s physical residence.
- Promotion of the winning book title, including on the Merit of Distinction website.
- A written review with official documentation highlighting the achievement and exceptional quality of the winning artwork, designed to aid in the promotion of the winning artist.
All category winners will be automatically considered for the prestigious Distinction in Creative Arts Award, which will be announced at the end of 2026.
FINALISTS:
Each nominee will receive:
- A certificate bearing the “Merit of Distinction in Artistic Expression (Finalist)” to be mailed to the physical address of the Finalist.
- A written review of their submitted work and why the work is a finalist.
- Official documentation recognizing their work and outstanding achievement as a Merit of Distinction in Artistic Expression Finalist.
MERIT OF DISTINCTION IN CINEMA:
Prizes for the winning title and nominees of the 2026 Merit of Distinction in Cinema are as follows:
WINNER:
The following prizes will be awarded for the 2026 Merit of Distinction in Cinema (Short Films) Award:
The winning artist will receive the following:
- A Medal and a Certificate of Merit displaying the Merit of Distinction in Short Films to be mailed to the winner’s physical residence.
- Promotion of the winning short film, including on the Merit of Distinction website.
- A written review with official documentation highlighting the achievement and exceptional quality of the winning work, designed to aid in the promotion of the winning filmmaker.
All category winners will be automatically considered for the prestigious Distinction in Creative Arts Award, which will be announced at the end of 2026.
FINALISTS:
Each finalists will receive:
- A certificate bearing the “Merit of Distinction in Cinema (Nominee)” to be mailed to the physical address of the finalist.
- A written review of the submitted work and why the work is a finalist.
- Official documentation recognizing their work and outstanding achievement as a Merit of Distinction in Cinema Finalist.
All winners and finalists will be judged by a voluntary panel of industry experts..