Nine languages, 11 categories, and thousands of incredible entries later… The moment has finally come to reveal the category winners of the 2022 Watty Awards! These are the stories that wowed the judges with their irresistible characters, imaginative plot lines, and wonderful worlds that only you had the power to create. Whether your story is taking home a prize or not, finishing and entering is a huge win. Thank you for yet another inspiring Wattys season.
Keep reading to explore some of the 2022 Watty Award winners!
The Vampire Always Bites Twice by @AHopelessNecromantic
Wattys Grand Prize Winner | Category Winner: Paranormal
A criminal necromancer (a person who uses witchcraft or sorcery) and a vampire private eye team up to solve the case of the missing barista in Nichole Cava’s Grand Prize Watty Award winner! The Grand Prize winners—one per language—represent the best stories submitted. The Vampire Always Bites Twice also takes home the Paranormal category prize, as it showcases the unknown and explores what lies beyond the veil.
Your Best American Girl by @whereagardenwas
Special Prize Winner - Biggest Twist | Category Winner: Wild Card
Leighanna Chua has always struggled to fit in. She’s determined to prove that she belongs. But when Hunter D’Medici, a boy who embodies the very essence of privilege, offers her a proposal of a lifetime, Leighanna puts aside her morals and accepts. Your Best American Girl is the special prize winner for Biggest Twist, as this story shocked our judges with a twist they didn’t see coming. Not only that, but it takes home the Wild Card category prize, as it uses characters and plot to transcend multiple genres. If you’re looking for a page turner, add this one to your TBR!
Blend by @annkreeves
Special Prize Winner - Best Characters | Category Winner: Paranormal
In Blend by Ann K. Reeves, a college basketball star risks everything to prove his innocence with a girl who can communicate with ghosts. The characters in Blend resonated so much with our judges that it landed the special prize winner for Best Characters. The story also won the Paranormal category winner prize, which celebrates real-world stories about unexplainable transformations and creatures (like ghosts!).
Quill of Thieves by @HeyLookTheSnitch
Special Prize Winner - Most Engaging World | Category Winner: Fantasy
A scholar boy who denies the existence of elemental magic. A hidden princess who can control all seven elements. A mystical quill capable of rewriting both of their destinities. Quill of Thieves by R.M. Ellie embodies rich world-building that truly immerses its readers, which is why it was crowned winner of the special prize for Most Engaging World. Additionally, it won the Fantasy category prize which recognizes the writers who take us on fantastical adventures and epic journeys.
The Palmer Pool by @AnnaWestley
Special Prize Winner - Catchiest Hook | Category Winner: Wild Card
Vanessa Brooks, a 17-year-old who can’t wait to get out of her hometown, finds herself slipping back in time to 1953, the year her grandparents graduated high school. The Palmer Pool won the Catchiest Hook Watty Award as it builds off an idea that is fresh, imaginative, and exciting. Additionally, author Anna Westley took home the Wild Card category prize for defying expectations and transcending multiple genres in this unique story.
Find a Penny Pick Her Up by @sydneywrayy
Category Winner: Young Adult
Penny Brooks’s life is nothing short of perfect. She has it all: a hot boyfriend, the coolest best friend, and a position at the top of the food chain. But when Penny and Annie are involved in a tragic accident one night, Penny’s world is turned entirely upside down. Find a Penny Pick Her Up is a winner in the Young Adult category, as it explores the teen experience with an authentic voice and captures the emotional stakes of growing up.
The Marvels by @Kelsea_Dove
Category Winner: Science Fiction
Science Fiction category winner The Marvels follows Vidya Khan, an anomaly whose powers begin to manifest when she’s seventeen—unnaturally late. To her surprise, she is invited to join an elite hero team, the Marvels. But Vidya quickly learns that saving the world is complicated and struggles to keep up. Author Kelsea Dove is a forward-thinking writer who evokes a sense of wonder and unravels new realities with her Watty Award-winning story.
The Tragedies in San Pablo by @therealestpotato
Category Winner: Romance
Archenemies Ria Madrigal and Isabela Rivera pretend to be in love to bring an end to the notorious Madrigal-Rivera feud.Will Ria and Isabela keep up the charade at all costs, or will they up end up breaking their own families apart? Romeo and Juliet meets Filipino telenovelas in this swoon-worthy story that won a Watty Award in the Romance category!
All That and a Bag of Chips by @rhymeswithfry
Category Winner: New Adult
An homage to the 90s rom-com with a trans twist. Heartbroken when his long-term girlfriend dumps him for a woman, trans guy Collin makes a bet with a buddy that he can land a date with the hot new barista across the street. Things become more complicated when he actually begins to fall for her. This New Adult category winner highlights the golden moments between your late teens and early twenties.
Tattered Paige by @LLSanders
Wattpad WEBTOON Studios Entertainment Prize | Category Winner: Horror
An aspiring teen author realizes she is a character in an unwritten horror novel and must use her storytelling knowledge to survive. Tattered Paige by L.L. Sanders took home both the Horror category prize and the Wattpad WEBTOON Studios Entertainment prize, given to a Wattpad-originating story with strong underlying storytelling, compelling characters, and a unique hook suitable for film or television adaptation.
Be sure to check out the full collection of 2022 Watty Award winners and learn more about the prizes. Share which books you’re most excited to read with us on Twitter using #Wattys.
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