2025 - WAWA Shortlist
My Entries
This article is more about cool entries from other people, but I have included my own submissions below and in their respective categories. Though the silly and lighthearted articles I submitted didn't make it to the second round, I have been nominated for Best World! If you'd like to read more, head over to my For Your Consideration article. I like to think I rate fairly well on my own judging criteria, but that's ultimately up to you to decide.
Best World
Nominated!
Nominated!
Hearts & Minds
Myths & Legends
Pillars of Progress
Judging Methods
My judging process goes in three rounds, with each entry getting a score on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). Entries that score sufficiently low don't move on to the next round. The specifics on what I look for varies based on what I'm judging, but the basics are the same. Essentially, I want to be able to see that the creator had a clear goal and they executed it well.
Round 1: Legibility
Is the page easy to look at, follow, and understand without causing eye strain?
Round 2: Hook
Can I quickly determine the goal of the entry, and does it make me want to learn more?
Round 3: Payoff
Does the rest of the entry satisfy the hook, and do all parts serve the core goal?
This process of elimination narrows things down quickly, but I can't go through all 500+ entries. Instead, I use the power of spreadsheets to select a random 20 entries from the more populous categories, and judge only those. This gives me a broad variety to look through with no preference for worlds or authors I already know. While I do miss out on some great articles this way, it's far less stressful.
World Categories
Most Beautiful World
When judging most beautiful, I focus on the homepage, intro article, and world meta, as available.
- Round 1: Is the text easy to read? Does it stand out against other assets? Am I able to follow the flow of the page?
- Round 2: How much of the theme was made by the world owner? Does the look and feel convey the genre and tone of the world?
- Round 3: Do the design choices support the World's concepts? Do I personally enjoy looking at it?
Nominated!
Nominated!
Nominated!
Artist's Most Beautiful World
This is artist's most beautiful world, so I expect the art to take center stage.
- Round 1: How quickly do I see examples of the art in question? How is it used on the page?
- Round 2: Does the art support the intent of the World?
- Round 3: How much do I personally like the art style?
This has made me think more about worldbuilding through art, but those are musings best saved for elsewhere.
Nominated!
Best World
My working definition of "best" world is one in which the premise is clearly stated and executed in a way that's accessible to the reader.
- Round 1: In addition to general legibility, do I get a sense of the World's vibes just based on the homepage's appearance?
- Round 2: Does the homepage have an enticing hook? Is navigation easy to follow? Does the intro/meta set clear expectations?
- Round 3: Do the articles live up to the promises made on the homepage and in the intro/meta?
Best Newcomer
I treat this one as the junior version of Best World.
- Round 1: Is the styling easy to read? Does the look and feel match the genre? Is there some sort of intro?
- Round 2: Does the intro entice me to read more and direct me to what to read next? Does it set a clear goal for the World?
- Round 3: Do I see the beginnings of a World living up to goals set in the intro/meta/homepage?
Article Categories
All article entries go through the same series of questions for judging. We're looking for the Best of World Anvil here, so I can be a bit ruthless in my grading. I'm looking for evidence that the writer is familiar with what tools they have and is skilled at using them to write a compelling article. This includes both the writing itself and how that writing is presented. For more details, check out How to Write an Award-Winning Article.
Round 1: Composition
In addition to basic questions about legibility (contrast, text size, font face, etc.), I'm also checking for:
- Is there a custom cover image set?
- Is the text varied (headers, lists, quotes, etc.)?
- Could I read the article without incurring eye strain?
Round 2: Hook
Reading the first paragraph/section to determine:
- Is the topic interesting, or have a unique twist?
- Is the writing engaging, and make me want to keep reading?
- Does the topic fit the prompt it was submitted to?
Round 3: Payoff
Giving a thorough read to determine:
- Does the rest of the article live up to the style and hook?
- Does it make me want to read more about the world?
- Do all parts (art, CSS, maps, trees, etc.) serve the article's premise?
Best Worldbuilding Article
For the best article overall, regardless of topic.
Hearts & Minds
Intellectual, sociological, spiritual, or cultural accomplishments and traditions.
Myths & Legends
Worldbuilding that's mythical or fictional within the construct of the world, even if based on true events.
Pillars of Progress
A technological or scientific accomplishment, or celebration of creations.
Rise of Nations
The history of civilizations, peoples, and their legacies.
Strength & Honour
Diplomacy, war, trade and collaboration, and the people who drive and engineer them.
Wondrous Nature
Anything from species to locations, to natural and supernatural events, and bizarre naturally-occurring materials.
Non-Article Categories
History
- Round 1: Timeline is nice to look at. Text is legible, event spacing makes sense, good use of images.
- Round 2: Events are connected to other parts of the world, such as articles or maps.
- Round 3: The text of events tells a compelling story of the timeline topic. Bonus: Good use of tags for filtering.
With only six entries to this category, I'm not going to do a shortlist for this.
Time and Space
There sadly weren't enough chronicles submitted and this category has been removed from this year's challenge. I continue to hope we'll see some great chronicles to inspire us all to make more, but alas...
Cartography
- Round 1: How much do I understand the map immediately upon opening it? Is it clear what it's for and why it's important?
- Round 2: How well are pins and layers used? Good use of different markers? Layers that make sense to find certain things?
- Round 3: What details do the markers give me? How well do I understand the meaning of this map? Bonus points if it tells a story.
Shortlist:
- Alana by Tillerz Nominated!
- South Estisia by Adcheryl
- Known Space by Doug Marshall
- The Cursed Kingdom of Demenore by Hatwolf Nominated!
- The World of Dromaria by Drew Whitney
Artist's Cartography
- Round 1: How much did I want to say "Wow what a pretty map!" immediately upon opening?
- Round 2 & 3 are the same as base Cartography.
Shortlist:
- Greenglimmer by Kwyn Marie Nominated!
- Norrab by Mochi Nominated!
- Shadowfire by Tim Day Nominated!
- The Veiled Campus by Stormbril Nominated!
- Dlynaeth by Menatith
Round 1: Legibility
Is the page easy to look at, follow, and understand without causing eye strain?Round 2: Hook
Can I quickly determine the goal of the entry, and does it make me want to learn more?Round 3: Payoff
Does the rest of the entry satisfy the hook, and do all parts serve the core goal?
When judging most beautiful, I focus on the homepage, intro article, and world meta, as available.
- Round 1: Is the text easy to read? Does it stand out against other assets? Am I able to follow the flow of the page?
- Round 2: How much of the theme was made by the world owner? Does the look and feel convey the genre and tone of the world?
- Round 3: Do the design choices support the World's concepts? Do I personally enjoy looking at it?
Nominated!
Nominated!
Nominated!
This is artist's most beautiful world, so I expect the art to take center stage.
- Round 1: How quickly do I see examples of the art in question? How is it used on the page?
- Round 2: Does the art support the intent of the World?
- Round 3: How much do I personally like the art style?
Nominated!
My working definition of "best" world is one in which the premise is clearly stated and executed in a way that's accessible to the reader.
- Round 1: In addition to general legibility, do I get a sense of the World's vibes just based on the homepage's appearance?
- Round 2: Does the homepage have an enticing hook? Is navigation easy to follow? Does the intro/meta set clear expectations?
- Round 3: Do the articles live up to the promises made on the homepage and in the intro/meta?
I treat this one as the junior version of Best World.
- Round 1: Is the styling easy to read? Does the look and feel match the genre? Is there some sort of intro?
- Round 2: Does the intro entice me to read more and direct me to what to read next? Does it set a clear goal for the World?
- Round 3: Do I see the beginnings of a World living up to goals set in the intro/meta/homepage?
Round 1: Composition
In addition to basic questions about legibility (contrast, text size, font face, etc.), I'm also checking for:- Is there a custom cover image set?
- Is the text varied (headers, lists, quotes, etc.)?
- Could I read the article without incurring eye strain?
Round 2: Hook
Reading the first paragraph/section to determine:- Is the topic interesting, or have a unique twist?
- Is the writing engaging, and make me want to keep reading?
- Does the topic fit the prompt it was submitted to?
Round 3: Payoff
Giving a thorough read to determine:- Does the rest of the article live up to the style and hook?
- Does it make me want to read more about the world?
- Do all parts (art, CSS, maps, trees, etc.) serve the article's premise?
For the best article overall, regardless of topic.
Intellectual, sociological, spiritual, or cultural accomplishments and traditions.
Worldbuilding that's mythical or fictional within the construct of the world, even if based on true events.
A technological or scientific accomplishment, or celebration of creations.
The history of civilizations, peoples, and their legacies.
Diplomacy, war, trade and collaboration, and the people who drive and engineer them.
Anything from species to locations, to natural and supernatural events, and bizarre naturally-occurring materials.
History
- Round 1: Timeline is nice to look at. Text is legible, event spacing makes sense, good use of images.
- Round 2: Events are connected to other parts of the world, such as articles or maps.
- Round 3: The text of events tells a compelling story of the timeline topic. Bonus: Good use of tags for filtering.
Time and Space
There sadly weren't enough chronicles submitted and this category has been removed from this year's challenge. I continue to hope we'll see some great chronicles to inspire us all to make more, but alas...Cartography
- Round 1: How much do I understand the map immediately upon opening it? Is it clear what it's for and why it's important?
- Round 2: How well are pins and layers used? Good use of different markers? Layers that make sense to find certain things?
- Round 3: What details do the markers give me? How well do I understand the meaning of this map? Bonus points if it tells a story.
- Alana by Tillerz Nominated!
- South Estisia by Adcheryl
- Known Space by Doug Marshall
- The Cursed Kingdom of Demenore by Hatwolf Nominated!
- The World of Dromaria by Drew Whitney
Artist's Cartography
- Round 1: How much did I want to say "Wow what a pretty map!" immediately upon opening?
- Round 2 & 3 are the same as base Cartography.
- Greenglimmer by Kwyn Marie Nominated!
- Norrab by Mochi Nominated!
- Shadowfire by Tim Day Nominated!
- The Veiled Campus by Stormbril Nominated!
- Dlynaeth by Menatith
YEAAA PLATYPOOSES I'm so excited for you! I'm hoping for the best for you, talos remains one of my favourite worlds <33
How could I not submit that article now that it has such lovely art? :D
Speculative-Fiction Writing