This year's theme:

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Being Valuable: Love, Write, Share, Repeat

 
A wise man, Bob—a friend and a keeper of warm memories—once said:
“People are only ever saying one of two things, no matter the words: ‘I love you,’ or ‘Please love me.’”

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Love is at the heart of every story. Whether you’re writing tales so raw and horrific that they expose the desperate need for every form of love and accommodation, or stories so radiant with love that it feels like the characters are shouting it from the rooftops, you hold truths about love in all its forms.

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This year, we celebrate you—the storytellers—and the value you bring to your readers through your words. Readers invest their time, their money, and their emotions into the worlds you create because your stories resonate deeply with them. While some may dismiss romance as a lesser genre, we know the truth: romance is powerful, meaningful, and universal.

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Join us this year as we consider the value we bring to our writing, our readers, and our lives—by weaving tales of tender, tragic, fierce, and freeing love. Together, let’s love, write, share, repeat.