The Mom’s Choice Awards are not just for books. The site reads:
The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) evaluates products and services created for children, families and educators. The program is globally recognized for establishing the benchmark of excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. The organization is based in the United States and has reviewed thousands of items from more than 55 countries.
SUBMITTING
There are two prices to enter, $500 US to $1500 US both of which are on the very high range compared to other awards. The book has to be mailed to the United States.
PROMOTION
Winners receive promotion for a short time. The product is left on the site for longer. Recipients varied widely in their opinion of the amount of promotion with “a little” being the most common.
Winners may feel there are too many winners at once making it difficult for their book to stand out.
Winners are inundated with ongoing requests for more money for more publicity.
TROPHIES, CERTIFICATES, PRIZE MONEY, SEALS, ETC.
There is no trophy.
There is no prize money.
Winners who pay $500 may use the Mom’s Choice Awards seal “for marketing and promotional purposes” BUT must pay the $1500 fee to actually put the seal on the books. Unless you purchase the stick on seals, 100 for $50.00.
Applicants are told winners receive “100 Award Seal Stickers” but when they win they find they must pay shipping. To Canada
$46.55 — USPS Priority Mail International
$120.90 — FedEx International Economy
To the US
$9.44 — USPS Priority Mail
$23.94 — FedEx Ground Home Delivery
The “free” certificate is a picture file the winner must print out.
SALES
Most winners said sales showed no increase at all with one saying it increased a little.
MY OPINION
Although my book was a silver place winner, I don’t feel it was worth the cost and will not be entering again.
The Award blog articles are based on Survey Monkey responses, emails, and comments I received on social media as well as research and some personal experience.
If you have entered any of the contests listed below and would like to share your experience, please either:
- write to me at b.ferrante@tbaytel.net. Be sure to say if you wish to be anonymous.
- or
- make a comment the day the blog post is published.
The awards covered in October will be:
- October 18 – Kindle book awards
- October 25 – Children’s Choice Book Awards
Bonnie Ferrante: Books For All Ages
Three of my Mish series books won the Mom’s Choice Award. No promotion that I could tell, and no increase in sales whatsoever. I felt like it was an entire waste of money.
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Sorry to hear that. I agree that it is not worth the money.
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Thank you for this information. This is one of the “awards” I’ve been considering entering. Sounds like the money could be better spend elsewhere.
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Thanks for the information! Very informative to fellow mom entrepreneurs!
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What awards would you recommend applying for, for a young readers’ picture book?
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It depends what you’re looking for. Nothing guarantees sales. Check out my blog entries and see what gives you the value you want. Good luck.
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Thank you so much for this article. I just got sticker shock from the Mom Choice Awards.
Really preying on people and not in the interest of promoting quality. It looks like a deluge of “award winners” on the website.
I suggest the Caldecott for children’s picture books. No entry fee. Historically they have been true to their mission of celebrating quality Illustrators on merit not a pricey golden ticket of hope.
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Thank you for the information. You have just saved me a ton of money. I don’t like it when people take advantage of writers.
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