According to their website:
The National Indie Excellence® Awards (NIEA) recognize awardees from the 18th Annual competition.
An established leader in writing contests, The National Indie Excellence® Awards are open to recent English language books in print by independent authors and titles published by small to medium sized imprints across all genres. Judging is complete for the annual competition and the results are now online with Winner and Finalists on display in each category as well as the Sponsorship Prizes and the Juror’s Choice awardees.
The National Indie Excellence® Awards celebrate the physical book form as foundational to the publishing industry. Recognizing excellence in all aspects of the final product, NIEA champions self-publishers and independent publishers who produce the highest quality books. Established in 2005, NIEA’s entrants are judged by experts from various disciplines of the industry including publishers, authors, editors, and book designers.
Winner and Finalist awards are determined primarily by a book’s written content coupled with the various informational, functional, and designed elements that comprise a publication. NIEA Jurors analyze each title using specific standards and metrics ultimately reaching a final consensus after lengthy individual review.
NIEA’s Sponsorship Awards offer professional development, resources, consultations, marketing, and distribution assistance, etc.; in addition, three Juror’s Choice Awards are selected from the overall groups of both Winners and Finalists to receive monetary prizes. The 18th Annual Juror’s Choice was awarded by celebrated Author and educator Ben Loory. All awardees become eligible for free listing in the NIEA Speaker’s Bureau as well.
