As many of you know, we announce the coveted First Place Category Winners and Division Grand Prize Winners of the Chanticleer International Book Awards on the Saturday evening of the annual Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC). CAC  hosts the CIBA banquet and ceremony at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether, located on Bellingham Bay, Washington state. Attendees hail from around the globe and across North America.

CAC20 was scheduled to happen the weekend of April 17-19, 2020 with the Master Classes scheduled for Thursday, April 16.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, CAC20 has been rescheduled to September 4 – 6, 2020 with Master Classes to be held on Thursday, September 3. The CIBA Banquet and Ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, September 5, 2020.

Alas, now with the highest spikes in new COVID-19 confirmed cases, we have decided to go VIRTUAL with ZOOM

NEW DATES: Tuesday, Sept. 8th daily through Sunday, Sept. 13th, 2020.

This post was updated on July 14, 2020. Kiffer Brown

We rescheduled the conference on March 11, 2020 and notified registered attendees by email. We then announced the postponement on the Chanticleer website, social media, and with a direct email blast.

If you have ever attended a CIBA banquet and ceremony, then you know already just what a special evening of celebration it is. Many of you are looking forward to this evening and want to experience the anticipation that the gala affair brings to the Chanticleer Writing Community.

We have received many emails and messages requesting that we wait to announce the CIBA winners until the planned September gala evening on scheduled for Saturday, Sept. . We have also received a few emails requesting that we announce the winners closer to the originally scheduled event.  DATES HAVE BEEN CHANGED as of July 9, 2020. The conference and ceremonies will be held VIRTUALLY due to the recent high spike levels in the new confirmed cases of the coronavirus.  New DATES are: Tuesday, Sept. 8th daily through Sunday, Sept. 13th, 2020. 

This is what we decided to do:

All CIBA Semi-Finalists are recognized at CAC and at the CIBA banquet and awards ceremony. This year we have added to their recognition by promoting the Semi-Finalists in the Spring Issue of the Chanticleer Reviews magazine that will feature international bestselling thriller author Robert Dugoni and  Dr. Janice S. Ellis, Journey Grand Prize Winner and Civil Rights Journalist.   (Available for purchase in print and digital on Wed. April 20th) – visit this page on the website for more info if you have not already subscribed.) We will also recognize any 2019 Semi-Finalists in attendance at CAC20 in September at the CIBA banquet and ceremony.

Read the New Information Below about the 2019 and 2020 CIBAs!

The 2019 CIBAs received an unprecedented number of entries making this book awards program even more competitive. More entries along with more competitive works makes the final rounds of judging even more demanding. The judges have requested a new level of achievement to be added to the rounds to acknowledge the entries that they deemed should receive a high level of recognition.

New Information: We decided that this was the time to incorporate the new level – The FINALISTS – as requested by the CIBA judges. This new level will be incorporated into the 2019 CIBAs Levels of Achievement. (See the info-graphic below.)

The 2019 CIBA Finalists for each division will be announced over the next few weeks. The CIBA First Place Category Winners, Division Grand Prize Winners, and Overall Grand Prize Winner will be determined from the CIBA Finalists and announced from n September 5, 2020 at the CIBA Banquet and Ceremony scheduled for Sept. 5, 2020 during CAC20.  DATES HAVE BEEN CHANGED as of July 9, 2020. The conference and ceremonies will be held VIRTUALLY due to the recent high spike levels in the new confirmed cases of the coronavirus.  New DATES are: Tuesday, Sept. 8th daily through Sunday, Sept. 13th, 2020. 

Each CIBA Division will have its own digital badge and badges for print! Links to badges will be available in the FINALISTS official notification email. An example of the badge is below for the CYGNUS Book Awards division.

New Information: The New Deadline Dates for Submissions into the 2020 CIBA Divisions have been changed to give the judges more time to work through the entries and allow more time for tabulation. We hope that this will give the 2020 CIBA participants more time to consider attending the awards banquet and ceremony. (CAC21 is scheduled for April 16-18, 2021)

New Information:  New CIBA Divisions have been added!

• New Division for Fiction: The Mark Twain Book Awards for Satire and Allegory Fiction.
• New BOOK AWARDS for FICTION BOOK SERIES:  As requested, the CIBAs now included the Fiction Series Book Awards.
• And   Three New Non-Fiction Divisions have been added for the 2020 CIBAs. Be sure to visit the web page with the new divisions.

We are accepting entries into the 2020 CIBAs!  Don’t Delay! Enter Today! 

So without further ado, we are honored to announce the next round in the 2019 Chanticleer International Book Awards – The CIBA FINALISTS!

Below is an info-graphic of the CIBAs Levels of Achievement

There are 17 divisions in the 2019 CIBAs. We will announce each division’s FINALISTS during the next few weeks starting this weekend – April 18, 2020.

Be sure to stay tuned for the 2019 FINALISTS Announcements!

A note from Kiffer and Sharon

It seems to us that everyone is and has been overwhelmed with the general scrambling around to try to batten down the hatches for the storm named COVID-19 while trying to make sense of what is happening on different fronts, taking care of loved ones, along with trying to procure supplies for self-isolation. Many of us are working remotely, some of us have to home school children, and if you are like me you find yourself cooking and cleaning up more than e-v-e-r. Sheltering-in-place takes a lot of energy and focus, wouldn’t you agree?

We thank you for patience and understanding during these unprecedented times. It is much appreciated by Sharon and me and the entire Chanticleer Team of Editors, Reviewers, CIBA Judges, Contributors, Graphic Designers,  Student Interns, Admin Assistants, and Andy – the wizard who heads up all of the “under the hood technology.”

We encourage you to stay in contact with each other and with us  during this stint of practicing physical distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Let us know how you are doing, what is going on where you live, how are you progressing on your writing projects.

I invite each of you to join us at The Roost – a private online Chanticleer Community for writers and authors and publishing professionals.

We are active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can find us by using our social media handle @ChantiReviews

Minimize physical contact! Maximize social connecting!

Here are our contact emails:  

General information:  Chanticleer@ChantiReviews.com

Editorial:  BookEditor@ChantiReviews.com

Reviews: Sanderson@ChantiReviews.com

Me:  KBrown@ChantiReviews.com

Take care, be safe.

Keep writing and creating magic! 

Kiffer and Sharon & Entire Team Chanticleer