RWA retires RITA Awards

In the US, the Romance Writers of America (RWA) will retire its annual RITA Awards, which have been presented annually since 1982, reports Publishers Weekly.

The move follows the cancellation of the planned 2020 RITA Awards and the resignation of the RWA president and board of directors earlier this year in response to accusations of racism at the organisation.

The RWA will introduce a new award, the Vivian—named after RWA founder Vivian Stephens—to replace the RITAs. ‘[The Vivian] recognises excellence in romance writing and showcases author talent and creativity,’ the RWA said. ‘We celebrate the power of the romance genre with its central message of hope—because happily ever afters are for everyone.’

The RWA said a proposed format for the awards will be presented at the RWA’s board meeting later this month, led by a task force ‘guided by the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and access’. RWA said the proposed format so far includes ‘a clear rubric to enhance and streamline scoring guidelines’, as well as judge training, a ‘sophisticated matching process’ between entrants and judges, and a category devoted to recognising unpublished authors.

Category: International news