Judges may be authors, editors, readers, librarians, booksellers, and/or other members of the literary community considered eligible by the Awards Administrators. Judges must be well-versed in the genre as well as knowledgeable of the writing structure, storyline, plot, and other significant aspects that make a book successful. Judges should recuse themselves from judging any category in which they are personally familiar with the author if they feel they cannot judge fairly and equitably. As a judge, you are responsible for adhering to the rules and guidelines established for the judging process. Judges are required to adhere to the schedule established by LAIPA. In order to be eligible to judge, a judge must agree to read and score ALL books within the category in which they are assigned. This is because some categories receive a much higher number of submissions than others, therefore requiring a substantial time commitment. A judge who discloses their status as a judge of the Dripping Quill Literary Awards during the award cycle for which they are a judge is immediately disqualified. Judges commit to being impartial in their judgment, consistently evaluating each text on its own merits. This is without regard to previous works, knowledge of the author, hearsay, or other potentially influencing factors. A Judges' Agreement must be signed by the judges before the Awards Administrators can send the books to the judges for judging. After the judging process has begun, a judge may not request to withdraw from the process. This is unless there is an emergency that has been discussed with the award administrators, or if an unexpected conflict of interest arises. It is imperative that the judging process be conducted in an ethical manner and within the prescribed timeframe. When a judge requests to withdraw or is asked to withdraw from the judging process after it has begun, they agree to return any physical books that have been provided. DQL Award reserves the right to invoice the former judge for any costs associated with purchasing and/or delivering the required books to a reserve judge so that judging may proceed. In regard to the judging process or the final outcome, the decisions of the judges and awards administrators shall be final. The judges, awards administrators, or any other group representing the DQLA will not engage in any correspondence regarding the judging process or final outcome. Judges agree not to sell any copies of the paper books or e-books they receive as part of the judging process.