RITA Award - Cyber Longing

RITA Award

Date

17.04.26

The RITA Award, given by the Romance Writers of America (RWA) from 1990 to 2019, was the most important award for romance books written in English. It was named after Rita Clay Estrada, the first president of RWA. In 2020, the award was not given, and it was replaced by the Vivian Award, which was given once in 2021.

Procedure

The RITA Award started accepting entries in the fall. People who wanted to enter had to submit five printed books by the set deadline. Each book was reviewed by five different judges during the first round. Finalists were named in mid-March, and winners were announced at the annual ceremony. This ceremony took place on the last day of the RWA's National Conference, which was usually held in July. Authors who won received a gold statuette, and book editors received a plaque.

Controversies

In their final years, the RITA and Vivian awards faced many problems because some people thought the books that won had content that was offensive or did not include enough people from different backgrounds.

In 2015, the book For Such a Time, written by Kate Breslin and published by Bethany House, was nominated for two RITA Awards: Best Inspirational Romance and Best First Book. People criticized the nominations because the story took place in Theresienstadt concentration camp during World War II and included a Jewish prisoner who was saved by an SS officer, fell in love with him, and converted to Christianity. Some called this antisemitic.

The RITA Awards, like much of the English-language romance fiction industry, were mostly written by white authors. This caused problems in 2018 when Alyssa Cole’s An Extraordinary Union, a book about an interracial romance during the American Civil War, was not nominated for any RITA Awards, even though it had won other prizes. All the finalists that year were about white women, and most of them fell in love with British aristocrats. The RWA board said less than half of 1% of RITA finalists were written by Black authors, and none had ever won the award. The board promised to improve diversity in the award. However, in 2019, the finalists again had few people of color or LGBTQ+ individuals, and the board apologized.

In 2019, Kennedy Ryan became the first Black woman to win a RITA Award.

In 2020, the RITA Awards were canceled after some contestants and judges left because of concerns about diversity. The award was removed as part of a plan to make the RWA’s awards more diverse, train judges, and create new awards for unpublished novels and better definitions for romance categories. A new award, the Vivian, named after Black RWA founder Vivian Stephens, was started in late 2020.

The first Vivian Award in 2021 also caused controversy. The book At Love’s Command, written by Karen Witemeyer and published by Bethany House, won the "Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements" category. Critics said the book showed anti-Indigenous racism. The story included an American soldier who had taken part in massacres of Indigenous nations, like the Wounded Knee Massacre, and portrayed Indigenous religious practices as less valuable than Christian ones. In response, Sara Whitney, who won the Best Mid-length Contemporary Romance category, said she would return her award because the organization had not listened to concerns about the definition of inspirational romance or the portrayal of characters who committed "crimes against humanity."

The RWA first defended the award, saying that the "Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements" category requires a story about redemption. It claimed no judges had raised concerns about the book but said it would form a task force to review the contest process. The next day, the RWA canceled the award, stating it could not support a decision that celebrated a book showing the mistreatment of Indigenous people and romanticizing real tragedies that still affect people today.

RITA Award winners

1990 Out of the Blue by Alaina Hawthorne
1991 Black Horse Island by Dee Holmes
1992 Candle in the Window by Christina Dodd
1993 Trust Me by Jeane Renick
1994 A Candle in the Dark by Megan Chance
1995 Ghostly Enchantment by Angie Ray
1996 The Warlord by Elizabeth Elliott
1997 Stardust of Yesterday by Lynn Kurland
1998 Brazen Angel by Elizabeth Boyle
1999 My Darling Caroline by Adele Ashworth
2000 The Maiden and The Unicorn by Isolde Martyn
2001 A Man Like Mac by Fay Robinson
2002 The Border Bride by Elizabeth English
2003 Shades of Honor by Wendy Lindstrom
2004 Back Roads by Susan Crandall
2005 Time Off For Good Behavior by Lani Diane Rich
2006 Show Her The Money by Stephanie Feagan
2007 The Husband Trap by Tracy Anne Warren
2008 Dead Girls Are Easy by Terri Garey
2009 Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs
2010 One Scream Away by Kate Brady
2011 Pieces of Sky by Kaki Warner
2012 First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
2013 The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James
2014 The Sweet Spot by Laura Drake
2015 Run to You by Clara Kensie
2016 Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn
2017 Once and For All: An American Valor Novel by Cheryl Etchison
2018 Take the Lead by Alexis Daria
2019 Lady in Waiting by Marie Tremayne

1982 Category Contemporary: Winner Take All by Brooke Hastings Mainstream Contemporary: The Sun Dancers by Barbara Faith
1983 Contemporary Mainstream: Opal Fires by Lynda Trent Contemporary Sensual: The Heart’s Victory by Nora Roberts Contemporary Sweet: Renegade Player by Dixie Browning
1984 Contemporary Under 65,000 words: Memory and Desire by Eileen Bryan Contemporary 65–80,000 words: This Magic Moment by Nora Roberts & Destiny's Sweet Errand by Deirdre Mardon Traditional: Untamed by Nora Roberts
1985 Long Contemporary Series: A Matter of Choice by Nora Roberts Mainstream: After All These Years by Kathleen Gilles Seidel Short Contemporary: Opposites Attract by Nora Roberts Traditional: The Karas Cup by Brittany Young
1986 Long Contemporary Series: Today, Tomorrow and Always by Georgia Bockoven Short Contemporary: Much Needed Holiday by Joan Hohl Single Title: Banish Misfortune by Anne Stuart Traditional: The Crystal Unicorn by Doreen Malek
1987 Long Contemporary Series: One Summer by Nora Roberts Short Contemporary: Still Waters by Kathleen Creighton Single Title: Sunshine and Shadow by Tom and Sharon Curtis Traditional: Opal Fire by Sandy Dengler
1988 Long Contemporary Series: In the Defense of Love by Kathleen Creighton Short Contemporary: Stolen Moments by Terri Herrington Single Title: Twilight Whispers by Barbara Delinsky Traditional: It Takes a Thief by Rita Rainville
1989 Long Contemporary Series: A Crime of the Heart by Cheryl Reavis Short Contemporary: Winter’s Daughter by Kathleen Creighton Single Title: Leaves of Fortune by Linda Barlow Traditional: Flirtation River by Bethany Campbell
1990 Long Contemporary Series: The Ice Cream Man by Kathleen Korbel Short Contemporary Series: Night of the Hunter by Jennifer Greene Single Title Contemporary: Private Relations by Diane Chamberlain Traditional: Rhapsody in Bloom by Mona Van Wieren
1991 Long Contemporary Series: Patrick Gallagher’s Widow by Cheryl Reavis Short Contemporary Series: Step Into My Parlor by Jan Hudson Traditional: Song of the Lorelei by Lucy Gordon
1992 Long Contemporary Series: A Rose for Maggie by Kathleen Korbel Short Contemporary Series: A Human Touch by Glenda Sanders Single Title Contemporary: A Man to Die For by Eileen Dreyer Traditional: Every Kind of Heaven by Bethany Campbell
1993 Long Contemporary Series: The Silence of Midnight by Karen Young Short Contemporary Series: Navarrone by Helen R. Myers Single Title Contemporary: This Time Forever by Kathleen Eagle Traditional: Father Goose by Marie Ferrarella
1994 Long Contemporary Series: Dragonslayer by Emilie Richards Short Contemporary Series: Avenging Angel by Glenna McReynolds Contemporary Single Title: Private Scandals by Nora Roberts Traditional: Annie and the Wise Men by Lindsay Longford
1995 Contemporary Single Title: Again by Kathleen Gilles Seidel Long Contemporary Series: A Soldier’s Heart by Kathleen Korbel Short Contemporary Series: Getting Rid of Bradley by Jennifer Crusie Traditional: Oh Baby! by Lauryn Chandler
1996 Contemporary Single Title: Born in Ice by Nora Roberts Long Contemporary Series: The Morning Side of Dawn by Justine Davis Short Contemporary Series: Single Dad by Jennifer Greene Traditional: Stranger in Her Arms by Elizabeth Sites
1997 Contemporary Single Title: Daniel’s Gift by Barbara Freethy Long Contemporary Series: Wild Blood by Naomi Horton Short Contemporary Series: Cowboy Pride by Anne McAllister Traditional: Her Very Own Husband by Lauryn Chandler
1998 Contemporary Single Title: Nobody's Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips Long Contemporary Series: Reckless by Ruth Wind Short Contemporary Series: Nobody's Princess by Jennifer Greene Traditional: His Brother's Child by Lucy Gordon
1999 Contemporary Single Title: Dream A Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips Long Contemporary: Meant to

Vivian Award winners

2021: Love Me Like a Love Song by Annmarie Boyle

2021: Long Contemporary Romance: False Start by Jessica Ruddick; Mid-Length Contemporary Romance: Tempting Taste by Sara Whitney; Short Contemporary Romance: Engaging the Enemy by Reese Ryan

2021: Pure Satisfaction by Rebecca Hunter

2021: Long Historical Romance: Ten Things I Hate About the Duke by Loretta Chase; Mid-Length Historical Romance: A Study in Passion by Louisa Cornell

2021: An Everyday Hero by Laura Trentham

2021: Burning Caine by Janet Oppedisano

2021: At Love's Command by Karen Witemeyer. The award was taken back.

2021: Long Romantic Suspense: Hail Mary by Hope Anika; Mid-Length Romantic Suspense: Storm by Janie Crouch

2021: Long Speculative Romance: A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstrong; Mid-Length Speculative Romance: Betwixt by Darynda Jones

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Vivian Award winners

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