The Next Generation Short Story Awards is an esteemed not-for-profit awards program for short story writers. In its inaugural awards year, this program is designed to celebrate the best short story writing and the creative minds behind the words. The Next Generation Short Story Awards is brought to you by the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the largest and most rewarding book awards program in the world for self-published authors and independent publishers, which has been operating since 2008, and Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group.
Mission
The Next Generation Short Story Awards' mission is to recognize and honor the best short stories in the world and celebrate and award the creative minds behind the words.
Vision
The Next Generation Short Story Awards' vision is to become the largest short story awards program in the world that recognizes excellence in short story writing, encourages the development of new ideas, and supports authors in their creative endeavors by providing awards and literary exposure.
Values
The Next Generation Short Story Awards' core values are:
Creativity · We recognize original and imaginative ideas in the writing of short stories.
Integrity · We govern by strong moral and ethical principles.
People-first · We prioritize people and seek to offer meaningful and diverse opportunities through our awards program.
Recognition · We acknowledge short story writers' and their contributions to the literary world and award the best short stories in a multitude of genres.
Respect · We honor and hold individuals and their submitted short stories in high esteem.
Meet the Team
Catherine Goulet
Founder
Ashley Belote
Co-Founder
Cathy Teets
Co-Founder
Chris Marks
Tech Advisor and Web Developer
Marilyn Allen
Literary Agent and Senior Advisor
Anushka Rajesh
Awards Coordinator
Shelley Anderson
Advisor
Menelika Basele
Advisor
Beth Kallman-Werner
Advisor
John McDougall-Goulet
Advisor
Sponsors
Next Generation Short Story Awards is proudly affiliated with the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group Inc.
Catherine Goulet
Founder
Catherine Goulet is an entrepreneur, publisher, author and philanthropist who conceptualized the Next Generation Short Story Awards and co-founded this esteemed awards program in 2023. In 2008, Catherine founded the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the largest international book awards program in the world for self-published authors and independent publishers. Catherine brings over twenty-five years of executive management, entrepreneurial and publishing experience including co-founding FabJob Inc., an award-winning medium sized publishing house named the #1 place to get published online by Writer’s Digest. Catherine is also Co-Founder and Chair of the Next Generation Indie Film Awards Foundation, Co-Founder and Chair of the Board of Trustees of IAP Career College and Founder and past Chair of tech company zenGOT Services Inc. which was sold in 2020.
Ashley Belote
Co-Founder
Ashley Belote is an author/illustrator of picture books. She has a background in traditional animation under the direction of Don Bluth. She earned her BA from Alderson Broaddus University and her MA in Arts Administration from the University of Kentucky. Her graduate study included a children's literature and illustration course through Simmons College. Ashley has had a number of her books published by both independent and major publishing houses including Penguin Random House and she has won a number of national book awards for her creations. Ashley is a Senior Advisor and Social Media Manager with the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and is excited about co-founding the Next Generation Short Story Awards! Visit Ashley at AshleyBelote.com.
Cathy Teets
Co-Founder
Cathy Teets attended West Virginia University and is an award-winning publisher and West Virginia native currently residing in northern West Virgina. Cathy has been publishing books since 1985 and is the Founder and president of Headline Books, Inc. and Founder of Zoom Into Books, a virtual book-marketing program reaching hundreds of thousands of viewers. Her company's first title, Killing Waters: The Great West Virginia Flood of 1985, was named a best seller by USA Today. Headline Books is the 2023 Independent Publisher of the Year and was named 2014 Outstanding Independent Publisher of the year by the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Headline Books’ titles have won over 950 National Awards. Headline Books also supplies workshops and speakers for conferences, corporations, schools, libraries, and homeschool groups. Cathy was brought on as a Co-Chair of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards in 2017 to help run this esteemed awards program and expand its reach to authors worldwide.
Chris Marks
Tech Advisor and Web Developer
Bringing to the Next Generation Short Story Awards his extensive technical abilities and knowledge of web development, Chris is in charge of developing and maintaining our website on an ongoing basis to ensure that it runs smoothly and continues to grow with the Next Generation Short Story Awards program.
Marilyn Allen
Literary Agent and Senior Advisor
Marilyn Allen is founder of the Allen Literary Agency (formerly the Allen O'Shea Literary Agency) which focuses on writers of practical nonfiction. Before starting the agency, she held senior positions in sales and marketing for several publishers including Penguin Books, Simon & Schuster and culminating as the Associate Publisher and Senior Vice President of Marketing for Harper Collins. She has taught publishing courses at New York University and at Gotham Publishing. She along with her partner is the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Book Proposals and Query Letters (Penguin 2011). Marilyn has worked with many bestselling authors including Stephen King, Ken Follett, Barbara Kingsolver, John Gray, Mary Higgins Clark, and many more.
Anushka Rajesh
Awards Coordinator
Anushka has finished her MBA and has experience working for several small businesses as a Business Development Associate and Administrator. She is the host of an HR podcast and has interviewed over 70 global professionals in the field. She has also written several articles in the field of HR. She is a seasonal employee of the Vancouver Pride Society and has volunteered as a Mental Health Ambassador, Mentor, and Engagement Leader among other positions. She has a travel blog and is fluent in four languages.
Shelley Anderson
Advisor
Shelley has a wealth of literary awards experience including acting as the Awards Coordinator for affiliated company Next Generation Indie Book Awards (“NGIBA”) for over 15 years. Her exceptional organizational skills, as well as outstanding communication and people skills help run and coordinate the awards program each year. Shelley oversees all areas of the NGIBA awards program to ensure that every aspect of the awards is handled and runs smoothly and efficiently. Shelley also has experience with professional associations, serving as President of the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group, of which she was a co-founder.
Menelika Basele
Advisor
Menelika A Basele has an MBA and prior to that successfully completed her Associate of Arts from Georgetown University Law School and Bachelor of Science from the College of Biblical Studies. She has worked extensively in the legal and healthcare fields, University Academia, and for the U.S. Senate in Capitol Hill, Washington DC. Being an avid writer, Menelika has served as a ghostwriter and editor on numerous projects.
Beth Kallman-Werner
Advisor
Beth has been a professional editor since the age of 20, and has counseled some of the world's largest companies on global marketing and integrated media. She came to book publishing in 2008 as Director of Marketing & Sales for Kirkus Reviews. Beth has worked with both traditional publishers and indie authors on book marketing and special media projects. In 2010, she launched Author Connections, LLC. Her professional mission is to educate, encourage and empower authors, helping them bring excellent books to hungry readers.
John McDougall-Goulet
Advisor
John has been in the publishing industry since the 1990s in a number of roles including editorial, operational (including rights, acquisitions and distribution) and executive management. He is a co-founder of the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group, an organization that aims to promote professional standards in independent book publishing. John is a published poet, a long time yogi, and an avid reader of historical non-fiction; a hobby he developed following his college years when he studied history with an emphasis on comparative religion. One of his goals is to highlight emerging authors.