Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty, shall we?
- The IHS Reading Challenge runs January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026. (Two new locations will be shared over 45 weeks but you have all calendar year to read.)
- We ask that you visit as many places as possible via your reading. We are counting each US state or territory (and Washington, D.C.) as a separate entry. For locations outside the USA, each country can be counted once. In addition, you may count locations such as outer space or a fantasy realm as one entry. (This will be clearer when you look at the submission form.)
- A book must be started and finished during the calendar year to count.
- The format can be ebook, Radish, Wattpad, Smashwords, print, audio, etc. Also, it can be in any language just as long as it’s sapphic.
- Size doesn’t matter. Graphic novels, short stories, novellas, novelettes, fanfic, and anthologies count the same as novels for fulfilling a category.
- Rereading a favorite book counts as long as you read it in full during the 2026 calendar year.
- Different books in a multi-book series can be counted toward different categories, but remember, each individual title can only be counted once. This only works if each book in the series has a different location!
- Each book must have one character with a woman who loves/is attracted to a woman, though it is not necessary for the book to have a romance or romantic subplot. This includes those who identify as lesbian, queer, bisexual, pansexual, and homoromantic asexual women. This also includes nonbinary, trans, and intersex individuals who identify as sapphic in some manner. We welcome the very broadest interpretation of this definition as long as it keeps to the spirit of the challenge.
- Even though we’ll be showcasing two locales per week, that doesn’t mean you have to read according to the IHS schedule or choose only from books we suggest. Read what you want and when you want. Just keep track of it and keep us updated on Patreon or by email if you want to have a shot at the $25 Amazon gift card monthly prize.
- You can only submit one book per location until you have submitted a book for 45 different places. After that, you may continue to submit books in any categories you wish. There is no limit to the number of books you can enter after reaching the 45-place threshold.
- To meet the 45 different places requirement, you can read a book from 45 different US States, countries, or a mix. We only ask that you read books that have different settings and don’t read 45 books that take place in New York City. The point of this challenge is to explore the world.
- To be entered in the end-of-the-year prize drawings, forms must be submitted by 11:59pm (EST) on January 15, 2027.
- The drawing will be held on January 16, 2027 and winners will be notified via the email provided on your submission form.
- You can only win one of the end-of-the-year $100 gift cards.
- Prize amounts are listed in US dollars. If you are not in the US Amazon store, we will provide a gift card for a comparable amount in the currency of your local Amazon marketplace.
More on how to enter the $25 Amazon gift card monthly giveaways:
Each Wednesday, look for our What Are You Reading post on Patreon. This year, we’ll only post the What Are You Reading on the IHS Patreon page. It’s become increasing difficult to navigate all the posts in the IHS Facebook group since changes to the algorithm make it nearly impossible to find things you need. We want your entry to count, not be lost in a Facebook void. You can join our Patreon as a free member.
If you don’t like Patreon, no problem. You’re more than welcome to email us your info. Please send an email to [email protected], put “Monthly IHS Reading Challenge Giveaway” in the subject line, and tell us the name of the book and the category. Just like the Patreon peeps, you can enter once per week. All entries for the drawing will need to be received by midnight Eastern Time on the last day of the month to qualify. Entries received after that will roll over to the next month’s drawing.
If you’re not a fast reader, and it takes you more than a week to read a book, that’s fine, too. As long as you reply to the new post the following week (or weeks) to say you are still reading that book, we will count it as a new entry toward the monthly drawing.
You cannot enter on Patreon and via email to double your chances. Let’s keep this fair, peeps! We’ll assign a number to every entry we receive, and then we’ll use a random number selector to choose the winner.
You’re eligible to win multiple months so keep entering every week.
