ECPA Announces the 2016 Christian Book Award® Winners

• ‘War Room’ actress Priscilla Shirer’s book on strategic prayer, Fervent, is named Christian Book of the Year™

• Family devotionals by Sheila Walsh and Ann Voskamp take Children and Inspiration categories
  
  
• Study Bible for “today’s visual generation” grabs the Bible title

CONTACT:  Stan Jantz, Executive Director, ECPA, sjantz@ecpa.org or 480-966-3998

Nashville, Tenn., May 3, 2016 – The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) announced tonight the winners of the 2016 Christian Book Awards® and the 2016 Christian Book of the Year™ -- representing the best Christian book and Bible releases of the year in Non-Fiction, Fiction, Inspiration, Children’s, Bible Reference, Bibles, and New Author.

The announcements were made at the ECPA Awards Celebration, held in conjunction with the ECPA Leadership Summit hosted in Nashville, Tenn.   The evening also bestowed Gold and Platinum awards to industry titles reaching 500,000 and 1 million in sales, and honored InterVarsity Press publisher Bob Fryling with the ECPA Chairperson’s Award.  Fryling will retire end of June.

The highest honor of the 2016 Christian Book of the Year™ went to Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer (B&H Publishing Group) by New York Times bestselling author Priscilla Shirer, known worldwide for her dynamic speaking, and in-depth Bible teaching and resources.  She is the author of numerous books including the New York Times bestseller, The Resolution for Women, and co-founder of Going Beyond Ministries. Fervent was inspired by War Room, a film starring Shirer that grossed over $73 million in theaters nationwide last year and continues as a popular DVD release.

THE CHRISTIAN BOOK AWARD® WINNERS IN EACH CATEGORY ARE:

“These award-winning titles represent the best of Christian publishing,” said ECPA executive director Stan Jantz. “They reflect this industry's commitment to excellence, relevance, and imagination that spark the interest of the church and wider culture."

The evening’s news culminated in a social media campaign hitting nearly one million accounts with the news of the winners and an invitation to #ReadGoodBooks and share #MyFavoriteGoodBook.  All fans of Christian books are invited to participate in this viral “Christian-book-selfie” campaign and to share their #MyFavoriteGoodBook reads.

Christian Book Award® program winners also receive recognition and support throughout multiple retail and media outlets, including Christianity Today, ChristianBook.com, Crossings, Family Christian, LifeWay Christian Stores, Parable Christian Stores, Innovative/Signature Websites, NetGalley, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Christianity Today will continue their partnership with the program through ad campaigns in their digital and print publications throughout the year.

To view the finalists and winners and learn more, visit ChristianBookAwards.com or ChristianBookExpo.com.

The Christian Book Award® program has recognized the absolute highest quality in Christian books since 1978. Based on excellence in content, literary quality, design, and impact, the Christian Book Award® program is the oldest and among the most prestigious awards in the religious publishing industry.

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade organization, comprised of nearly 200 member companies worldwide, representing a combined revenue of nearly $1.4 billion.  Since 1974, ECPA has strengthened Christian publishing by buiding Networking, Information, and Advocacy opportunities within the industry and across multiple channels so sthat our members can more effectively produce and deliver transformational Christian content. 

For more information about ECPA: 480-966-3998, info@ecpa.org, ECPA.org

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This is a publication of ECPA (the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.
For more information about ECPA, contact info@ecpa.org or visit ECPA.org