For Immediate Release — November 4, 2026
ECPA Announces 2026 Top Shelf Book Cover Award Winners at PubU in Nashville
38 winning designs recognized across Bibles, Children’s, Fiction, and Nonfiction categories
NASHVILLE, Tenn., November 4, 2026 — The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) announced the winners of the 2026 Top Shelf Book Cover Awards today during the opening session of ECPA PubU, the association’s professional development conference for Christian publishing professionals, held November 4–5 at the Sonesta Nashville Airport Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.
A total of 38 winning designs were recognized across four categories: Bibles (5 winners), Children’s (11 winners), Fiction (4 winners), and Nonfiction (18 winners), wherein judges selected as many winning designs in each category as they determined met the program’s standards of excellence. All eligible entries were published within the past year.
The awards were announced as part of PubU’s opening program, featuring bestselling author Douglas McKelvey, creator of the acclaimed Every Moment Holy series, whose keynote, “Cultivating a 100-Year Vision,” challenged publishing professionals to consider the lasting impact of the work they create and steward for future generations. The conference also includes a track of sessions specifically for industry design professionals.
“Book cover design is both an art and an essential part of how publishers connect their books with readers,” said Jeff Crosby, ECPA President. “The Top Shelf Book Cover Awards give us an opportunity to recognize the extraordinary creativity and craftsmanship of the designers whose work helps bring the message of these books to life. These awards also remind us of the importance of thoughtful design in creating books that will engage readers and endure over time. We are delighted to celebrate these achievements with industry colleagues at PubU.”
The 2026 Top Shelf Book Cover Award Winners by Category
BIBLES
CSB Women’s Study Bible, Hosanna Revival Edition
Designer: Katie Guiliano
Art Director: Mark Cowden
Publisher: Holman Bible Publishers, an imprint of B&H Publishing Group
ESV Applying the Gospel Study Bible for Women | ESV Applying the Gospel Study Bible for Men
Designer: Jordan Singer
Publisher: Crossway
ESV The Biggest Story Holy Bible for Kids: Four Editions
Designer: Don Clark
Publisher: Crossway
NKJV NT Tracing Edition: Two Editions
Designer: Kate Armstrong
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Bibles, HCCP
NLT The One Year Bible for Women
Designer: Jennifer Ghionzoli
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
CHILDREN’S
When You Find a Question
Designer: Eve DeGrie, Art Director
Illustrator: Anne Lambelet
Publisher: WorthyKids, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
We Sing!
Designers: Laura K. Sayers, Illustrator and Jordan Singer, title design
Art Director: Erik M. Peterson
Publisher: Crossway
Teach Me to Pray
Designer: Crystal Courtney
Publisher: Crossway
The Sword
Designer: Flavia Sorrentino
Art Director: Dan Stelzer
Publisher: New Growth Press
Scratch and Sniff Fruits of the Spirit
Designer: Make Believe Ideas
Publisher: BroadStreet Publishing Group
The Lamplight Series: The Hunt for the Kraken and Escape from Rome
Designer: Jeff Miller
Illustrator: Thomas Fluharty
Publisher: Crossway
The Kingdom and the King
Designer: André Parker
Illustrator: Catalina Echeverri
Publisher: The Good Book Company
Journey with Me for Kids
Designer: Mark Read, Art Director
Illustrator: Emma Skerratt
Publisher: IVP/UK
The Gospel Way Catechism for Kids
Designer: Addie Lutzo
Illustrator: Jessica Blanchard
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
The Explorer Bible Dictionary for Kids
Designers: Matthew Atkinson and Emily Keafer Lambright
Illustrator: Nate Farro
Art Directors: Jeff Godby and Mark Cowden
Publisher: Holman Reference, an imprint of B&H Publishing Group
The Biggest Story Advent
Designer: Don Clark
Publisher: Crossway
FICTION
Face to Face: A Novel of the Reformation
Designer: Zachariah James Stuef
Creative Director: Doug Klembara
Publisher: 1517 Publishing
Galahad and the Grail
Designer: Stephen Crotts
Publisher: Rabbit Room Press
Handle With Care
Designer: Pete Garceau
Art Director: Halie Cotton
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Fiction, HCCP
The Pilgrim’s Progress, Legacy Edition: Box Set
Designer: Stephen Crotts
Assistant Art Director: Lauren Ducommun
Creative Director: Tyler Van Halteren
Publisher: Lithos Kids
NONFICTION
Art of Sainthood
Designer: Addie Lutzo
Publisher: Leafwood Publishers
Audacious
Designer: Micah Kandros
Art Director: Kristen Paige Andrews
Publisher: Apiary, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Bajo sus alas (Under His Wings)
Designer: Kara Klontz
Art Director: Kristen Ingebretson
Publisher: B&H Español, an imprint of B&H Publishing Group
Based on a True Story
Designer: Tim Green
Art Director: Curt Diepenhorst
Publisher: Nelson Books, HCCP
Desiring God, Revised Edition
Designer: David Fassett
Publisher: Crossway
Disciplines of Devotion Series [Fasting, Prayer, Sabbath Rest, Bible Study, Evangelism, Worship]
Designer: David Fassett
Publisher: Crossway
The Fountain of Life
Designer: David Fassett
Publisher: Crossway
Free to Weep
Designer: Molly von Borstel
Publisher: Moody Publishers
The Goodness of God in the Gift of Scripture
Designer: David Fassett
Publisher: Crossway
In the Low
Designer: Scott Erickson
Art Director: Laura Powell
Publisher: Baker Books/ Baker Publishing Group
Made to Tremble
Designer: Leah Steed
Illustrator: David Wardle
Art Director: Susan Browne
Publisher: B&H Books, an imprint of B&H Publishing Group
None Like Him and In His Image: Gift Edition
Designer: Jordan Singer
Publisher: Crossway
Owen Among the Theologians
Designer: Jordan Singer
Publisher: Crossway
Spirit-Filled Singing
Designer: David Fassett
Publisher: Crossway
Stand in Awe
Designer: David Fassett
Publisher: Crossway
Stories Woven in Silver
Designer: Jordan Singer
Publisher: Crossway
What Comes Next
Designer: Riley Moody
Art Director: Chris Kuhatschek
Publisher: Baker Books/ Baker Publishing Group
Your Only Comfort
Designer: Jeff Miller
Art Director: Dan Stelzer
Publisher: New Growth Press
Winners Selected by Distinguished Panel of Design Experts
Each year, ECPA recruits an independent panel of accomplished design professionals to evaluate entries and select the Top Shelf winners. The 2026 judging panel included Samuel Han, Head of Brand and Creative Director at Alabaster Co.; Amy King, Art Director at Disney Publishing Worldwide, with previous creative leadership roles at Bloomsbury and Rodale Books; Zoe Norvell, independent book cover designer and founder of INeedABookCover.com, with previous experience at Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House; Amanda Rowe, Senior Designer at Sourcebooks, specializing in children’s publishing; and Elizabeth Yaffe, Associate Art Director for Viking/Penguin Books at Penguin Random House, whose work has received recognition from the Society of Illustrators and other design organizations. The judges evaluated entries based on market appropriateness, conceptual thinking, and quality of execution, and selected as many winning designs as they determined met the program’s standards of excellence.
The ECPA Top Shelf Book Cover Awards recognize excellence in book cover design and celebrate the creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation of designers working in Christian publishing. The program highlights the essential role of visual design in communicating a book’s message, connecting with readers, and distinguishing titles in the marketplace.
Each winner is featured at https://topshelfaward.org/winners.html.
Comments by judge-designers are viewable by clicking on each cover.
The Top Shelf Book Cover Award program is managed by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) in order to recognize design excellence in the Christian publishing industry. In the program’s 14-year history, nearly 370 book and Bible designs have received this prestigious award, honoring design excellence in Christian publishing. The submission period for the 2027 program will open in April. TopShelfAward.org.
Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade organization comprised of member companies that are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide. Since 1974, ECPA has strengthened Christian publishing by building networking, information, and advocacy opportunities within the industry and throughout multiple channels so that our members can more effectively produce and deliver transformational Christian content. ECPA.org
Media contacts:
Jeff Crosby, ECPA President, ECPA, 630-989-0222, jcrosby@ecpa.org
Cindy Carter, ECPA Recognition Manager, 480-966-3998 ext. 806, ccarter@ecpa.org
