Immediate Release — May 1, 2018

2018 Christian Book Award® Winners Announced

ECPA RECOGNIZES 14 BOOKS AND BIBLE AS “BEST OF THE YEAR”

JESUS ALWAYS by Sarah Young sells over 1 million copies within year of its release and is named 2018 Christian Book of the Year™

Washington D.C., May 1, 2018 – The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) announced the winners of the 2018 Christian Book Awards® in 11 categories, and named the 2018 Christian Book of the Year® as Jesus Always by Sarah Young (Thomas Nelson).

The announcements were made at the ECPA Awards Celebration held tonight at the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC, during the ECPA Leadership Summit. The evening featured Anne Graham Lotz as keynote, celebrated the 40^th anniversary of Christian Book Awards, and paid tribute to the publishing legacy of Billy Graham. Also honored tonight were the recipients of the Kenneth N. Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award — John and Elizabeth Sherrill — and 17 titles reaching Gold (500,000) and Platinum (1 million) sales status this past year.

Represented in the collection of 14 winning titles announced tonight are:

Runaway bestseller Jesus Always named Christian Book of the Year with over 1 million sold within its first year of release
Ties in two categories: Christian Living and Young People’s Literature
Contemporary issues of dementia and race addressed in two winning titles by Crossway (Finding Grace in the Face of Dementia) and Abingdon Press (Who Lynched Willie Earle? Preaching to Confront Racism)
Documentary in the works for the top book in Biography & Memoir, I’ll Push You by Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck
The 13th win for author Charles Swindoll, who is the Award recipient this year in Bibles for The Swindoll Study Bible
Bible Reference Works win of the classic, Evidence That Demands A Verdict (completely updated and expanded) by father and son duo, Josh and Sean McDowell
First time Christian Book Awards for New Growth Press and Abingdon Press

“For 40 years ECPA has recognized excellence in Christian publishing through the Christian Book Award® program,” says Stan Jantz, executive director of ECPA. “We are grateful to the publishers and their authors who create and produce these Award-winning books and Bibles. They are prime examples of the effective way publishing fulfills ECPA’s mission: To make the Christian message more widely known.”

THE CHRISTIAN BOOK AWARD® WINNERS IN EACH CATEGORY ARE:

2018 CHRISTIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR®

Jesus Always, Sarah Young
Thomas Nelson, 9780718039509

BIBLES

The Swindoll Study Bible NLT, Charles R. Swindoll
Tyndale House Publishers, 9781414387253

BIBLE REFERENCE WORKS

Evidence That Demands a Verdict (completely updated and expanded)
Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, PhD, Thomas Nelson, 9781401676704

BIBLE STUDY

Adorned, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth
Moody Publishers, 9780802412591

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

I’ll Push You, Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck
Tyndale House Publishers, 9781496421692

CHILDREN

Good Good Father, Chris Tomlin and Pat Barrett, Illustrated by Lorna Hussey
Thomas Nelson, 9780718086954

CHRISTIAN LIVING (tie)

Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community
Brett McCracken, Crossway, 9781433554254

Whisper, Mark Batterson
Multnomah, 9780735291089

DEVOTION & GIFT

GraceLaced, Ruth Chou Simons
Harvest House Publishers, 9780736969048

FAITH & CULTURE

Finding Grace in the Face of Dementia, John Dunlop, MD
Crossway, 9781433552090

MINISTRY RESOURCES

Who Lynched Willie Earle? Preaching to Confront Racism, William H. Willimon
Abingdon Press, 9781501832512

NEW AUTHOR

Follow the Cloud, John Stickl
Multnomah, 9781601429254

YOUNG PEOPLE’S LITERATURE (tie)

The Bible Explorers Guide, Nancy I. Sanders
Zonderkidz, 9780310758105

The Radical Book for Kids: Exploring the Roots and Shoots of Faith, Champ Thornton
New Growth Press, 9781942572718

The evening’s news culminated in a social media campaign hitting over a half a million accounts with the news of the winners and an invitation to #ReadGoodBooks that #FeedYourSoul.

The Christian Book Award winners will also be promoted through multiple retail and media outlets including media sponsor Christianity Today, and Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBook.com, Covenant Group, LifeWay Christian Stores, Logos Bookstores, Mardel, NetGalley, Parable Christian Stores, and Signature Marketing Network.

To learn more, visit the program’s new website at ChristianBookAwards.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. ChristianBookAwards.com @CBAwards #ChristianBookAwards

The 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. For more information about ECPA: info@ecpa.org ECPA.org @ECPA

Media contacts:
Stan Jantz, ECPA Executive Director, sjantz@ecpa.org, 480-966-3998
Cindy Carter, ECPA Awards & Recognition Manager, ccarter@ecpa.org, 480-966-3998

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