For Immediate Release — August 25, 2021

The Christy Award® program will host online Fall events featuring master storyteller & director of 'The Chosen' series, DALLAS JENKINS

Gala webcast will honor the literary contributions of the late WALTER WANGERIN, JR., with tributes by bestselling author PHILIP YANCEY, author/playwright PETE PETERSON, and more.

ART OF WRITING webinar series will tackle both tough and practical topics for Creatives and Writers around mental health, writing authentically outside one’s experience, and more

August 25, 2021, Tempe, AZ – The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) has announced the program for THE CHRISTY AWARD online fall events that include webcasts announcing the finalists and winners of the industry’s top award for Christian fiction – and a four-part ART OF WRITING series for creatives, publishers, writers, and fans.

DALLAS JENKINS, famed director of ‘The Chosen’ series, will be the featured speaker in the celebratory Christy Award Gala webcast on October 28, which will also include Book of the Year author AMANDA DYKES (Whose Waves These Are), bestselling author CHRIS FABRY as emcee, and a special tribute to the literary contributions of the late WALTER WANGERIN, JR. by bestselling author PHILIP YANCEY, The Rabbit Room’s PETE PETERSON, and more. The evening will center around the announcement of the 2021 winners of The Christy Award for Christian Fiction.

“The Christy Awards are designed to nurture, promote, and recognize excellence in storytelling,” states JEFF CROSBY, president of ECPA. “I’m delighted that filmmaker Dallas Jenkins, whose series ‘The Chosen’ has artfully told the preeminent story of all stories, will be with us for this year’s gala.”

“I’m also grateful to be honoring the late Walter Wangerin, Jr., author of the National Book Award winner The Book of the Dun Cow and a host of other classics over the past four decades. It’s a joy to have Philip Yancey and Pete Peterson join in this important recognition. I anticipate a wonderful evening, celebrating the stories authored by writers of faith who have sought excellence in their craft.”

Leading up to the Gala, will be the fifth annual ART OF WRITING conference – a series of weekly Thursday evening webinars from SEPTEMBER 30 through OCTOBER 21.

The four-part series, developed by Bethany House fiction publicist AMY GREEN LOKKESMOE and WaterBrook’s senior marketing manager JAMIE LAPEYROLERIE, will bring together writers, creatives, and publishing curators for training and connection around these topics:

How to Be a Publishing Team’s Dream Author with a panel of publishing professionals from Tyndale House, Bethany House, WaterBrook, and HarperCollins Christian;
Book Promotion Design Principles for Non-Designers with award winning art director of Random House, Kristopher Orr;
Writing with Authenticity and Intentionality: Expert tips on writing stories outside an author’s experience;
Emotional, Spiritual, and Mental Health for Creatives: Strategies for writing from a place of courage with Dr. Holly Oxhandler, associate professor at Baylor University and cohost of the CXMH: Christianity & Mental Health weekly podcast.

Registration for all events is now open at TheChristyAward.com. The ART OF WRITING series is offered at the bundle rate of $79 for all four webinars. The series is “bookended” by the two free webinars announcing the finalists and winners:

The Christy Award finalists will be revealed by free webcast on September 30 at 11 am central time with bestselling and Christy Award Hall of Fame author Chris Fabry. Three finalists in nine categories will be named.
The free Christy Award winners webcast will be held on Thursday, October 28 at 7 pm central time, announcing the novel of the year, and the winning novels in nine fiction categories. The event will feature ‘The Chosen’ series director Dallas Jenkins; 2020 Book of the Year author Amanda Dykes; a special tribute to the literary contributions of Walter Wangerin, Jr. with Philip Yancey and Pete Peterson; and Christy Award Hall of Fame author Chris Fabry as emcee.

For more information and to register for these events, visit TheChristyAward.com.

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. ECPA.org

The Christy Award® is the foremost award honoring and promoting excellence in Christian fiction since 1999, and is named for Catherine Marshall’s novel, Christy, which has sold over 10 million copies since its publication in 1967. ECPA assumed ownership and administration of the award in 2017 to focus and grow the unique opportunity of fiction in Christian publishing. TheChristyAward.com FB: ChristyAward TW: @ChristyAward IG: @thechristyaward

Media contacts:
Jeff Crosby, ECPA President and CEO, jcrosby@ecpa.org, 480-966-3998 ext. 101
Cindy Carter, ECPA Awards & Recognition Manager, ccarter@ecpa.org, 480-966-3998 ext. 103

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