TORONTO, Ontario — (CANADIAN CHRISTIAN NEWS SERVICE) — Canadian Christian writing will shine in the spotlight on Friday, June 24 at the annual Word Awards, to recognize the best work published in multiple genres by Christian Canadian writers.
The 2016 Gala will be held at the Holiday Inn Yorkdale (3450 Dufferin St, Toronto). The evening will include a formal dinner, music, award presentations and dessert social and is open to the general public.
“Over the years as The Word Guild has hosted the Awards Gala, and this is the 28th annual event, along with Write Canada and other ministry initiatives for writers, we have witnessed a rise in the caliber of Christian writing,” says Ruth Thorogood, executive director of The Word Guild. “We are excited about what God is doing through these outstanding individuals.”
The formal event will honour the best in 35 categories including books, articles, poetry, blogs, screenplays and, new this year, French language, screenplays, and general market article categories.
The Harvey/Mackey Award, named after veteran journalists Bob Harvey and Lloyd Mackey, will debut this year. The evening will also feature the sixth annual presentation of the $5,000 Grace Irwin Prize, Canada’s largest literary prize for Christian authors, is awarded in honour of the most outstanding book published in 2015.
The Word Awards are considered the highlight event of Canada’s largest Christian writers’ conference, Write Canada, sponsored by The Word Guild, taking place June 23-25th in Toronto (also at the Holiday Inn Yorkdale).
Tickets for the Gala are available online with an early bird rate that ends May 16.
For more information about The Word Guild, The Word Awards, other awards or other events please visit www.thewordguild.com and click on Contests & Awards.
THE SHORTLIST OF FINALISTS
THE 2016 WORD AWARDS
CHRISTIAN CATEGORIES
BOOK CATEGORIES
Book – Academic
Craig G. Bartholomew of Hamilton, Ont. for Introducing Biblical Hermeneutics (Baker Publishing Group)
Paul Heintzman of Ottawa, Ont. for Leisure and Spirituality (Baker Publishing Group)
Stanley Porter of Hamilton, Ont. for Linguistic Analysis of the Greek New Testament (Baker Publishing Group)
Book – Children
Christie Thomas of Sherwood Park, Alta. for Wise for Salvation: Meaningful Devotions for Families With Little Ones (Word Alive Press)
Paul Boge of East St. Paul, Man. for The Biggest Family in the World (Castle Quay Books)
Book – Christian Living
Donna Carter of Calgary, Alta. for Kick the Boring Out of Your Life – Think Big, Take Risks, Travel Light (Harvest House)
Gordon C. Harris of Mississauga, Ont. for Oriented (Catch the Fire Books)
Greg Paul of Toronto, Ont. for Simply Open (Thomas Nelson)
Ron Hughes of Smithville, Ont. for Living at the End of the Rope (Gospel Folio Press)
Tim Huff of Toronto, Ont. for The Yuletide Factor: Cause for Perpetual Comfort and Joy (Castle Quay Books)
Book – Culture
Brian C. Stiller of Newmarket, Ont. for Evangelicals Around the World: A Global Handbook for the 21st Century (Thomas Nelson)
Karen Stiller of Port Perry, Ont. and Patricia Paddey of Mississauga, Ont. for Shifting Stats Shaking The Church: 40 Canadian Churches Respond (World Vision Canada)
Paul Heintzman of Ottawa, Ont. for Leisure and Spirituality (Baker Publishing Group)
Book – Inspirational/Devotional
Donna Carter of Calgary, Alta. for Kick the Boring Out of Your Life – Think Big, Take Risks, Travel Light (Harvest House)
George H. Dawe of Noris Arm North, Nfld. for Stories of Deliverance (Westbow Press)
James Bruyn of Calgary, Alta. for God with us to Work (Word Alive Press)
Tandy Balson of Airdrie, Alta. for Dragonflies, Snowdrifts & Spice Cake (Friesen Press)
Tim Huff of Toronto, Ont. for The Yuletide Factor: Cause for Perpetual Comfort and Joy (Castle Quay Books)
Book – Instructional
David Sherbino of Toronto, Ont. for Renew: A Basic Guide For A Personal Retreat (Castle Quay Books)
John McAuley of Montreal, Que. for Leading from the In-Between : Crossing Bridges With Emerging Leaders (Castle Quay Books)
Book – Life Stories
Ben Volman of North York, Ont. for More Than Miracles: Elaine Zeidman Markovic and the Story of The Scott Mission (Castle Quay Books)
Judi Peers of Peterborough, Ont. for Playing Second Fiddle: God’s Heart for Harmony Regarding Women and the Church (Word Alive Press)
Marianne Jones of Thunder Bay, Ont. for The Girl who Wouldn’t Die (Word Alive Press)
Robert Jones of St. Albert, Alta. for Ornament (Word Alive Press)
Novel – Children
Glynis M. Belec of Drayton, Ont. for Hopeful Homer (Angel Hope Publishing)
Karen Autio of Kelowna, B.C. for Kah-Lan the Adventurous Sea Otter (Sono Nis Press)
Ramona Lusch Johnson of Dalmeny, Sask. for Tabitha Teapot (Word Alive Press)
Sally Meadows of Saskatoon, Sask. for The Two Trees (Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing)
Novel – Contemporary
Serenity McLean of Airdrie, Alta. for The Flawless Life (Dometree Publishing)
Valerie Comer of Creston, B.C. for Dandelions for Dinner (GreenWords Media)
Novel – Historical
Karen Beintema of Chatham, Ont. for Retribution (Word Alive Press)
L.A. Racines of Uxbridge, Ont. for A Shield in the Shadows (Xulon Press)
Rose Scott of Surrey, B.C. for Threaten to Undo Us (Promontory Press)
Novel – Suspense
N.J. Lindquist (J.A. Menzies) of Markham, Ont. for Shadow of a Butterfly: The Case of the Harmless Old Woman (MurderWillOut Mysteries)
Janet Sketchley of Dartmouth, N.S. for Without Proof (Self)
Sandra Orchard of Fenwick, Ont. for Desperate Measures (Revell Publishing)
ARTICLE, POETRY, AND SONG LYRIC
Article – Blog
Jim Martens of Delta, B.C. for “Marcus Story in Haiti” (http://www.jimmartens.com)
Marcia Lee Laycock of Blackfalds, Alta. for “The Man with the Broom in His Hands” (http://internationalchristianfictionwriters.blogspot.ca)
Steve Bell of Winnipeg for “From Lent to Love: From your Friendly-Neighbourhood Troubadour” (http://blog.stevebell.com)
Steve Bell of Winnipeg for “Several Shades of Valentine’s Day” (http://blog.stevebell.com)
Thomas Froese of Ancaster, Ont. for “Fear and Childbirth in Uganda” (http://www.dailydad.net)
Thomas Froese of Ancaster, Ont. for “These Warm Summer Days” (http://www.dailydad.net)
Article – Inspirational/Devotional
Angela Reitsma Bick of Newcastle, Ont. for “Ghostwritten” (Christian Courier)
Carolyn Arends of Surrey, B.C. for “Our “Holy” Sins” (Today’s Christian Woman)
Christine Kenel-Peters of Richmond Hill, Ont. with Marguerite Cummings of Toronto, Ont. for “Your People Will Be My People” (That’s Life! Communications)
John H. Redekop of Abbotsford, B.C. for “From the Editor’s Desk” (January, 2015) (The Garden Park Journal)
L. June Stevenson of Ajax, Ont. for “The Girl from the Other Side of the Tracks” (That’s Life! Communications)
Rose McCormick Brandon (Emily Galbraith) of Caledonia, Ont. for “A Mother Prays for her Depressed Son” (Signs of the Times)
Article – Long Feature
Bruce Hindmarsh of Vancouver, B.C. for “Christ as End of Faith as Its Beginning: Human Development and Spiritual Formation in Theological Perspective” (CRUX)
Lisa Hall-Wilson of London, Ont. for “Hope and Healing for First Nations and the Canadian Church” (Faith Today)
Ray Wiseman of Fergus, Ont. for “Until Death Do Us Part” (That’s Life! Communications)
Sarah C. Williams of Vancouver, B.C. for “Can History Be Prophetic?” (CRUX)
Article – Personal Experience
Angela Reitsma Bick of Newcastle, Ont. for “Hold on” (Christian Courier)
Jordan Hageman of Stoney Creek, Ont. for “My Kids Go To Public School-And I’m OK With That – A Christian Mother’s Confession” (testimony)
Kimberley Parker of St. Thomas, Ont. for “The Mission on My Street – When Love Comes Back Around” (testimony)
Ron Powell of St.Albert, Alta., for “Remember Vincent – Doing Good To All People, One Person At A Time” (testimony)
Rose McCormick Brandon of Caledonia, Ont. for “Fuss-Free Praying/The Simplicity of Prayer” (Signs of the Times)
Article – Poetry
Alvin Ens of Abbotsford, B.C. for “The Pregnant Pause” (Rejoice)
Derek Witten of Vancouver, B.C. for “Acreage” (CRUX)
June Stevenson of Ajax, Ont. for “Remembering” (the CENTRAL Oshawa)
Stephen Kennedy of Peterborough, Ont. for “Afar Feast” (Presbyterian Record)
Article – Profile/Human Interest
Angela Reitsma Bick of Newcastle, Ont. for “Every moment holy” (Christian Courier)
Dagmar Morgan of Toronto, Ont. for “Dream, Pray Believe, Receive – He’ll Make it Happen” (The Love Movement)
Les Lindquist of Markham, Ont. for “My Mother, My Hero” (That’s Life! Communications)
Article – Short Feature
Angela Reitsma Bick of Newcastle, Ont. for “Under the microscope: Affordability” (Christian Courier)
John H. Redekop of Abbotsford, B.C. for “A Tribute to Mother” (The Garden Park Journal)
Lisa Hall-Wilson of London, Ont. for “Violence Against Women – Stories That Need To Be Told and Listened To” (testimony)
Article – Short Story
Carol Ford of Newmarket, Ont. for “My Mother’s Gift” (That’s Life! Communications)
N.J. Lindquist of Markham, Ont. for “Mary’s Dream” (That’s Life! Communications)
Column – series
John W. Martens of Delta, B.C. for “Now or Then” and “Widows and Scribes” (American Magazine)
John H. Redekop of Abbotsford, B.C. for “From the Editor’s Desk” (June 2015) and “From the Editor’s Desk” (July 2015) (The Garden Park Journal)
Josh Valley of Toronto, Ont. for “Donald Trump and other madness Evangelicals fall for” and “Seeing Jesus as a refugee” (Christian Week)
Column – single
John H. Redekop of Abbotsford, B.C. for “An oppressive ruling” (The Garden Park Journal)
Steve Bell of Winnipeg for “Love is the Renewed Normal” (The Anglican Planet)
Thomas Froese of Ancaster, Ont. for “Truth Under Cover” (Christian Week)
Thomas Froese of Ancaster, Ont. for “When God Kissed the World” (Christian Week)
Thomas Froese of Ancaster, Ont. for “Wrestling with Angels” (Christian Week)Poetry
Alvin Ens of Abottsford, B.C. for “The Pregnant Pause” (Prairie Messenger)
Derek Witten of Vancouver, B.C. for “Acreage” (CRUX)
L. June Stevenson of Ajax, Ont. for “Remembering” (The CENTRAL Oshawa)
Stephen Kennedy of Peterborough, Ont. for “Afar Feast” (Presbyterian Record)
CROSSOVER CATEGORIES
BOOK CATEGORY
Novel – Suspense
Linda Hall of Fredericton, N.B. for The Bitter End (Wild Seas Press)
N.J. Lindquist of Markham, Ont. for Shadow of a Butterfly: The Case of the Harmless Old Woman (MurderWillOut Mysteries)
ARTICLE, POETRY, AND SONG LYRIC
Article – Long Feature
Christian Van Starkenburg of Victoria, B.C. for “Taming the TV: Turning TV Time into Teachable Moments” (Island Parent)
Glynis Belec of Drayton, Ont. for “Art From the Heart” (The Rural Route)
Short Story
Bobbi Junior of Edmonton, Alta. for “Chapter Book” (That’s Life! Communications)
N.J. Lindquist of Markham, Ont. for “Mary’s Dream” (That’s Life! Communications)
Column – Single
Father Raymond De Souza of Kingston, Ont. for “Patricide – The Threshold of the Dark Side” (National Post)
Michael Coren of Toronto, Ont. for “The Real War on Christmas Comes from the Right” (The Toronto Star)
National Post Editorial Board of Toronto, Ont. for “What Child Is This?” (National Post)
Thomas Froese of Ancaster, Ont. for “What if the spirited ways of Pope take root?” (Hamilton Spectator)
FRENCH
Fictives
Anne Cattaruzza of Longueuil, Que. for À la recherche de Shéïda (La Maison de la Bible)
Mélissa Robitaille Gouger of Pont-Rouge, Que. for Écoutez-moi! (Pain sur les eaux)
Vie Chrétienne
Ann L. Beaulieu of Drummondville, Que. for L’Amitié dans tous ses sens (Éditions Exit)
Ann L. Beaulieu of Drummondville, Que. for Femme de Dieu audacieuse (Éditions Exit)
Jean-Sébastien Morin of Saint-Eustache, Que. for Mariés et heureux? (Ministères mult)
Joseph Kabuya Masanka of Pierrefonds, Que. for Vie brisée, vie restaurée (Éditions Ministère Multilingue Internationale)
SCRIPTS
Full Length Christian Script
Dennis Hassell of Toronto, Ont. for “Shell Game”
Val Lieske of Calgary, Alta. for “Sunny Side Up”
Additional Categories:
Awards will be presented on June 24 to the winners of three categories for which there are no shortlists of finalists: Book – Biblical Studies, Book – Crossover culture
Novel – Christian Speculative, Novel – Crossover romance, Novel – Crossover young adult; Article – Crossover Column – Series, Article – Crossover Personal Experience, Article – Song Lyrics
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The Word Guild is an association of Canadian writers, editors, speakers, publishers, booksellers, librarians, and other Christian individuals who are invested in or employed in media. From all parts of Canada and many denominational and cultural backgrounds, they are united in their common passion to positively influence individuals, and ultimately Canadian culture, through life-changing words that bring God’s message of hope.
For questions and comments please contact us:
Ruth Thorogood
E. executivedirector@thewordguild.com
P. 1.800.969.9010