By Aaron Wilson
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – B&H Publishing Group wrapped up the year in a highly decorated fashion. In November and December, the trade publishing arm of Lifeway Christian Resources received awards and recognitions from several organizations including Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition and the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). These recognitions come on the heels of B&H Español winning a record 13 awards earlier in the year from the Spanish Evangelical Publishers Association (SEPA) including best Bible and best book.
“It’s hard to overestimate the impact books have had in my life,” said Lifeway President and CEO Ben Mandrell. “I’m deeply grateful we’re able to contribute beautiful titles and meaningful design work. Prior to coming to Lifeway, I didn’t understand the enormous amount of work required to produce a quality book or Bible. Our teams work hard, and I’m proud of them.”
Top Shelf Book Awards
For the fifth year in a row, B&H Publishing was recognized by the ECPA for creating some of the best cover design in Christian literature.
Lifeway took home two Top Shelf Book Cover Awards this year for the “CSB Notetaking Bible, Stained Glass Editions” and for the pair of books, “The Risen One” and “The Expected One” by Scott James. Art direction for the Bibles and books was overseen respectively by graphic designers Jeff Godby and Jade Novak.
Winners were announced November 17 at the Design Forward event held at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. A panel of 38 judges representing multiple Christian publishing houses voted on the nominations.
“Book design is one of the most intimate, meaningful forms of product design in the world, because designers are crafting objects that people live with every day,” said Devin Maddox, B&H publisher. “I am so proud of our designers and the countless freelancers we work with because they are being recognized for excellence in work that really matters.”
The Top Shelf Award program is managed by the ECPA to recognize design excellence in the Christian publishing industry. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the annual award program.
The Gospel Coalition
On December 5, The Gospel Coalition released their favorite reads of 2022 and named the following two B&H titles winners in their respected categories:
- “Spurgeon the Pastor: Recovering a Biblical and Theological Vision for Ministry” by Geoffrey Chang (History & Biography)
- “Does God Sleep: A Book About God’s Power” by Amy Gannett (Children’s)
“The Boy from the House of Bread” by Andrew Wilson also received an Award of Distinction in the Children’s category.
Christianity Today
Closing out the year, on December 13, Christianity Today named “Heaven and Nature Sing: 25 Advent Reflections to Bring Joy to the World” by Hannah Anderson winner in the Bible & Devotional category for its 2023 Book Awards.
Christianity Today also named B&H a finalist for the following titles:
- “Logic and the Way of Jesus: Thinking Critically and Christianly” by Travis Dickinson (Apologetics & Evangelism)
- “You’re the Worst Person in the World” by Scarlet Hiltibidal (Young Adults)
- “Fruitful Theology: How the Life of the Mind Leads to the Life of the Soul” by Ronni Kurtz (Theology: popular)
- “God in Eternity and Time: A New Case for Human Freedom” by Robert E. Picirilli (Theology: academic)
More information about each of these award-winning titles can be found at Lifeway.com.
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Aaron Wilson is a writer for Lifeway Christian Resources.
About Lifeway Christian Resources
In operation since 1891, Lifeway Christian Resources is one of the leading providers of Christian resources, including Bibles, books, Bible studies, Christian music, Vacation Bible School and church supplies, as well as camps and events for all ages. Lifeway is the world’s largest provider of Spanish Bibles. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Lifeway operates as a self-supporting nonprofit. For more information, visit Lifeway.com.
