Kregel Authors Sweep Finalist Lists for 2026 Golden Scroll and Christian Market Book Awards

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — On Wednesday, July 1, the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association announced the finalists for the 18th Annual Golden Scroll Awards and the 7th Annual Christian Market Book Awards. Seven Kregel titles are finalists across four categories.

Flourish by Ava Pennington is a Golden Scroll Award finalist in the nonfiction category. In this grace-centered perspective on the fruit of the Spirit, author and Bible teacher Ava Pennington equips readers with biblical principles and practices to recognize Satan's attacks, shield their hearts, and nurture new growth in Christ.

Southern Sunshine by Dawn Wallis is a Golden Scroll Award finalist in the nonfiction category. Blending the charm of Southern sayings with timeless biblical truth, Southern Sunshine offers down-to-earth devotionals filled with humor, heart, and hope. This warm and relatable read invites readers to find grace and encouragement in the middle of life’s messiest moments.

The Trauma Tree by Lisa Saruga is also a Golden Scroll Award finalist in the nonfiction category. Trauma is a liar. It claims that all hope is lost and that pain dictates life. As a licensed counselor, trauma therapist, and victim of sexual assault, Lisa has been there, and she knows the way out. Readers will discover the God-given resources they were created with and learn to process emotions, find a healthy support system, and start an effective therapeutic path to healing.

A Simple Kindness in Flatsboroby Heather Norman Smith is a Golden Scroll Award finalist in the fiction category. This heartwarming story is set in a small town in North Carolina. Relationships are rekindled and kindness is spread when a man with a congenital facial anomaly is unexpectedly reunited with a former beauty queen who broke his heart in third grade.

Hearts Aweigh by Shannon Sue Dunlap is a Golden Scroll Award finalist in the fiction category. The Shippers, cheeky septuagenarian matchmakers, are on a mission to secure a dreamy Mr. Right for Abby O'Brien, a sunny, optimistic childcare worker for Monarch Cruises. With his shy five-year-old daughter in tow, divorced elitist lawyer Spencer Randolph Masterson has anything but romance in mind. The Shippers attempt to get Spencer's scarred heart to set sail for a future with Abby.

The Beginning of You by Laine Lawson Craft is a Golden Scroll Award finalist in the children's category. God's love and purposeful design for each child begins long before birth, affirming every life as precious from its very start. This board book is designed to celebrate God’s loving craftsmanship of little ones, assuring them that every part of their being was intentionally designed.

The Eyes of River by Cindy K. Sproles is a Christian Market Book Award finalist in the fiction category. In the shadowed hollers of the late nineteenth-century Appalachian Mountains, Lizzy Haney is on the run—falsely accused of murder and desperate to find her stolen brother. With a secret buried deep in her past and danger on all sides, she must face hard truths, unexpected love, and a father whose eyes mirror the guilt he can no longer deny. Cindy's previous book, Coal Black Lies, placed second for Historical Novel of the Year in the 2025 Golden Scroll Awards.

The full list of finalists can be found here. Winners will be announced during the awards banquet on August 2 in St. Charles, Missouri. It is the final event of the AWSA Conference.

Kregel Publications is an evangelical Christian publisher that aims to develop and distribute—with integrity and excellence—trusted, biblically based resources that lead individuals to know and serve Jesus Christ.

The Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA) is a professional support group of Christian women communicators who have achieved significant success in publishing and speaking. Founded in 2000, AWSA equips and encourages members through training, networking, conferences, masterminds, and mentoring opportunities. AWSA members represent a diverse community of authors, speakers, podcasters, and media professionals whose ministries impact audiences across the globe. AWSA also sponsors the Golden Scroll Awards and the Christian Market Book Awards to honor excellence in Christian publishing. To learn more about AWSA, visit awsa.com.