The Australian Christian Book of the Year Award is given annually to an original book written by an Australian citizen. The award recognises and encourages excellence in Australian Christian writing. Entries close 31 March 2026. Download conditions and entry form here.
God’s Very Special Letters: The Epistles for Kids
Philippians, Colossians & Philemon, 1 Peter
Matt Dodd and Thom Bransdon
9781764357401, 9781764357432, 9781764357463
Four New Testament letters have been brought to life for readers of all ages. This new translation uses direct and plain language and is a joy to read. The text is complemented by illustrations that advance the narrative, remind us of the culture and fortunes of the original readers, and ensure that people remain the focus of complex theological ideas. This unprecedented and wonderful initiative makes these epistles accessible to children and offers older readers a fresh encounter with familiar and favourite parts of Scripture. Why hasn’t this been done before?
The 2026 Australian Christian Book of the Year, Young Australian Christian Writer and Australian Christian Teen Writer Awards will be announced and prizes presented during this year’s SparkLit Awards Night on Thursday 20 August from 7:00pm (AEST) at St Alfred’s Anglican Church, 107 Springfield Road, Blackburn North, Melbourne, Victoria 3131. Join us to celebrate the courage and endeavour of our Christian writers!
Register now to attend in person ($20 per head) or receive the livestream link (free of charge).
The following ten titles have been shortlisted for the 2025 Australian Christian Book of the Year Award.
The following nine titles have been shortlisted for the 2026 Australian Christian Book of the Year Award.
Shortlisted
Philippians, Colossians & Philemon, 1 Peter
Matt Dodd and Thom Bransdon
9781764357401, 9781764357432, 9781764357463
Shortlisted
The Mythical Life of the Good Christian Girl
Polly Jane Butterworth
9781922866295
This beautiful book is an invitation to watch Jesus wash the feet of people we like and people we don’t like, people who fail us and people who hurt us. This is a confronting, concrete and compelling exploration of God’s grace. Jesus’ call to forgive those who betray us and love those who repel us is costly and radical. Jessica Claire Bond’s prose is natural and her illustrations are disarming. The transition of these popular images and reflections from social media to print is successful because they are moving, provocative and profound. Will you allow Jesus to wash your feet and discover the comfort and challenge of his mercy?
Locating us within the gospel arc spanning Creation to New Creation, Jo Knight looks at how climate change impacts people and the body of Christ. The call to love our neighbour is also a call to care for God’s creation. What does this mean for us as individuals, churches and Christian agencies? While Knight writes with the authority of global experience, her appeal is local and manageable. This book is rich in resources and proposals for the head, heart and hands. Perfect for individuals and small groups.
A prominent journalist explores the ways Christians influence their society. First, he tracks the impact of figures in the first four centuries of Christianity. Then we eavesdrop on his conversations with contemporary Christians, both famous and unknown, who are making a difference. The good news has always been countercultural. God has always used ordinary people to advance his mission. This is an inspiring collection of stories and a valuable contribution to public debate about the place of Christian thinking in the history of civilisations.
Conversation around the barbecue will never be the same again. In this book, a butcher explores the ways burnt offerings, animal sacrifices, food offerings and scapegoats served to bring people closer to God and anticipated the crucifixion. Bray offers hands-on insights, uses helpful analogies and writes with enthusiasm and larrikin wit. This is a warm welcome to a book of the Bible many find alienating. Leviticus is not so tough after all. Taste and see.
This is an invitation into the heart and mind of a sharp, sensitive and perceptive observer. Murriyang is many things and rewards slow and careful reading. It is a prayer. It is a love letter from a son to his Wiradjuri father. It is a theological, philosophical and anthropological journal. Grant jumps between his childhood in regional New South Wales and life as a globe-trotting journalist. He ranges widely. His writing is raw, honest and vulnerable but also generous and gracious. He is most articulate when reflecting on his faith in Jesus, indigenous spirituality and the state of the Australian soul.
With her 2024 Australian Christian Book of the Year (The Meaning of Singleness), Danielle Treweek showed us that we are made by God for relationship with him. Our marital status is not eternal but our walk with Jesus is. In Single Ever After, her encouraging and liberating message is accessible to everyone. She helps us examine our assumptions about marriage and singleness, and develop mutually supportive relationships that deepen our commitment and satisfaction. Treweek is a confident and magnanimous communicator. This is a punchy and cheerful guide to living well in Christ’s diverse household of faith.
Overwhelmed? Confused? Anxious? Lost? Whether your crisis is a result of inner turmoil or external changes or simply the uncertainty of living in an age of wars and rumours of wars, our security is not found in the strength of our grip but in the God who never lets go. This is a timely reminder of the ways God has demonstrated that he is trustworthy. Adriel Booker’s fluency and freedom is evidence of deep reflection and a thorough ordering of her experience and reading. Adriel is a kind and patient companion with words of comfort, hope and love.
Shortlisted
The Mythical Life of the Good Christian Girl
Polly Jane Butterworth
9781922866295
This book exposes the unreasonable and sometimes contradictory expectations that weigh down Christian women and girls. Maintaining appearances leaves us alone, anxious and ashamed. The way forward is not to pretend to be perfect but to be honest and know the perfect love that casts out all fear. Butterworth draws on personal memories and professional experience as a school chaplain. She writes with a gentle power that both provokes and reassures her readers. And for many life-long Christians, this book will provide a path to healing and build confidence in the saving grace of Jesus.
A Christian lawyer and legal scholar provides a clear, balanced and practical guide to living faithfully as followers of Jesus in a pluralistic age. The author examines our evolving legal framework and social milieu, recent challenges to religious freedom, and what the Bible says about our obligations to Caesar and Christ. Parkinson is a calm, wise and godly mentor. Ask not what will advance our own liberty and interests but rather what will advance the gospel.
Greg Clarke has a doctorate in modern literature and long experience in publishing, academia and Christian mission. He is the CEO of Leprosy Mission Australia and the author of the 2014 Australian Christian Book of the Year, The Great Bible Swindle. Greg and his family are members of St Mark’s Anglican Church in Darling Point, Sydney.
Amy Isham manages the Mannix Library at the Catholic Theological College in Melbourne. Amy has a PhD in Leadership, is a CPX Associate and publishes academically in the discipline of Religious Studies. Amy is married to Rev Luke Isham at St Kilda Presbyterian Church and has one gorgeous teen daughter, one adorable teen son and two agouti guinea pigs.
Grace Lung is Director of the Centre for Asian Christianity at Brisbane School of Theology and Coordinator of the Next Generation Bicultural Program at Melbourne School of Theology. She writes and teaches on Asian Australian and intercultural faith, and pastors with her husband at Rise Alliance Church on Brisbane’s southside. Grace studied at Sydney Missionary and Bible College and Fuller Theological Seminary.
Made in Our Image
God, Artificial Intelligence and You
Stephen Driscoll
ISBN 9781922980199
This is a realistic and fearless assessment of the ways AI could change our world. Stephen Driscoll expertly explains AI technologies and how they evolve. Because it is made in our image, AI will make our lives better and worse. We know we can’t rely on humans or market forces to make the right moral calls about the development and implementation of AI, but we can trust the promises of God. Because we are created in God’s image, and recreated in the image of his Son, we occupy a place that is not determined by technology. Driscoll communicates with wit and gravity and the result is balanced and memorable. There is nothing like a revolution to test the foundations and scope of our hope.
The Meaning of Singleness
Retrieving an Eschatological Vision for the Contemporary Church
Danielle Treweek
ISBN 9781514004852
This is a work of tremendous scholarship and intellectual acuity. By adopting the perspective of our destiny rather than origin, Treweek demonstrates that in church history, biblical exegesis and Christian theology, singleness has the same eternal significance as marriage. She takes on sacred cows and names Christian leaders who have veered away from the Bible to privilege marriage and devalue singleness. Treweek presents us with a vision of the church that is far more inclusive and faithful to Scripture. Taken seriously, this book will change the way churches operate, preachers preach, Christian organisations act, friends befriend, and crucially, how we love and are loved.
Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture
Christopher Watkin
ISBN: 9780310128724
A philosopher uses the Bible to analyse and interpret contemporary Western culture. The task is ambitious and daunting but Watkin’s confidence, curiosity and joy are contagious. No matter where you happen to open the book, the author’s easy style, wide-ranging scholarship and generosity grab your attention and you are off, exploring the unfolding biblical narrative and how it cuts through assumptions and ideologies to speak to our times. An enlightening and absorbing read for anyone wanting to deepen their appreciation of how the Bible addresses our world here and now. To reframe debates and culture wars, you will return regularly to this resource.
Appalled and infuriated by the abuse and degradation of the environment, a boy offers himself to God. God answers this child’s prayer and the ensuing adventure across continents and decades is breathtaking. The simple and sustainable system of land management that Tony Rinaudo pioneered in Niger is transforming the lives of subsistence farmers around the world and offers a model for solving our environmental crisis. Reviving dormant tree stumps is as powerful a metaphor as it is a method of reforestation. Tony is determined and faithful, and writes without guile or hubris. Irresistible, exemplary and, above all, hopeful.
Being the Bad Guys: How to Live for Jesus in a World that Says You Shouldn’t
Stephen McAlpine
ISBN: 9781784985981
No longer just quaint or irrelevant, Christians in Western society are once again regarded as “haters of humankind”. After exploring the ways a Christian worldview is unacceptable in contemporary Australia and the complex situations in which this places orthodox believers, Stephen McAlpine gets down to business. There is neither reason nor time for indulging in despair or victimhood. Being the Bad Guys calls on Christians to admit our failures and embrace life as a creative minority. As a community on the margins, we can welcome the actual victims of contemporary culture as they look for grace and solace from its bruising brutality. McAlpine is fearless, feisty and fluent. This book is an overdue reset for Christians who have not yet realised that they are more like Daniel in Babylon than Solomon in the land of milk and honey.
For the Love of God: How the Church is Better and Worse Than You Ever imagined
Natasha Moore with John Dickson, Simon Smart & Justine Toh
Centre for Public Christianity
ISBN: 9780647530351
For the Love of God is a bold yet balanced appraisal of the impact of Christianity, examining both the best and worst of what Christians have done over two millennia. Natasha Moore and her collaborators confront the failure of those who claimed to follow Christ but were responsible for the Crusades, the Inquisition and the abuse of children. The ease with which Christians through the ages have ignored both the teaching of Jesus and the dissenting voices of contemporary prophets is a caution. The authors also show how—when they obey Jesus—Christians have contributed to what is beautiful and beneficial in culture and society. In a time of social media echo chambers, fact-free opinion bubbles and divisive culture wars, this sort of fair and generous commentary is invaluable.
The Australian Christian Book of the Year Award is given annually to an original book written by an Australian citizen. The award recognises and encourages excellence in Australian Christian writing. The Australian Christian Book of the Year Award carries a prize of $3,000 for the author and a framed certificate for the author and publisher.
Entries are judged with an eye to the:
Original nature of the work.
Literary style, including suitability for the target audience.
Design, layout, cover, text and illustrations.
Contribution that the book makes in meeting a need for Christian writing in the Australian situation and in the Australian market. Entries are read and judged by a panel selected by the SparkLit Council.
Download conditions and entry form.
The Australian Christian Book of the Year Award has been conferred annually since 1981.
2026 Australian Christian Book of the Year God’s Very Special Letters: The Epistles for Kids. Volumes 1-3; Philippians, Colossians & Philemon, 1 Peter by Matt Dodd and Thom Bransdon (The Open Word)
Open 2026 awards results and judges’ comments.
2025 Australian Christian Book of the Year Made in Our Image: God, Artificial Intelligence and You by Stephen Driscoll (Matthias Media)
Open 2025 awards results and judges’ comments.
2024 Australian Christian Book of the Year The Meaning of Singleness: Retrieving an Eschatological Vision for the Contemporary Church by Danielle Treweek (InterVarsity Press)
Open 2024 awards results and judges’ comments.
2023 Australian Christian Book of the Year Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture by Christopher Watkin (Zondervan Academic)
Open 2023 awards results and judges’ comments.
2022 Australian Christian Book of the Year The Forest Underground: Hope for a Planet in Crisis by Tony Rinaudo (ISCAST)
Open 2022 awards results and judges’ comments.
2021 Australian Christian Book of the Year Being the Bad Guys: How to Live for Jesus in a World that Says You Shouldn’t by Stephen McAlpine (The Good Book Company)
Open 2021 awards results and judges’ comments.
2020 Australian Christian Book of the Year For the Love of God: How the Church is Better and Worse Than You Ever Imagined by Natasha Moore with John Dickson, Simon Smart & Justine Toh (Centre for Public Christianity)
Open 2020 awards results and judges’ comments.
2019 Australian Christian Book of the Year The Fountain of Public Prosperity: Evangelical Christians in Australian History 1740–1914 by Stuart Piggin & Robert D. Linder (Monash University Publishing)
Open 2019 awards results and judges’ comments.
2018 Australian Christian Book of the Year The Bible in Australia: A Cultural History by Meredith Lake (NewSouth Publishing)
Open 2018 awards results and judges’ comments.
2017 Australian Christian Book of the Year Our Mob, God’s Story: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Artists Share their Faith edited by Louise Sherman & Christobel Mattingley (Bible Society Australia)
Open 2017 awards results and judges’ comments.
2016 Australian Christian Book of the Year Child Arise! The Courage to Stand by Jane Dowling (David Lovell Publishing)
Open 2016 awards results and judges’ comments.
2015 Australian Christian Book of the Year Captains of the Soul by Michael Gladwin (Big Sky Publishing)
Open 2015 awards results and judges’ comments.
2014 Australian Christian Book of the Year Winner. The Great Bible Swindle by Greg Clarke (Bible Society Australia)
Open 2014 awards results and judges’ comments.
2013 Australian Christian Book of the Year Forged with Flames by Ann Fogarty (Wild Dingo Press)
Open 2013 awards results and judges’ comments.
2012 Australian Christian Book of the Year Gumbuli of Ngukurr: Aboriginal Elder in Arnhem Land by Murray Seiffert (Acorn Press)
Open 2012 awards results and judges’ comments.
2011 Australian Christian Book of the Year Economics for Life by Ian Harper (Acorn Press)
Open 2011 awards results and judges’ comments.
2010 Australian Christian Book of the Year Losing My Religion by Tom Frame (UNSW Press)
Open 2010 awards results and judges’ comments.
2009 Australian Christian Book of the Year No Ordinary View by Naomi Reed (Ark House Press)
Open 2009 awards results and judges’ comments.
