Crossway Books & Bibles' the ESV (English Standard Version) Study Bible took the top honors of Christian Book of the Year and Bible of the Year at the 31st Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's (ECPA) Christian Book Awards last night in Dallas. The awards were presented before an audience of around 150 on the eve of the official opening of the association's inaugural Christian Book Expo.

"This was a memorable evening in many respects," said Mark Kuyper, president of ECPA. "It was the first time a study Bible earned top honors and the first time we've opened the awards presentation to the public."

Crossway President Lane Dennis, who called the recognition "stunning," said the reaction to the Bible--published in October--had been remarkable, and he credited the "tremendous" team at the Wheaton, Ill.-based company for its development.

"It's amazing to think about the impact it's having worldwide, that especially during challenging times, people are turning to God's Word," he told Christian Retailing. "It's His gift--what an honor it is to publish it."

Kuyper credited the "innovative" Bible for its connection between print and online formats. The ESV Study Bible is among the first Bibles to offer companion online content, and an eBook version has been a consistent best-seller on Amazon.com.

Another Crossway title, John Piper's Spectacular Sins, was recognized as the winner in the Christian Life category. Titles from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing were honored in two categories--Children & Youth: For Young Men Only by Jeff Feldhahn and Eric Rice with Shaunti Feldhahn, and Fiction: The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner.

Winners in other categories were: Bible Reference & Study: Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings by Tremper Longman and Peter Enns (InterVarsity Press); and Inspiration & Gift: Holiness Day by Day by Jerry Bridges (NavPress).

The 2009 awards' new dinner format allowed "time to unpack" the content of the titles, Kuyper said. Students from the Media Arts department of the Dallas Theological Seminary performed dramatic readings of the titles prior to the winners being announced by presenters that included Jerry B. Jenkins, Janette Oke and Don Piper. Dove Award nominee Travis Cottrell provided special music.

Speaking on the impact of Christian books, Piper told the crowd of an e-mail recently received from the secretary of pastor Fred Winters of Maryville, Ill., who was shot and killed in a tragedy at his church. The secretary told Piper that Winters' widow had been giving copies of Piper's book, 90 Minutes in Heaven (Revell/Baker Publishing Group), to the first responders to the incident and wanted more copies to hand out.

Oke also credited the impact of books that "continue to provide to readers an introduction to a holy God."

The Christian Book Awards winners were selected from 218 products submitted by ECPA member publishers in 2008. Kuyper said the awards show was a great start to an event that would "expand in the years to come."

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