Omega Writers | Announcing the 2021 CALEB Finalists

The books have been read, the scoresheets completed, the scores added …

I am delighted to announce the finalists in the 2021 CALEB Awards from Omega Writers: Christian Authors Lifting Each other’s Books.

I’d also like to add a big thank you to our sponsors for supporting Omega Writers, the CALEB Award, and Christian writers across Australia and New Zealand:

• Sheree Chambers & Emma Biddle at Impressum
• Marianne Musgrove at Marianne Musgrove
• Christina Booth at Christina Booth
• Nola Passmore at The Write Flourish
• Lisa Renee at  The Collaborative Press
• Iola Goulton at Christian Editing Services
• Tamika Spaulding at His Herd
• A New Page at A New Page
• Devonport Bookshop, Tasmania at Devonport Bookshop

Children’s Picture Books

Sponsor: Christina Booth

The winners (author and illustrator) will each receive a one-hour manuscript or illustration assessment via Zoom.

If the winner is both writer and illustrator, they can choose between the above or two manuscript assessments, one month apart.

The finalists are:

All Cats are on the Autism Spectrum
Written and Illustrated by Kathy Hoopman

The Other Brother
Written by Penny Jaye and Illustrated by Heidi Cooper Smith

Grandma’s Treasured Shoes
Written by Coral Vass and Illustrated by Christina Huynh

Children’s Fiction (Early Reader and Middle Grade)

Sponsor: Marianne Musgrove

The winner will receive a manuscript assessment of the first 10,000 words (plus three-page synopsis), plus a one-hour Zoom chat.

The finalists are:

Where the Jungle Calls by Rosie Boom

The Adventures of Romy by Penelope Foote

How Not to be Popular by Cecily Paterson

Young Adult Fiction

Sponsor: Nola Passmore at the Write Flourish

The winner will receive their choice of editing services to the value of $400.

The finalists are:

Saving Beth by Jenny Glazebrook

Golden City (Realm Trilogy #3) by Sharon Manssen

Apprentice by Kristen Young

Adult Fiction

Sponsor: Iola Goulton of Christian Editing Services

The winner will receive their choice of editing services to the value of $400.

The finalists are:

Scattered by Nola Lorraine

Organized Backup by Meredith Resce

The Silk Merchant of Sychar by Cindy Williams

Adult Biography or Memoir

Sponsor: Lisa Renee at The Collaborative Press

The winner will receive a full wraparound cover for paperback and ebook, valued at $400.

The finalists are:

On the Way: An Australian Doctor in Yemen and Pakistan by Michael Babbage

Count Your Blessings: Colin’s Story by Colin & Hazel Barker

One Rich Girl by Gwenda Smithies

Adult Nonfiction

Sponsor: Sheree Chambers & Emma Biddle at Impressum

The winner will receive their choice of website updates, a six-week social media calendar, or a cover for their next book to the value of $400.

The finalists are:

Echoes of Jesus: Does the New Testament Reflect What He Said? by Jonathan Clerke

Riding the Wind: Writing for Children and Young Adults by Rosanne Hawke

Sinned Against: Exploring the Scriptures by Valerie Wressell

Congratulations to all our finalists!

The books will now be sent to our final-round judges, and the winners announced at the Omega Writers Retreat on 9 October 2021.

Omega Writers Retreat

The 2021 Omega Writers Retreat will be held at Peppers Kingscliff, New South Wales, from 8 to 10 October 2021.

Details and booking information for the retreat will open soon.

Encouragement Awards

The CALEB Awards are about lifting and promoting the best of Australian and New Zealand Christian writing. But there is more to writing than getting published, so we’d also like to encourage our fellow writers.

Sponsors:

• Tamika Spaulding at His Herd (two stationery prize packs valued at $50 each)
• A New Page (stationery and trinkets to the value of $100)
• Devonport Bookshop (six Reading Friends soft animal bookmarks valued at $10 each)

If you’re a current paid member of Omega Writers, we would like to invite you to nominate a fellow Christian writer for an Encouragement Award. This could be:

• A writer who has gone out of their way to support other writers (this will be a NEW CALEB award launched at this year’s Retreat)
• A writer who you believe needs encouragement.

We have three simple guidelines for the writers you nominate for either type of award:

1. Nominees must be Christian writers currently living in Australia, New Zealand, or the South Pacific.
2. Nominees can be published or unpublished writers in any genre.
3. Nominees do not have to be members of Omega Writers.

Please email caleb @ omegawriters.org and tell us:

• The type of Encouragement Award you would like to nominate a writer for
• Your name and email address
• Up to 200 words explaining why you believe this writer should receive this prize.
• The name and email/website address of the author you’d like to nominate (so we can contact them if they win)
•  

Who do you know who has encouraged you, or who you’d like to encourage? Let us know!