Contest

2017 Higher Goals Awards

Presented during EPA’s 2017 convention, the 2017 Higher Goals awards honor the best work done in specific categories during the 2016 calendar year.

Article Series

First Place: Christianity Today Online, “Theology of Political Candidates Series: The Theology of Donald Trump, The Theology of Ted Cruz, Is Bernie Sanders Religious?” — Michael Horton, John Fea, Yehiel Poupko. Second Place: War Cry, “Serving Refugees” — Lt. Colonel Allen Satterlee, General Andre Cox, Ashley Schena, Jeff McDonald. Third Place: Illinois Baptist, “Modern missions series” — Lisa Sergent. Fourth Place: The Baptist Standard, “Coverage of Sexual Assault Scandal at Baylor University” — Ken Camp. Fifth Place: One Magazine, “Life and Lessons From the Valley” — Candice Smith.

Biblical Exposition

First Place: Illinois Baptist, “The Lost Value of Humility” — Eric Reed. Second Place: Christianity Today, “Saved Through Child-Bearing” — Wendy Alsup. Third Place: Focus on the Family, “God … the Father?” — Vance Fry. Fourth Place: DTS Magazine, “The Lord Loves Diversity” — Dr. Mark Bailey. Fifth Place: One Magazine, “Leaving Our Nets” — Sarah (Last name withheld for security reaons).

Blog: Single Post

First Place: Boundless, “Fat. Single. Christian.” — Joy Beth Smith. Second Place: ManagingYourChurch.com, “What Would Repealing the Johnson Amendment Actually Mean for Churches?” — Elizabeth Jackson. Third Place: The Baptist Standard, “What’s at Stake for the SBC in Backlash Against Russell Moore?” — Jake Raabe. Fourth Place: Michael Foust, “We’re Giving Away our Kids’ Christmas Toys.” Fifth Place: Stephen Clark, “Thankful.”

Blog: Website

First Place: Christianity Today Online, “Gleanings” — Jeremy Weber, Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, Kate Shellnutt, Morgan Lee. Second Place: BioLogosThird Place: ManagingYourChurch.com — Samuel Ogles, Michelle Dowell, Matthew Branaugh. Fourth Place: Wheaton Magazine Online, “#MyWheaton” — Allison Althoff Steinke, Katherine Braden, Kelsey Plankeel, Natasha Zeng. Fifth Place: Michael Foust, “MichaelFoust.com: Thoughts on Raising a Christian Family.”

Cartoon

First Place: Compassion Explorer Magazine, “Tricky Trail” — Luke Flowers. Second Place: Cadet Quest, “Casey’s Cadre” — Bob Lyzenga. Third Place: Clubhouse Jr., “Friends Out Back” — Crystal Bowman. Fourth Place: Adventures in Odyssey Clubhouse, “Captain Absolutely” — Dennis Edwards.

Cover

First Place: Towers — Gabriel Reyes-Ordeix. Second Place: In Touch MagazineThird Place: Young Salvationist — Captain Pamela Maynor, Andrea Ricker, Ashley Schena. Fourth Place: Christianity Today — Sarah Gordon, Alecia Sharp. Fifth Place: Outreach Magazine — James Long, Taylor Bird, Tim Downs, Marcus Torres.

Critical Review

First Place: Christianity Today Online, “What ‘No Man’s Sky’ and C.S. Lewis Tell Us About the Spirit of Our Age” — C.T. Casberg. Second Place: Christianity Today, “Does Protestantism Need to Die?” — Fred Sanders. Third Place: The Pathway, “Hacksaw Ridge Shows Triumph of Conscience” — Brian Koonce. Fourth Place: The Covenant Companion, “Beyoncé and the Theology of Lemonade” — Mandi Cherico, Velda Love. Fifth Place: Priscilla Papers, “Review of ‘Neither Complementarian nor Egalitarian: A Kingdom Corrective to the Evangelical Gender Debate by Michelle Lee-Barnewall’” — Aida Besancon Spencer.

Department

First Place: Influence, “Like a Leader” — Konan Stephens, James T. Bradford. Second Place: Focus on the Family, “Family Stages” — Sheila Seifert, Ginger Kolbaba. Third Place: In Touch Magazine, “Margin Notes.” Fourth Place: World Vision Magazine, “Life Frames” — Laura Reinhardt, Eugene Lee, Jon Warren. Fifth Place: In Touch Magazine Online, “Faith | Works” — Mike Cosper, Seth Haines, Jen Hatmaker, Charity Singleton Craig, Tony Woodlief, Joseph E. Miller.

Devotional

First Place: Sojourners, “Who Is This Jesus?” — Belden C. Lane. Second Place: Christianity Today Online, “Why Lent is Good for Bad Christians” — Katelyn Beaty. Third Place: In Touch Magazine, “Allergies and the Eschaton” — Mike Cosper. Fourth Place: The Behemoth, “My New Life as a Chimera Living with two sets of DNA” — Alec Hill. Fifth Place: The Covenant Companion, “Second City Sabbatical” — Mike Coglan.

Editorial

First Place: The Baptist Standard, “How Do Evangelicals Enable Locker Room Talk about Women?” — Marv Knox. Second Place: The Covenant Companion Online, “The Awful Command to Love Our Enemies” — Stan Friedman. Third Place: Alabama Baptist, “Mocking the Alabama Supreme Court” — Bob Terry. Fourth Place: The Echo, “Seven Essential Items for your Ignorance Starter Pack” — Luke Wildman. Fifth Place: PE News, “The Battle for Religious Liberty” — George O. Wood.

Evangelism Article

First Place: Influence, “Becoming an Engaging Church” — Rice Broocks. Second Place: Young Salvationist, “Will You Tell Your Story” — Captain Jamie Satterlee. Third Place: Church of God Evangel, “Build Bridges” — Victor Morris. Fourth Place: Light and Life Magazine, “Leaking Good News” — Matthew Thomas. Fifth Place: Alliance Life, “Give the Gospel a Chance” — Steve Irvin.

Feature Article

First Place: The Covenant Companion, “When Ministers Moonlight” — Bob Smietana. Second Place: World Vision Magazine, “Defying the Beast” — Kari Costanza, Laura Reinhardt. Third Place: Influence, “Homelanders: The Next Generation” — Judson Collier, Josh Babyar, George Paul Wood, Chris Railey, Rick Knoth. Fourth Place: SAConnects, “A New Chapel, A New Life” — Warren L. Maye, Robert Mitchell, Lea La Notte Greene, Susan Magnano. Fifth Place: Pursuit, “I Am a Syrian-American: Bringing the Refugee Crisis to Light” — Raine Paul, Caleb Bol.

Fiction

First Place: Adventures in Odyssey Clubhouse, “Winning Oscar” — Nancy Rue. Second Place: Inheritance, “Orphaned Adults” — Johnson Chiu. Third Place: Explorer’s Guide, “Hannah Is Not Nice” — Derek Lewis. Fourth Place: Christianity Today Online, “Closing Windows” — Martyn Wendell Jones. Fifth Place: Clubhouse Jr., “Bugged and Blue” — Laura Sassi.

First-Person Article

First Place: Christianity Today, “The Shaken Conscience of a Pro-Life Activist” — Karen Swallow Prior. Second Place: In Touch Magazine, “Kneeling on Charred Ground” — Tony Woodlief. Third Place: One Magazine, “Life in the Valley of the Shadow of Death” — Candice Smith. Fourth Place: The Covenant Companion, “My Iranian Awakening” — Geila Rajaee. Fifth Place: The Brink, “Loving the Refugee” — Ryan Akers.

Freelance Article

First Place: Patti Townley-Covert, “Human Trafficking Swings Community Outreach Door Wide Open.” Second Place: Steve Rabey, “Cannabis Crusade: Colorado’s Medical Marijuana Moms Changing U.S. Drug Laws.” Third Place: Stephen Clark, “How to Lead Introverts into Bible Engagement: Five Ways to Connect with the Quiet Ones.” Fourth Place: Ann-Margret Hovsepian, “Made in Vietnam.” Fifth Place: Michael Foust, “We’re Giving Away Our Kids’ Christmas Toys.”

General Article: Long

First Place: SAConnects, “I’m Worth Something” — Robert Mitchell. Second Place: Christianity Today, “Grapes of Wrath” — Jeremy Weber. Third Place: In Touch Magazine, “Kneeling on Charred Ground” — Tony Woodlief. Fourth Place: Christian History, “Seeking the Light of Christ” — Max Carter. Fifth Place: EFCA Today, “Your Relational Abilities Matter More Than Your Preaching” — Jennifer M. Kvamme.

General Article: Medium

First Place: Concordia Seminary Magazine, “His Grace: Two Journeys to Gratitude” — Kim Plummer Krull. Second Place: Sojourners, “Call of Beauty” — Abigail Olcese. Third Place: Inheritance, “Don’t Pray for What’s Not Broken” — Eddy Ekmekji, Rhoda Suzuki Ekmekji. Fourth Place: Focus on the Family, “Stress Busters for Moms” — Arlene Pellicane, Vance Fry. Fifth Place: ChurchLawAndTax.com, “Responding to the Transgender Bathroom Access Controversy” — Richard R. Hammar.

General Article: Short

First Place: In Touch Magazine, “The Gift of Marginalia” — Jamie A. Hughes. Second Place: Answers Magazine, “Armed with Brains” — Heather Brinson Bruce. Third Place: Focus on the Family, “No Disrespect Intended” — Michael Ridgeway. Fourth Place: The Behemoth, “His Hand Feeds Us Both: Thoughts on Bears from an Alaskan Fisherwoman.” — Leslie Leyland Fields. Fifth Place: In Touch Magazine Online, “Owning Land” — Liuan Huska.

Humorous

First Place: Sojourners, “Give Me a Few of Your Tired, Your Poor…’“ — Ed Spivey Jr. Second Place: Adventures in Odyssey Clubhouse, “C.S.I.: Sidon” — Teresa McClintock, Christina Haemmerle. Third Place: Teachers of Vision, “A Lesson in Civics” — Dave Meurer. Fourth Place: The Covenant Companion Online, “Well Done, Good and Faithful Frequent Flyer” — Dana Bowman. Fifth Place: Leading Hearts, “Of Moose and Men” — Torry Martin, Doug Peterson.

Interview Article

First Place: Outreach Magazine, “Dave Kinnaman & Gabe Lyons” — Paul Pastor. Second Place: The Covenant Companion, “Politically Speaking” — Ron Elving, Ed Gilbreath. Third Place: Advance, “Can There Be Harmony in Our Division? How Confident Pluralism Unites Us without Erasing Our Differing Beliefs.” — Shapri LoMaglio. Fourth Place: World Vision Magazine, “Melinda Gates on: Empowering Women and Girls” — Kari Costanza. Fifth Place: Sojourners, “We Set Out to Start a Community, and Now We Have a Village.” — Jim Wallis.

Original Art: Digital/Mixed Media

First Place: Adventures in Odyssey Clubhouse, “Jesus Returns” — Michael Heath, Jenny Dillon. Second Place: Worldwide Challenge, “Seated with Christ” — Ashley Walton. Third Place: In Touch Magazine, “Let God Change Your Mind” — Aubrey Longley-Cook. Fourth Place: The Living Church, “The Old Rugged Gun” — Matthew Townsend. Fifth Place: Compassion Explorer Magazine, “Open House” — Luke Flowers.

Original Art: Traditional

First Place: Christianity Today, “Life After Prison” — Brian Stauffer, Alecia Sharp. Second Place: Pursuit, “One of Us: The Search for a Personalized President” — Caleb Bol. Third Place: Alliance Life, “It’s OK to Cry” — Kenneth Crane, Daron Short. Fourth Place: Adventures in Odyssey Clubhouse, “Wonder at the Manger” — Jim Madsen, Jenny Dillon. Fifth Place: In Touch Magazine, “Off the Hook” — Johnathan Bartlett.

Personality Article

First Place: Decision, “The Testing of Tim Tebow” — Charles Chandler. Second Place: Worldwide Challenge, “Choosing the Rejected” — Rachel Ferchak. Third Place: Facts & Trends, “Forgiveness: The Language of Heaven” — Aaron Earls. Fourth Place: Mutuality, “Samaritan Sinner, Celebrated Saint: The Story of the First Christian Missionary” — Bronwen Speedie. Fifth Place: Cedarville Magazine, “Primetime” — Clem Boyd.

Photo Feature

First Place: Worldwide Challenge, “For Richer, For Poorer” — Guy Gerrard, Ashley Walton. Second Place: In Touch Magazine, “The Fields of Peeragarhi” — Atul Loke. Third Place: World Vision Magazine Online, “Meet the Makers” — Elizabeth Hendley. Fourth Place: Christianity Today, “Charleston: A Fragile Forgiveness” — Jonathan Hanson, Alecia Sharp. Fifth Place: Compassion Magazine, “The Church’s Bounty” — Chuck Bigger, Mark Kyle, Leanna Summers, Sr., Willow Welter.

Photography Use

First Place: Worldwide Challenge — Guy Gerrard, Tom Mills, Ted Wilcox, Ashley Walton. Second Place: World Vision Magazine — Jon Warren, Laura Reinhardt, Eugene Lee, Chris Huber. Third Place: On Mission — Shawn Elledge, Hayley Catt, K. Faith Morgan, Meredith Yackel, Josie Rabbitt, Joe Conway. Fourth Place: Compassion Magazine — Leanna Summers, Willow Welter, Mark Kyle, Sr. Fifth Place: Christianity Today — Sarah Gordon, Alecia Sharp.

Poetry

First Place: Sojourners, “& (ampersand)” — D.S. Martin. Second Place: Crux, “Signs” — Luci Shaw. Third Place: The Behemoth, “Bright Angels” — Ronnie Sirmans. Fourth Place: The Banner, “Slowing Up” — Joe Veltman. Fifth Place: Mutuality, “The Samaritan Woman at the Cross” — H. Edgar Hix.

Publication Design

First Place: On Mission — Shawn Elledge, K. Faith Morgan, Meredith Yackel, Josie Rabbitt, Joe Conway, Steve Beaver. Second Place: In Touch MagazineThird Place: Wheaton Magazine — Mary Leiser, Stefanie Enger, Katie Alford. Fourth Place: Influence — Steve Lopez. Fifth Place: The Brink — David Jones, Stephen Nelson, Katy Fry, Mike Hollis, Sondra Blackburn, Andrea Young.

Publication Redesign

First Place: Israel My Glory — Lorna Simcox, JD Lemming. Second Place: Compassion Magazine — Leanna Summers, Willow Welter, Mark Kyle, Sr.,. Third Place: Answers Magazine — Dan Stelzer, Dale Mason, Michael Matthews, Doug Rumminger. Fourth Place: Worldwide Challenge — Becky Thomton, Ashley Walton, Guy Gerrard, Mark Winz. Fifth Place: World Vision Magazine — Mike Ryan, Elizabeth Hendley, Kristy O’Hara.

Reporting

First Place: Christianity Today, “Outpacing Persecution” — Jeremy Weber. Second Place: Rescue, “Race Relations by the Numbers” — Jim Watkins. Third Place: Race, Faith and Politics Today, “Church, Bishop Minister to Total Man” — Kyle D. Huckins. Fourth Place: Worldwide Challenge, “Who is my Neighbor?” — Emilie Vinson. Fifth Place: The Baptist Standard, “Damning Details Emerge About Sexual Assaults at Baylor University” — Ken Camp.

Single Photo: Candid

First Place: World Vision Magazine, “Weathering the Storm” — Jon Warren. Second Place: Worldwide Challenge, “The Beauty of Burnout Opener” — Ted Wilcox. Third Place: War Cry, “Centerspread” — Ashley Schena. Fourth Place: In Touch Magazine, “A Faithful Generation” — Ben Rollins. Fifth Place: Rev. 7 — Barbara Alber, Grace Miller.

Single Photo: Controlled

First Place: Answers Magazine, “Noah” — Chris Neville. Second Place: Facts & Trends, “Second Shift: Thriving in Bivocational Ministry” — Gary Bistram, Katie Shull, Carol Pipes. Third Place: Southern Seminary Magazine, “The King’s President” — Emil Handke. Fourth Place: The Living Church, “Many Children, Like Moleed, a Somali Living in Wisconsin, Tell a Common Story of Being Bullied in School.” — Asher Imtiaz. Fifth Place: SAConnects, “Lt. MunnShirsath’s in Times Square” — Susan Magnano.

Single-Theme Section or Issue

First Place: Decision, “Two Visions, Two Americas.” Second Place: Fuller, “Restore” — Lauralee Farrer, Irene Neller, Miyoung Yoon Hammer. Third Place: World Vision Magazine Online, “Crafted With Care” — Elizabeth Hendley, Eugene Lee, Annila Harris, Kristy O’Hara. Fourth Place: Rescue, “Cover Focus: Addiction” — Brad Lewis, Kristi Rector, Mike Hames. Fifth Place: Facts & Trends, “Second Shift: Thriving in Bivocational Ministry” — Bob Smietana, Philip Nation, Thom S. Rainer, Katie Shull, Lisa Green, Carol Pipes.

Standing Column

First Place: Illinois Baptist, “Nate Adams standing column” — Nate Adams. Second Place: In Touch Magazine, “Pulpit” — Charles F. Stanley. Third Place: World Vision Magazine, “President’s Letter” — Rich Stearns. Fourth Place: Christianity Today, “Bodies & Souls” — Matthew Loftus. Fifth Place: The Banner, “Editorial” — Shiao Chong.

Student Writer of the Year

First Place: Pursuit, “I Am a Syrian-American: Bringing the Refugee Crisis to Light” — Raine Paul. Second Place: The Covenant Companion, “Millennial Mavericks” — Hannah Hawkinson. Third Place: Clubhouse Jr., “Barnyard Explorer” — Laura Koenig. Fourth Place: The Banner, “Why I Want You to Invite Me Out for Coffee” — Hannah Biggs. Fifth Place: The Echo, “Race Relations: Six Snapshots of Taylor Students Experiences” — Cassidy Grom.

Table of Contents

First Place: World Vision Magazine — Elizabeth Hendley, Kristy O’Hara. Second Place: In Touch MagazineThird Place: Compassion Magazine — Leanna Summers, Willow Welter, Chuck Bigger, Mark Kyle, Sr. Fourth Place: Outreach Magazine — James Long, Taylor Bird, Tim Downs, Marcus Torres. Fifth Place: Southern Seminary Magazine — Daniel Carroll, Emil Handke, Eric Jimenez, S. Craig Sanders.

Titles

First Place: Sojourners, “12 Years for a Paintbrush; A Jew, A Christian, and a Muslim Walk Into a Parking Lot…; Too Blessed to be Stressed.” Second Place: The Behemoth, “The Week the Sun Reached Out and Touched Us; The Pitch Goes On; What Color Is North?” — Morgan Lee, Joel Heng Hartse, Andy Walsh. Third Place: Clubhouse Jr., “Ring Around the Wedding; Wrong Way Mother’s Day; Samson and Delightful” — Jesse Florea, Joanna Echols. Fourth Place: In Touch Magazine, “Very Important Persons; Quiet, Please; Divine in the Twilight.” Fifth Place: Christianity Today, “Consider Civil Disobedience; The Shaken Conscience of a Pro-Life Activist; Charleston: A Fragile Forgiveness” — David Koyzis, Karen Swallow Prior, Bob Smietana.

Two-Page Spread Design

First Place: In Touch Magazine, “Very Important Persons” — R. Kikuo Johnson. Second Place: World Vision Magazine, “Childhood Lost and Found” — Mike Ryan. Third Place: Christianity Today, “Life After Prison” — Alecia Sharp. Fourth Place: Answers Magazine, “Convergent Evolution or Common Designer?” — Chris Neville. Fifth Place: The Covenant Companion, “Beyond BFFs” — Steven R. Luce.

Typography and Lettering

First Place: Christianity Today, “The Books & Arts” — Joel Felix, Alecia Sharp. Second Place: In Touch Magazine, “This and Nothing More” — Peter Arkle. Third Place: World Vision Magazine, “Childhood Lost and Found” — Mike Ryan. Fourth Place: Co:Mission, “Coming Home” — Colin Wilson. Fifth Place: EFCA Today, “Spanning the Generational Gap” — Matt Pamer, Zack Bryant, Diane McDougall.

Website Design

First Place: Fuller Studio — Lauralee Farrer, Tamara Johnston McMahon, Becky Still, Michael Wright, Ben Brandt. Second Place: The Behemoth — Jennifer McGuire, Valerie Broucek. Third Place: Sojourners Online — Sandi Villarreal, Bob Sabath. Fourth Place: Southern Seminary Magazine Online — David Yeiser, Colby Adams, Eric Jimenez, Daniel Carroll. Fifth Place: Compassion Magazine Online — Leanna Summers, Mark Kyle, Sr., Chuck Bigger.

Related Articles

Back to top button