ROCHESTER, MN – Word on Fire Catholic Ministries has been recognized as the most-awarded Catholic publisher in America for the third consecutive year, earning a record total of 51 book awards across the 2026 Catholic Media Association (CMA) and Association of Catholic Publishers (ACP) competitions.
At the CMA Book Awards, Word on Fire received 44 awards, more than any other Catholic publisher. Combined with seven ACP Book Awards, the ministry earned 51 total honors recognizing excellence in theology, philosophy, Scripture, spirituality, children’s books, design, illustration, and production.
Bishop Robert Barron’s What Christian Believe secured first place awards for both General Interest and History of Theology.
“I’m deeply grateful for the recognition of What Christians Believe,” said Bishop Robert Barron. “But the real honor is the opportunity to introduce people to the Nicene Creed—not as a dusty relic but as a living confession of faith that has captivated the greatest minds for nearly two millennia. My hope was simply to show that what Christians believe is both beautiful and true, and I’m humbled to see that message resonate so widely.”
Among the year’s most notable achievements, Word on Fire swept first, second, and third place in two separate national award categories: Illustrations and Design and Production: Children’s Book. The ministry also earned the top honor for overall Design and Production with The Story of All Stories: A Story Bible for Young Catholics, recognizing it as the best-designed and produced Catholic book in America this year.
Other celebrated titles were Past Watchful Dragons: Biblical Stories Retold by R. J. Sheffler, which earned four first place awards from CMA, including the year’s top Catholic children’s book, and Emily Stimpson Chapman’s The Story of All Stories, which received six total awards.
Notably, Word on Fire’s commitment to the marginalized and disabled communities was specially recognized. Two books from Mark Bradford, the Word on Fire Institute’s Fellow for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, won multiple first place awards: Let Us Pray: Catholic Prayers for All Abilities and Indispensable: A Catholic Guide to Welcoming Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, which were celebrated for their resources and contribution to families and the Church.
Other major award winners included Peter Kreeft’s Socrates Meets series, Daniel Kuebler’s Darwin and Doctrine, Tracey Rowland’s Introducing Communio Theology, Matthew Becklo’s The Way of Heaven and Earth, and volume 5 of The Word on Fire Bible, all earning first place awards. Overall, winning titles came from every major Word on Fire Publishing imprint, including Word on Fire, Word on Fire Academic, and Votive.
“These awards testify to the extraordinary team behind Word on Fire Publishing,” said Brandon Vogt, executive publishing director of Word on Fire. “From our authors, illustrators, editors, and imprint heads, to our gifted designers, production specialists, marketers, and printing partners, we’ve assembled the best Catholic publishing team in the world, committed to producing beautiful and substantive Catholic books. I’m especially proud to see Word on Fire winning awards not just for the content of our books but multiple first place awards for design, illustrations, and production. We believe in beauty, at every level.”
A full list of this year’s award-winning titles appears below.
Full list of 2026 Catholic Media Association Book Award winners here:
Past Watchful Dragons: Biblical Stories Retold by R. J. Sheffler
First Place: All Children’s Books
First Place: Children’s Independent Reading
First Place: Front Cover Artwork
First Place: Design and Production: Children’s Book
Second Place: First-Time Author: Children’s Book
Indispensable: A Catholic Guide to Welcoming Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities by Mark Bradford
First Place: Pastoral Ministry – Parish Life
First Place: Edited Collections – Contemporary/Modern Authors
The Story of All Stories: A Story Bible for Young Catholics by Emily Stimpson Chapman
First Place: Design and Production
Second Place: Design and Production: Children’s Book
Third Place: Illustrations
Third Place: Children’s Independent Reading
Honorable Mention: All Children’s Books
Socrates Meets by Peter Kreeft
First Place: Philosophical Studies
Second Place: Religious Book Series
What Christians Believe: Understanding the Nicene Creed by Bishop Robert Barron
First Place: History of Theology, Church Fathers and Mothers
Second Place: Pastoral Ministry – Catechetical
Third Place: Theological Studies
Magnificat: Canticle of Mary illustrated by Tricia Dugat
First Place: Illustrations
Third Place: Children’s Board Books and Picture Books
The Way of Heaven and Earth: From Either/Or to the Catholic Both/And by Matthew Becklo
First Place: First-Time Author of Theological Subject Matters
The Word on Fire Bible (Volume V): Exile and Return
First Place: Scripture – Popular Studies
Darwin and Doctrine: The Compatibility of Evolution and Catholicism by Daniel Kuebler
First Place: Faith and Science
Introducing Communio Theology by Tracey Rowland
First Place: Reference/Academic Studies
The Song of Zechariah illustrated by Marcin Piwowarski
Second Place: Illustrations
Second Place: Children’s Board Books and Picture Books
Honorable Mention: Preschool Reading
The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones: How Blessed Nicolas Steno Uncovered the Hidden History of the Earth by Thomas Salerno
Second Place: Children’s Independent Reading
Third Place: Design and Production: Children’s Book
Third Place: First-Time Author: Children’s Book
Honorable Mention: All Children’s Books
Towards Dawn: Essays in Hopefulness by Bishop Erik Varden
Second Place: The Future of the Church
Third Place: Adult Spiritual Development
Third Place: Anthology
Kant Today: A Survey by Erich Przywara (trans. David Augustine)
Second Place: English Translation Edition
Honorable Mention: Philosophical Studies
Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith by Bishop Robert Barron
Second Place: Modern Exploration of the Catholic Faith
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Second Place: Edited Collections – Classic Authors
Votive Catalog
Second Place: Catalog
Gate of Heaven: Reflections on Mary, the Mother of God edited by Matthew Becklo
Third Place: Edited Collections – Contemporary/Modern Authors
Honorable Mention: Mariology
Engaging the Doctrine of the Church by Matthew Levering
Third Place: Reference/Academic Studies
The Most Dangerous Man in England: Newman and the Laity by Paul Shrimpton
Honorable Mention: Biography
Honorable Mention: Newly Canonized Saints or Those in the Process
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
Honorable Mention: Edited Collections – Contemporary/Modern Authors
Full list of 2026 Association of Catholic Publishers Book Award winners here:
Biography
Third Place: The Most Dangerous Man in England by Paul Shrimpton
Children’s Books: Teens
Second Place: The Story of All Stories: A Story Bible for Young Catholics by Emily Stimpson Chapman
Children’s Books: Young Readers
First Place: The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones: How Blessed Nicolas Steno Uncovered the Hidden History of the Earth by Thomas Salerno
Fiction
Third Place: The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
General Interest
First Place: What Christians Believe: Understanding the Nicene Creed by Bishop Robert Barron
Prayer: General
First Place: Let Us Pray: Catholic Prayers for All Abilities by Mark Bradford
Resources for Ministry
First Place: Indispensable: A Catholic Guide to Welcoming Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities by Mark Bradford
Theology
Third Place: Engaging the Doctrine of the Church by Matthew Levering