ST. LOUIS, Mo., July 16, 2021—Realm Makers hosted its annual awards banquet tonight during its live annual conference, reaching hundreds of attendees in person and watching over streaming video. Attendees in costume showcased their favorite characters, while conference organizers revealed the winners of best Christian-made novels for Realm Awards in seven subgenre categories. The top five overall scores from all novel categories were judged for a final Book of the Year award.

Organizers also announced a winner for the Readers Choice award, voted by readers, and winners for best novellas and novelettes as well as best cover design. New this year are categories for best short stories and flash fiction, as well as audio stories, which includes audiobooks, audio drama, and audio shorts.

Novels

Realm Award, Book of the Year, chosen from all winners

• Apprentice by Kristen Young from Enclave Publishing

Debut

• The Seventh Sun by Lani Forbes from Blackstone Publishing

Epic fantasy

• The Seventh Sun by Lani Forbes from Blackstone Publishing

Fantasy

• Dust by Kara Swanson from Enclave Publishing

Middle grade

• An Echo of the Fae by Jenelle Schmidt from Stormcave

Paranormal/supernatural

• Mercury at Risk by Steve Rzasa, independently published

Science fiction

• Apprentice by Kristen Young from Enclave Publishing

Young adult

• The Seventh Sun by Lani Forbes from Blackstone Publishing

Readers Choice award

• Dust by Kara Swanson from Enclave Publishing

Novellas and novelettes

• Treason’s Crown by Anne Wheeler from Catherine Wheeler

Cover design

• Dust by Kara Swanson from Enclave Publishing, designed by Kirk DouPonce

Short fiction

Short story

• Eryri by Laura VanArendonk Baugh from Tyche Books

Flash fiction

• The Voice of Cancer by Ronnell Gibson from Havok Publishing

Audio

Audiobooks

• The Story Raider by Lindsay Franklin from Oasis Audio, narrated by Pam Turlow

Audio drama

• Wight Christmas by Laura VanArendonk Baugh from Untold Podcast, narrated by Kristin L. Norman and Nathan James Norman

Audio short

• Why God Made Beer by A. C. Williams from Havok Publishing/Havok Story Podcast, narrated by Magnus Carlssen

About Realm Makers: Realm Makers began in 2013, and from small origins has grown to serve thousands of Christian fiction authors online and at annual conferences. Faculty members have included bestselling novelists such as Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, Tosca Lee, Brent Weeks, and N. D. Wilson. Realm Makers exists to help creative Christians in their journeys, providing education in craft, connections with industry professionals, and strategies for finding readers who love these kinds of stories. Meanwhile, the Realm Makers Bookstore offers a curated collection of speculative fiction from Christian authors, traveling to events such as homeschool conventions and renaissance fairs.