Christopher Award

The Christopher Award (established 1949) is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, films and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit". It is given by The Christophers, a Christian organization founded in 1945 by the Maryknoll priest James Keller.

Judging process

Publishers, TV networks, and film directors are asked to submit titles and work that they believe to be award-worthy. Industry professionals and Christopher staff members make the final selections based on:

# Artistic and technical proficiency
# Significant degree of public acceptance
# Affirmation of the highest values of the human spirit

Categories

*Christopher Leadership Awards
*Christopher Life Achievement Award
*Christopher Spirit Award
*James Keller Award
*Books for Adults
*Books for Young People
*Feature Films
*Television & Cable

Selection of previous winners/honorees

Christopher Leadership Awards

*2002 Rudy Giuliani
*2004 Father John T. Catoir
*2005 Sargent Shriver
*2008 Cardinal John Patrick Foley
*2011 Scotty Smiley

Christopher Life Achievement Award

*2003 Mary Higgins Clark
*2004 Art Linkletter
*2005 Robert Coles
*2006 Dave Brubeck
*2008 David McCullough
*2012 Mother Dolores Hart
*2016 Ernie AnastosThe 67th annual Christopher Awards Special Awards
, The Christophers, Inc. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
*2018 Ken Burns

Christopher Spirit Award

*2016 '' When Calls the Heart''

James Keller Award

*2004 Caroll Spinney
*2005 Pat LaFontaine
*2011 Shannon Hickey
*2012 Marty Lyons

Books for Adults

1987
* Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youth's Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa

2001
* Aging with Grace, by David Snowdon, PhD (Bantam Books)
* Choosing Mercy, by Antoinette Bosco (Orbis Books)
* Freedom's Daughters, by Lynne Olson (Scribner)
* An Hour Before Daylight, by Jimmy Carter (Simon & Schuster)
* John Adams, by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster)
* Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich (Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt and Company, LLC)

2002
* ''Aging with Grace'' by David Snowdon, PhD
* ''Choosing Mercy'' by Antoinette Bosco
* ''Freedom's Daughters'' by Lynne Olson
* ''An Hour Before Daylight'' by Jimmy Carter
* ''John Adams'' by David McCullough
* '' Nickel and Dimed'' by Barbara Ehrenreich

2003
* ''Choosing Naia: A Family’s Journey'' by Mitchell Zuckoff
* '' The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland'' by Jim DeFede
* '' Fatal Passage: The Story of John Rae, The Arctic Hero Time Forgot'' by Ken McGoogan
* '' Five Past Midnight in Bhopal'' by Dominique Lapierre & Javier Moro
* ''Jim's Last Summer: Lessons on Living from a Dying Priest'' by Teresa Rhodes McGee
* ''Standing on Holy Ground: A Triumph Over Hate Crime in the Deep South'' by Sandra E. Johnson

2004
* '' A Human Being Died That Night'' by Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela
* ''If I Get to Five'' by Fred Epstein, M.D., & Joshua Horwitz
* ''The Life You Save May Be Your Own: An American Pilgrimage'' by Paul Elie
* ''My Heart Will Cross This Ocean: My Story, My Son, Amadou'' by Kadiatou Diallo & Craig Wolff
* ''My Path Leads to Tibet'' by Sabriye Tenberken
* ''Sisters: Catholic Nuns and the Making of America'' by John J. Fialka
* ''Triangle: The Fire That Changed America'' by David Von Drehle

2005
* '' Anatomy of Hope'' by Jerome Groopman, M.D.
* '' Blood Done Sign My Name'' by Timothy Tyson
* ''The Freedom Line'' by Peter Eisner
* ''I Am a Pencil: A Teacher, His Kids, and Their World of Stories'' by Sam Swope
* ''Love in the Driest Season: A Family Memoir'' by Neely Tucker
* '' Mao's Last Dancer: A Memoir'' by Li Cunxin

2006
* ''The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions'' by Sister Helen Prejean
* '' The Glass Castle'' by Jeannette Walls
* ''One Soldier's Story: A Memoir'' by Bob Dole
* ''The Prison Angel: Mother Antonia’s Journey from Beverly Hills to a Life of Service in a Mexican Jail'' by Mary Jordan & Kevin Sullivan
* '' They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky'' by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng & Benjamin Ajak, with Judy A. Bernstein

2007
* ''Barefootin': Life Lessons from the Road to Freedom'' by Unita Blackwell with JoAnne Prichard Morris
* '' Enrique's Journey'' by Sonia Nazario
* '' The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief'' by Francis Collins
* ''Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust'' by Immaculée Ilibagiza with Steve Erwin
* '' The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East'' by Sandy Tolan
* ''My Life with the Saints'' by James Martin

2008
* '' Brother, I'm Dying'' by Edwidge Danticat
* ''The Florist's Daughter'' by Patricia Hempl
* ''The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers'' by Harry Bernstein
* ''The Lonely Patient: How We Experience Illness'' by Michael Stein, M.D.
* '' A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier'' by Ishmael Beah
* ''A Slave No More: Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom'' by David W. Blight

2009
* ''Alex & Me'' by Irene Pepperberg
* ''American-Made—The Enduring Legacy of the WPA: When FDR Put the Nation to Work'' by Nick Taylor
* ''Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives'' by Jim Sheeler
* ''Founding Faith: Providence, Politics, and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America'' by Steven Waldman
* '' The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music'' by Steve Lopez
* ''Until Our Last Breath: A Holocaust Story of Love and Partisan Resistance'' by Michael Bart and Laurel Corona

2010
* ''A. Lincoln: A Biography'' by Ronald C. White, Jr.
* '' Stones into Schools'' by Greg Mortenson
* ''Strength in What Remains'' by Tracy Kidder
* ''Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took on New York's Master Builder and Transformed the American City'' by Anthony Flint

2011
* ''Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy'' by Eric Metaxas
* ''The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything'' by James Martin
* ''Thea's Song: The Life of Thea Bowman'' by Charlene Smith and John Feister
* '' Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption'' by Laura Hillenbrand
* '' Washington: A Life'' by Ron Chernow

2012
* ''A Good and Perfect Gift'' by Julia Becker
* ''An Invisible Thread'' by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski
* '' I Shall Not Hate'' by Izzeldin Abuelaish
* ''Kisses from Katie'' by Katie Davis and Beth Clark
* ''Little Princes'' by Conor Grennan

2013
* ''Carly’s Voice'' by Arthur Fleischmann and Carly Fleischmann
* ''Fearless'' by Eric Blehm
* ''A Good Man'' by Mark Shriver
* ''My Sisters the Saints'' by Colleen Carroll Campbell
* ''Road to Valor'' by Aili and Andres McConnon

2014
* ''American Story: A Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things'' by Bob Dotson (Viking Press/Penguin Group)
* ''Love and Salt: A Spiritual Friendship Shared in Letters'' by Amy Andrews and Jessica Mesman Griffith (Loyola Press)
* ''The Miracle of Father Kapaun: Priest, Soldier, and Korean War Hero'' by Roy Wenzl and Travis Heying (Ignatius Press)
* ''On These Courts: A Miracle Season That Changed a City, a Once-Future Star, and a Team Forever'' by Wayne B. Drash (Touchstone Books/Simon and Schuster)
* ''Walk In Their Shoes: Can One Person Change the World?'' by Jim Ziolkowski with James S. Hirsch (Simon and Schuster)

2015
* ''The Invisible Front: Love and Loss in an Era of Endless War'' by Yochi Dreazen (Crown Publishers).

2016The 67th annual Christopher Awards
, The Christophers, Inc. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
* ''Five Years in Heaven: The Unlikely Friendship That Answered Life’s Greatest Questions'' by John Schlimm (Image Books/Crown Publishing)
* ''The Gift of Caring: Saving Our Parents from the Perils of Modern Healthcare'' by Marcy Cottrell Houle and Elizabeth Eckstrom (Taylor Trade Publishing/Rowman & Littlefield)
* ''One Righteous Man: Samuel Battle and the Shattering of the Color Line in New York'' by Arthur Browne (Beacon Press)
* ''Tough As They Come by Travis Mills'' with Marcus Brotherton (Convergent Books/Crown Publishing)
* ''Under the Same Sky: From Starvation in North Korea to Salvation in America'' by Joseph Kim with Stephan Talty (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
* ''The Wind in the Reeds: A Storm, a Play, and the City That Would Not Be Broken'' by Wendell Pierce (Riverhead Books/Random House)

Books for Young People

2001
* Ages 6–8: ''How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?'' by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mark Teague (The Blue Sky Press/Scholastic Inc.)
* Ages 9–10: ''The Mousery'' by Charlotte Pomerantz, illustrated by Kurt Cyrus (Gulliver Books/Harcourt, Inc.)
* Ages 11–12: ''The Yellow Star'' by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Henri Sørensen (Peachtree Publishers, Ltd.)
* Ages 11–12: ''Hope Was Here'' by Joan Bauer (G. P. Putnam's Sons)
* Young Adult: ''The Wanderer'' by Sharon Creech (Joanna Cotler Books/HarperCollins Publishers)

2002
* ''Kiss Good Night'' by Amy Hest with illustrations by Anita Jeram
* Ages 6–8: '' Beatrice's Goat'' by Page McBrier with illustrations by Lori Lohstoeter
* Ages 8–10: '' Love That Dog'' by Sharon Creech
* Ages 10–12: '' Uncle Daddy'' by Ralph Fletcher
* Young Adult: '' Soldier X'' by Don L. Wulffson and ''Witness'' by Karen Hesse

2003
* ''People Mole and the Baby Bird'' by Marjorie Newman with illustrations by Patrick Benson
* Ages 6–8: ''Dear Mrs. Larue: Letters from Obedience School'' written and illustrated by Mark Teague
* Ages 8–10: ''The Ugly Princess and the Wise Fool'' by Margaret Gray with illustrations by Randy Cecil
* Ages 10–12: '' Pictures of Hollis Woods'' by Patricia Reilly Giff
* Young Adult: ''Left for Dead'' by Pete Nelson

2004
* Preschool: ''Little Bear’s Little Boat'' by Eve Bunting with illustrations by Nancy Carpenter
* Ages 6–8: '' The Dot'' written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
* Ages 8–10: ''Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez'' by Kathleen Krull with illustrations by Yuyi Morales
* Ages 10–12: ''Iqbal'' by Francesco D’Adamo
* Young Adult: '' The Silent Boy'' by Lois Lowry

2005
* Preschool: ''Never, Ever Shout in a Zoo'' by Karma Wilson with illustrations by Doug Cushman
* Ages 6–8: ''The Hungry Coat: A Tale from Turkey'' written and illustrated by Demi
* Ages 8–10: ''Shredderman: Secret Identity'' by Wendelin Van Draanen with illustrations by Brian Biggs
* Ages 10–12: ''The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts'' by Richard Peck
* Young Adult: ''Thura’s Diary: My Life in Wartime Iraq'' by Thura Al Windawi

2006
* Preschool: ''Am I a Color Too?'' by Heidi Cole & Nancy Vogl with illustrations by Gerald Purnell (Preschool)
* Ages 6–8: ''I Could Do That! Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote'' by Linda Arms White with illustrations by Nancy Carpenter
* Ages 8–10: ''Game Day'' by Tiki Barber and Ronde Barber with Robert Burleigh, illustrations by Barry Root
* Ages 10–12: ''Friendship According to Humphrey'' by Betty G. Birney
* Young Adult: ''Hitch'' by Jeanette Ingold

2007
* Preschool: ''Hero Cat'' by Eileen Spinelli with illustrations by Jo Ellen McAllister Stammen
* Ages 6–8: ''How We Are Smart'' by W. Nikola-Lisa with illustrations by Sean Qualls
* Ages 8–10: '' The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane'' by Kate DiCamillo with illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline
* Ages 10–12: ''Listen!'' by Stephanie S. Tolan
* Young Adult: '' Bread and Roses, Too'' by Katherine Paterson

2008
* Preschool: ''Taking a Bath with the Dog and Other Things That Make Me Happy'' by Scott Menchin
* Ages 6–8: ''How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?'' by Margaret McNamara with illustrations by G. Brian Karas
* Ages 8–10: ''Owen & Mzee: The Language of Friendship'' by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Dr. Paula Kahumbu with photographs by Peter Greste
* Ages 10–12: '' The Wild Girls'' by Pat Murphy
* Young Adult: ''Diamonds in the Shadow'' by Caroline B. Cooney

2009
* Preschool: ''Close to You: How Animals Bond'' by Kimiko Kajikawa
* Ages 6–8: ''That Book Woman'' by Heather Henson with illustrations by David Small
* Ages 8–10: ''Clementine's Letter'' by Sara Pennypacker with illustrations by Marla Frazee
* Ages 10–12: ''Shooting the Moon'' by Frances O’Roark Dowell
* Young Adult: ''Sunrise Over Fallujah'' by Walter Dean Myers

2010
* Preschool: ''Ten Days and Nine Nights: An Adoption Story'' by Yumi Heo
* Ages 6–8: ''Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle'' by Major Brian Dennis, Kirby Larson, & Mary Nethery
* Ages 8–10: ''Most Loved in All the World'' by Tonya Cherie Hegamin with illustrations by Cozbi A. Cabrera
* Ages 10–12: '' Extra Credit'' by Andrew Clements with illustrations by Mark Elliott
* Young Adult: ''A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean'' by Tori Murden

2011
* '' Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion'' by Mo Willems
* ''Would You Still Love Me If...'' by Wendy LaGuardia with illustrations by Patricia Keeler
* ''Brother Jerome and the Angels in the Bakery'' by Father Dominic Garramone
* ''Lafayette and the American Revolution'' by Russell Freedman

2012
* ''Shine: Choices to Make God Smile'' by Genny Monchamp with illustrations by Karol Kaminski
* ''Waiting for the Biblioburro'' by Monica Brown with illustrations by John Parra
* ''You Can Be a Friend'' by Tony Dungy and Lauren Dungy with illustrations by Ron Mazellan
* ''Hooper Finds a Family'' by Jane Paley
* ''Words in the Dust'' by Trent Reedy
* ''Close to Famous'' by Joan Bauer

2013
* ''Forever You: A Book About Your Soul and Body'' by Nicole Lataif with illustrations by Mary Rojas
* ''The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore'' by William Joyce with illustrations by Joe Bluhm
* ''The House on Dirty-Third Street'' by Jo S. Kittinger with illustrations by Thomas Gonzalez
* '' The One and Only Ivan'' by Katherine Applegate with illustrations by Patricia Castelao
* '' Wonder'' by R.J. Palacio
* ''Outcasts United'' by Warren St. John

2014
* Preschool and up: ''Maya Was Grumpy'' written and illustrated by Courtney Pippin-Mathur (Flashlight Press)
* Kindergarten and up: ''Year of the Jungle: Memories from the Home Front'' by Suzanne Collins, illustrated by James Proimos (Scholastic Press)
* Ages 6 and up: ''The Matchbox Diary'' by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline (Candlewick Press)
* Ages 8 and up: '' Flora & Ulysses'' by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by K.G. Campbell (Candlewick Press)
* Ages 10 and up: ''The Boy On the Wooden Box'' by Leon Leyson with Marilyn J. Harran and Elisabeth B. Leyson (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing)

2016
* Preschool and up: ''One Good Deed'' by Terri Fields, illustrated by Deborah Melmon (Kar-Ben Publishing)
* Kindergarten and up: ''An Invisible Thread Christmas Story'' by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski, illustrated by Barry Root (Little Simon/Simon & Schuster)
* Ages 6 and up: ''Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton'' by Don Tate (Peachtree Publishers)
* Ages 8 and up: ''Katie’s Cabbage'' by Katie Stagliano with Michelle H. Martin, illustrated by Karen Heid (Young Palmetto Books/University of South Carolina Press)
* Ages 10 and up: ''Firefly Hollow'' by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Christopher Denise (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster)
* Young Adult: ''Paper Hearts'' by Meg Wiviott (Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster)

Feature films

1953
*'' Peter Pan''

2001"The 52nd Annual Christopher Award Winners"
. The Christophers (christophers.org). Retrieved July 25, 2014.
* '' Billy Elliot''
* '' Cast Away''
* '' Finding Forrester''
* '' My Dog Skip''
* '' Remember the Titans''

2002
* '' A Beautiful Mind''
* '' Iris''
* ''Shrek''
* '' The Widow of Saint-Pierre''

2003
* '' About a Boy''
* '' Antwone Fisher''
* '' Evelyn''
* '' Rabbit-Proof Fence''
* '' Signs''
* '' Spirited Away''

2004
* '' In America''
* '' Seabiscuit''
* '' Secret Lives: Hidden Children and Their Rescuers During WWII''
* '' The Station Agent''
* '' Whale Rider''

2005
* '' Finding Neverland''
* ''Hotel Rwanda''
* ''The Incredibles''
* '' Miracle''

2006
* '' Good Night, and Good Luck''
* '' Mad Hot Ballroom''
* '' Millions''
* '' An Unfinished Life''
* '' The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill''

2007
* '' Akeelah and the Bee''
* '' Charlotte's Web''
* '' Miss Potter''
* '' The Nativity Story''
* '' Sophie Scholl – The Final Days''
* ''Water''
* '' World Trade Center''

2008
* '' Amazing Grace''
* '' The Diving Bell and the Butterfly''
* '' The Great Debaters''
* '' Juno''
* '' The Kite Runner''
* '' Ratatouille''

2009
* '' Changeling''
* '' The Secret Life of Bees''
* '' Slumdog Millionaire''
* '' The Visitor''
* ''WALL-E''
* '' Young@Heart''

2010
* '' The Blind Side''
* '' Invictus''
* '' Up''

2011
* '' The Human Experience''
* '' The King's Speech''
* ''Toy Story 3''
* '' Secretariat''

2012
* '' Buck''
* '' The Help''
* '' The Muppets''
* '' Of Gods and Men''
* '' War Horse''
* '' The Way''

2013
* '' Lincoln''
* '' Les Misérables''
* '' Undefeated''

2014"Heroism, Hope and Selflessness Highlighted in 65th Annual Christopher Award Winners"
. Release April 2, 2014. The Christophers. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
* '' 42''
* '' Frozen''
* '' Gimme Shelter''
* ''Gravity''

2015
* '' The American Nurse''
* '' Selma''
* '' St. Vincent''

2016
* ''Creed''
* '' The Drop Box''
* '' The Martian''
* ''Room''

2017
* '' Hacksaw Ridge''
* '' Hidden Figures''
* '' The Hollars''
* '' Queen of Katwe''

2018
* '' Darkest Hour''
* '' Lady Bird''
* '' The Star''
* '' Wonder''

2019
* '' Ben is Back''
* ''Instant Family''
* '' Paul, Apostle of Christ''
* '' Won't You Be My Neighbor?''

Television and Cable

1978
* Richard and Esther Shapiro, for '' Minstrel Man''
* Jerry McNeely, for '' Something for Joey''
* Bill Moyers, Tom Spain, for "CBS Reports: The Fire Next Door"
* Anthony Burgess, Franco Zeffirelli, Suso Cecchi D'Amico, for '' Jesus of Nazareth''
* Theodore J. Flicker, Allan Balter, for '' Just a Little Inconvenience''
* W. W. Lewis, for ''Tut: The Boy King''
* Romeo Muller, for '' The Hobbit''
* Caryl Ledner, for '' Mary White''
* James Poe, for '' The Gathering''

2016
* ABC News 20/20: Escaping ISIS (ABC News)
* America ReFramed: If You Build It ( World Channel/ PBS)
* Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors ( NBC)
* The Jim Gaffigan Show: My Friend the Priest ( TV Land)
* Tashi and the Monk (HBO)

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website

American film awards
American television awards
American literary awards
Awards established in 1949