WORD OF PROMISE NEXT GENERATION TAKES HOME COVETED AUDIE® FOR INSPIRATIONAL NON-FICTION
(Nashville, Tenn.) When the 14th Annual Audies® Competition announced its top picks in a May 29 award ceremony, a group of Hollywood’s biggest young stars emerged from a competitive category as the very best. The Word of Promise Next Generation®: New Testament Audio Bible rose above audio books on Abraham Lincoln, Sidney Poitier, and Mother Teresa to take home the coveted 2009 Audie® in Inspirational/Faith-Based Non-Fiction. This year’s contest drew in a record 1,000 entries from audio publishers, reflecting the health of the audio industry.
John Kirby, Director of The Word of Promise Next Generation, expresses the pride of everyone who worked on the project: “What an honor to have won this prestigious award and to have been surrounded by such inspiring nominees who are heroes of mine,” he says.
It is no surprise that this star-studded cast of voices captures the attention of both Audies® judges and the young people of their generation. Stars like Cody Linley and Emily Osment of “Hannah Montana,” Corbin Bleu of “High School Musical,” American Idol’s Jordin Sparks, Sean Astin of “The Lord of the Rings,” and rising star Anna Sophia Robb are just a handful of the talented young people bringing the Bible to life for teen and tween listeners.
The Word of Promise® Next Generation was born out of a startling realization: a whole generation is missing the truths of the Bible. According to a Barna survey of professing Christians, many young Christians today don’t believe in some of the very foundations of the faith—Satan is real, Jesus was sinless, and the Bible is all true. On top of that, the study also found 43% of Christians who accept Jesus as their Savior do so before reaching the age of 13, and 64% before turning 18. It seems today’s youth just won’t read the Bible, but Thomas Nelson hopes and believes they will listen.
“This award belongs to so many talented people,” says Carl Amari, Producer of the project. “I am personally humbled and thankful for the opportunity to produce a project that has the power to speak truth into young lives. I am thankful to the Audio Publishers Association, but more importantly to our Lord, for trusting me and my team with His Word and allowing us to be used to further the kingdom.”
The ICB (International Children’s Bible) New Testament, the bestselling and most readable translation created especially for today’s youth, comes to life in The Word of Promise® Next Generation as a full audio dramatic presentation. The words leap off the page with incredible sound effects, a compelling new contemporary musical score, all produced in dramatic audio theater. The same high quality Bible experience is available in a 21-hour, 20 CD set as well as a MP3 format so that youth can download it onto their music players to listen on-the-go. Now, the same great content is also available in MP3 on a reusable USB flash drive bracelet for even the most tech-savvy young listeners.
In September, Thomas Nelson will unveil the complete cover-to-cover Dramatic Audio Theater™ adult production of the NKJV Bible when The Word of Promise® Old Testament Audio Bible and The Word of Promise® Audio Bible are released. The Word of Promise® Audio Bible features a star-studded cast, including Jim Caviezel as Jesus, Richard Dreyfuss as Moses, and Lou Gossett, Jr. as John.
The Audies® Awards recognize distinction in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment. The Audies® are sponsored by The Audio Publishers Association (APA), a not-for-profit trade organization whose primary goals are to promote awareness of the audiobook industry, gather and disseminate industry statistics, encourage high production standards and represent the interests of audiobook publishers. Since 1986, the APA has worked to bring audio publishers together to increase interest in audiobooks. Please visit www.audiopub.org for more information.
Contact: Abby Barnhart
Publicist
Tel: (615) 902-2932
Email: abarnhart@thomasnelson.com
RSS Feed