by Elle E. Kay @ElleEKay777
It’s conference time once again. On Saturday night, many of us will gather at the annual ACFW Gala and await the announcements of the titles that will receive the prestigious honor of a Genesis or Carol Award.
I didn’t expect much when I watched a clip of the announcements to see who finaled. I’d never heard my name on there before, so I wasn’t expecting to hear it this time, but I was excited to see if any of my friends made it, so I tuned in for a moment when my hubby left the room. When I heard the title of my book, I was shocked. I was so happy, but also a little nervous. My little book was going to get more attention than any of my previous titles simply by being named among the finalists. That made me a touch uneasy. This book was a stretch for me. I wrote an international thriller about a human trafficking ring, and I wasn’t sure it would be received well in the Christian fiction market. It has been, and I’ve been thrilled to be able to call Midnight Masquerade a Carol Award finalist.
Many of us finalists will be present in the ballroom filled with nervous excitement. Others will watch from home. While all of us finalists hope to hear our names called, we’re delighted to be listed alongside such talented authors. And we have an advantage over secular authors in that every winner is a brother or sister in Christ, so we can celebrate with them knowing that they’re fulfilling the Great Commission and furthering the gospel with the words they pen.
“And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.” 1 Corinthians 12:26
“Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” Romans 12:15
While I hope we’ll all be rejoicing for one another, it doesn’t discount the sting of rejection some will feel. We should take a moment to offer solace and comfort to our fellow believers. Our talent is God-given, but so are our emotions, and we shouldn’t dismiss someone’s heartache. It takes time to develop the thick skin needed to handle negative reviews and critiques, but awards don’t quite fit with those. We aren’t being rejected. The other author is being lifted up. While we may be hoping to be chosen, we’re also determined to be thrilled for those who are, so it’s a delicate balancing act. As an aside, I actually met an introverted author who hoped she wouldn’t win, so she wouldn’t have to get up and give a speech. I think many of us can relate to that fear, as well.
I was blessed to win an Angel Award a couple of years ago, but I’ve also been in quite a few contests where I didn’t win. Celebrating with the winners takes the sting out of those losses.
God doesn’t leave the work of His hands half-finished.
The Apostle Paul writes about competition, and he doesn’t discount it. “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” 1 Corinthians 9:24
There is nothing wrong with entering contests and striving to win, so let us run the race of our calling and appreciate the prizes we receive for the blessings they are. Let’s also rejoice in losses and rejections, as they are steps in our journey, and God doesn’t leave the work of His hands half-finished.
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” Philippians 1:6
Elle E. Kay is an Angel Award-winning author of 25 Christian fiction titles with 15 million page reads. Her 2025 release, Midnight Masquerade, delves into the dark world of human trafficking. Elle lives on a North Central Pennsylvania hobby farm, serves in women’s, teen ministries, and music ministries and blogs at ElleEKay.com.
Comments 2
Thank you for this message! It really hit the spot today. I have been feeling sad about not attending the conference this year. I joined ACFW last year and attending the 2025 conference was like walking into a new world. I learned so much and met so many kind people. I will be waiting from home to hear if my Genesis entry made the finals list, but if not let me congratulate now all those who will receive the honor. Praying for you all to have a wonderful spirit-filled time! Louise Braswell Martin
Best wishes! So exciting to receive that finalist recognition. Mayhap being different from the norm is what helped it to stand out. I like to think that’s what made my entry in a recent literary contest stand out. (I don’t write by any standard literary rules or formulas. God gives me ideas, having blessed me with an overactive imagination.) I stared in disbelief for a minute or more when I received the email saying my entry finalized. The best part was the ability to tell a certain naysayer that my literary efforts were among the best. I don’t care if I win. I almost didn’t enter that contest. Because I’ve never won a literary contest, much less finalized. Family criticized that particular piece over Christmas dinner a couple of years back. I didn’t have the means to buy gifts that year, so I shared my literary gift. Which left me shattered and heartbroken since nothing positive was said about my efforts other than, “It’s nice that you’re putting your work out there.” (I’d written said piece for a contest prior.) It was reasoned that if one can’t take criticism from family, one won’t handle it from anyone else. I disregarded all their opinions. (After a rather ugly, emotional breakdown in private first. A fellow creative shared an artistic gift that year which was well-received, so talk about insult-to-injury, lol.) I’ve since vowed never to share my literary efforts with them again. They’ll have to buy it first, lol. Leastways, I have validation. It’s the greatest win in my book. 🙂