A book of Indigenous art depicting stories from the Bible has won the Australian Christian Book of the Year for 2017.
Published by Bible Society Australia to mark its bicentenary, Our Mob, God’s Story features the work of 66 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and, as well as works depicting Bible events, also comes with a series of artist statements about their Christian faith.
The award judges said the book, which was edited by Louise Sherman and Christobel Mattingley, was “beautiful, confident and irresistible”.
Michael Collie, who coordinates the awards for SparkLit, said this year’s awards drew “strong entries from accomplished writers”. “In Our Mob, God’s Story our Indigenous brothers and sisters speak with originality, power and grace,” he said.
The award was presented at the SparkLit Awards night held in Melbourne on Thursday.
Other winners on the night include EP George, who won the 2017 Young Australian Christian Writer Award, for The Bidura Effect, and Tanya Strydom who won the 2017 Australian Christian Teen Writer Award for an allegory of Christian grace titled Sir Tain and the Peasant’s Sword.
Other books which had been on the Australian Christian Book of the Year shortlist included Ross Clifford and Philip Johnson’s Taboo or to Do? Is Christianity Complementary with Yoga, Martial Arts, Hallowe’en, Mindfulness and Other Alternative Practices?, Tim Costello’s Faith: Embracing Life in All Its Uncertainty, and Elizabeth Kendal’s After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding the Christian Crisis in the Middle East.
The Australian Book of the Year Award carries a prize of $3,000 for the author.
