"Those most conscious of another world have made the most effective Christians in this one."
–C.S. Lewis
Mark Wainwright (BS, MA, MFA) loves adventure. That quest to see new sights, explore new lands, and meet new people has taken him to over thirty countries. He’s ridden elephants in Thailand, hang glided in the Swiss Alps, and even been stranded in Morocco.
But Mark also loves finding adventure through the pages of a book. He especially enjoys reading stories that make him feel as if he is there with the characters, experiencing the action alongside them.
For sixteen years, Mark led the editorial departments at several Christian publishers. Then in 2017, Mark transitioned from publishing to teaching professional writing courses at a Christian college in Florida. He now uses his publishing experience to help guide the next generation of writers and editors.
Mark’s writing credits include work in magazines, newspapers, and literary journals including Clubhouse Jr., ParentLife, Answers Magazine, Kids Answers, Today’s Christian Living, Refresh Magazine, Voyage of Discovery, Journal for Christian Educators, Christian Devotions, Inkspirations Online, and Keys for Kids.
In June 2021, Abeka (one of the largest publishers of Christian school resources in the world) published his novel Trapped in a Hot Air Balloon. He also wrote Awesome Facts About Space, a full-color nonfiction book for kids and teens (published in 2024 by Answers in Genesis) which won Book of the Year in the Selah Awards contest.
Mark remains passionate about using his writing, editing, and publishing skills for the glory of God. He encourages his professional writing students to courageously influence their communities through the power of the written word.
Want to learn more? Check out Mark’s professional bio.
Recent Writing Awards
-
2025 SonShine Awards
* How to Handle Your Emojis won 1st place (unpublished young adult nonfiction category).
* Adrift won 2nd place (unpublished young adult fiction category).
* The Christian Writer’s Compass won 3rd place (unpublished adult nonfiction category).
-
2025 ACFW KidLit Contest
Lost in a Savage Paradise won 2nd place (unpublished young adult fiction category).
-
2025 Christian Market Book Awards
Awesome Facts About Space won 2nd place (Youth Book of the Year category).
-
2025 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards
Awesome Facts About Space earned an honorable mention in the Spiritual/Religious category.
-
2025 Cascade Awards
* Mark’s nonfiction manuscript Writing Christian Fiction won 1st place (nonfiction book category).
* Mark’s manuscript Adrift won 2nd place (young adult novel category).
-
2025 SCWC Writing Awards
“A Pocketful of Change” won 2nd place in the short story category.
-
2025 Selah Awards
* Awesome Facts About Space won Book of the Year in the children’s through young adult category.
* Awesome Facts About Space won 1st place in the “Children’s Literature” category.
-
2025 Foundation Awards
Adrift won 3rd place in the young adult category.
-
2025 Illumination Book Awards
Awesome Facts About Space won 1st place in the “Education” category.
-
2025 SCWC Notable Book Awards
Awesome Facts About Space was a finalist in the “Children’s and Young Adult” category.
-
2024 SCWC Writing Awards
Mark won 1st Place (magazine article category) for “Once Upon a Time . . .” in the Journal for Christian Educators.
-
2024 Best Graduate Essay
Mark’s essay “Aesthetics and Ethics within Art” won the writing contest hosted by the Center for the Foundation of Ethics.
-
2024 Cascade Awards
Mark’s middle grade story “The Case of the Missing Silver Star” was a finalist.
-
2023 Sunshine Awards
Mark’s 7,500-word story “Fateful Decision,” earned an honorable mention within the short story category.
-
2023 Higher Goals Awards
In this Evangelical Press Association contest, two of Mark’s Answers in Genesis articles won 3rd and 4th place in the Titles category.
-
2023 Cascade Awards
Mark’s middle grade story “The Case of the Mysterious Pranks” was a finalist (published writers category).
-
2022 Royal Dragonfly Book Award
Mark’s novel Trapped in a Hot Air Balloon won 2nd place in the Middle Grade fiction category.
-
2022 Directors’ Choice Awards Finalist
Trapped in a Hot Air Balloon was a finalist in the Children / Young Adult category.
-
2020 Kidz Lit Contest
Mark won 3rd place in the Young Adult fiction category for a piece entitled Lost in a Savage Paradise.
Professional Associations
American Christian Fiction Writers
www.acfw.com
Word Weavers International
www.word-weavers.com
ACFW — KidLit Chapter
www.acfwkidlit.com
