Recent Writing Awards​​​​

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• 2026 Cascade Awards

* How to Handle Your Emojis: 31 Devotions for Teens is a finalist in the young adult category. Winner will be announced in June.

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• 2026 Tapestry Awards

* The Christian Writer’s Compass won 1st place (book length nonfiction category).

* How to Handle Your Emojis won 1st place (devotional book category).​

* Adrift won 3rd place (young adult fiction category).​

* Counting Time won Honorable Mention (short fiction category).

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• 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* How to Handle Your Emojis won 1st place (unpublished young adult nonfiction category).​

* Adrift won 2nd place (unpublished young adult fiction category).​

* The Christian Writer’s Compass won 3rd place (unpublished adult nonfiction category).

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• 2025 ACFW KidLit Contest

* Lost in a Savage Paradise won 2nd place (unpublished young adult fiction category).

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• 2025 Christian Market Book Awards

* Awesome Facts About Space won 2nd place (Youth Book of the Year category).

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• 2025 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards

* Awesome Facts About Space earned an honorable mention in the Spiritual/Religious category.

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• 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).

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• 2025 SCWC Writing Awards

* “A Pocketful of Change” won 2nd place in the short story category.

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• 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.

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• 2025 Foundation Awards

* Adrift won 3rd place in the young adult category.

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• 2025 Illumination Book Awards

* Awesome Facts About Space won 1st place in the “Education” category.

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• 2025 SCWC Notable Book Awards

* Awesome Facts About Space was a finalist in the “Children’s and Young Adult” category.

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• 2024 SCWC Writing Awards

* Mark won 1st Place (magazine article category) for “Once Upon a Time . . .” in the Journal for Christian Educators.

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• 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.

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• 2024 Cascade Awards

* Mark’s middle grade story “The Case of the Missing Silver Star” was a finalist.

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• 2023 Sunshine Awards

* Mark’s 7,500-word story “Fateful Decision,” earned an honorable mention within the short story category.

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• 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.

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• 2023 Cascade Awards

* Mark’s middle grade story “The Case of the Mysterious Pranks” was a finalist (published writers category).

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• 2022 Royal Dragonfly Book Award

* Mark’s novel Trapped in a Hot Air Balloon won 2nd place in the Middle Grade fiction category.

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• 2022 Directors’ Choice Awards Finalist

* Trapped in a Hot Air Balloon was a finalist in the Children / Young Adult category.​​