18th Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards: Call for Entries

The Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc. (ACCI) is seeking entries for the 18th Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards.

The Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards honor outstanding Filipino authors in various categories: spirituality, ministry, liturgy, homiletics, family life, youth, children, inspiration, theology, and e-books.

These categories include:

I. Spirituality. Books that serve and deepen prayer life, edify spiritual growth, and give guidance and light to a real Christian life, including works in prayers, meditations, the lives of saints, and the like,.

II. Ministry.  Books that illustrate or document the varied forms of Christian ministry in the Philippines, including faith-based advocacy, social/civic apostolate, and projects.    

III. Theology.  Books that aid the study of and reflection on Catholic Christian faith and doctrine, including works in Scriptures, Patristic, Christology, Church, and Morals.

IV. Liturgy. Books that provide study and reflection on Sacraments, Worship Ministries, and Devotion.

V. Homiletics. Authors write books to help pastors, resource speakers, and church leaders in their study of the Word. These are typically a collection of exegesis and personal reflections based on weekday and Sunday readings. Those seeking more comprehensive scriptural insight for their ministerial duties and apostolic work benefit from them.

VI. Family life books that promote the value of the domestic church, including true-to-life stories about parenting, family relationships, struggles, and accomplishments.

VII. Inspirational. Books that uplift the spirit. They either contain inspiring stories from people or serve as resource materials for meditation. They influence the mind to reach a new level of understanding, which leads one to greater self-knowledge and deeper communion with God.

VIII. Children. Books with appealing visuals that give value formation to children ages 12 and below include stories of faith, virtues, morals, heroic deeds, and special children’s documented activities.

IX. Youth. Books that give value formation to young individuals aged 13 and above include stories of faith, virtues, morals, heroic deeds, and documented activities of special youth.

X. E-Books (Electronic Books). Books covering the different categories above, but made available in digital form consisting of text, images, or both, readable on computers or other electronic devices. 

Special Category:    Lifetime Achievement Award  

Awarded to a Catholic writer whose lifework represents a continuing contribution to the propagation of the Christian faith through the print media, in recognition of the exemplary Catholic life and apostolic zeal as reflected in the Christian values and ideals contained in his or her writings.

Award Nomination and Submission Guidelines:

1. Books authored by a local (Philippine-based) Catholic writer and published by a local Catholic publisher, printed from May 1, 2023, to April 30, 2024, will be considered for evaluation. During this period, publishers must release entries for the first time. You cannot nominate a previous entry again. Books that have been compiled or edited will not be accepted.

2. Entries from local (Philippine-based) non-Catholic authors and publishers will be accepted for evaluation, provided that the content does not go against Catholic values, teachings, and doctrines.

3. For the E-Books category, the following additional guidelines apply:

a. The e-book must not have been published in print form. 

b. The publishing date must be shown in the e-book.

c. The e-book must be available for sale online; a link to the online bookstore must be specified.

d. The entry must be endorsed by a member of the ACCI, who will certify that all requirements have been met.

4. Entries may be submitted by any person or organization wishing to direct the attention of Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc. (ACCI) to a noteworthy book.  A person or organization may submit more than one entry in each category.

5. Fill out and submit two copies of the Official Entry Form. 

6. Prepare three copies of the nominated book. For e-books, entries must be in PDF format and saved on three USB flash drives.  We will not return entries.

7. Prepare the nomination fee for each title, which is each title, which is each title, which for each title, which is PHP 3,500.00 per title. The nomination fee is non-refundable. The check payment should be payable to:  

Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc.  Nomination fees may also be deposited at the Metrobank Intramuros Branch.

Account Name: Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc.

Account Number: 632-7-632-02840-3

8. Submit entries and pay the nomination fee or provide proof of payment to:

Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards Secretariat

c/o Jesuit Communications Foundation, Inc.

Sonolux Bldg., Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City

Tel. Nos. (632) 8426-5971, loc. 127, or +63 929 8649010 (Ms. Alice Bartlett)

9. The deadline for entry submission is May 31, 2024.

10. The judge's decision is final and irrevocable.

11. Award the CSCBA Trophy to a winning entry that scores 90% or above, and present a Special Citation Plaque to a winning entry that scores below 90%.

12. Finalists will receive Certificates of Recognition and will be invited to the Awards Ceremonies, details of which will be announced at a later date.

Before becoming known as the Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards, Cardinal Jaime L. Sin (1928–2005), the former archbishop of Manila, formed Asian Catholic Publishers, Inc. (ACPI), which was responsible for organizing the Catholic Authors' Awards, which honored Filipino Catholic authors for their lifetime achievements.

The years 2002 through 2006 saw no awards. Because of Cardinal Sin's illness and eventual death, ACPI experienced a period of inactivity.

In 2006, the reorganized Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc. brought back the honors and renamed them the Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards.

They established several categories for Catholic literature, along with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

ACCI split the Theology and Liturgy categories into two distinct categories and removed the Emerging Author Award to emphasize both, giving new entries an equal chance for nomination in any of the listed categories.

The Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards debuted in October 2007.

The Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards honor writers and publishers who, by skillfully utilizing the most recent advancements in communications technology, effectively advance Filipino culture, Gospel principles, and overall human development.