Summerside Press led the way when the Christian fiction community gathered to celebrate the best of the year and look to the future, during the weekend.

The Guideposts imprint took three of the main prizes in the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) annual Carol Awards, named in honor of longtime Bethany House Publishers Editor Carol Johnson, who helped pioneer the modern Christian fiction genre.

She was among almost 700 published and would-be authors, editors, agents and other industry professionals at the ACFW prize-giving banquet Saturday in St. Louis, at the end of the group’s three-day conference.

Summerside took awards for Romantic Suspense (The Silent Order by Melanie Dobson), Long Historical (Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren) and Long Historical Romance (Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa, also by Dobson).

Tyndale House Publishers earned two Carols—for Women’s Fiction (Beaded Hope by Cathy Liggett) and Debut Author (Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes)—as did Barbour Publishing for Mystery (The Camera Never Lies by Elizabeth Goddard) and Novella (A Trusting Heart by Carrie Turansky, published in Christmas Mail-Order Brides).

Celebrating its 10th anniversary with a record attendance reflecting what organizers said was the continued growth of Christian fiction, the ACFW conference featured educational sessions for prospective and seasoned authors alike. There were also discussions on industry trends, including how the rise of e-book sales might impact the fiction category.

Other Carol winners were: Long Contemporary—Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group); Long Contemporary Romance—Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman (Thomas Nelson); Suspense/Thriller—Predator by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan); Speculative Fiction—König’s Fire by Marc Schooley (Marcher Lord Press).

Short Contemporary—A Father for Zach by Irene Hannon (Love Inspired); Short Contemporary Suspense—Night Prey by Sharon Dunn (Love Inspired Suspense); Short Historical—Her Healing Ways by Lyn Cote (Love Inspired Historical); Young Adult: Anything But Normal by Melody Carlson (Revell/Baker Publishing Group).