The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) has renamed and restructured its annual book cover award program.

This summer the association will debut the ECPA Top Shelf Awards, previously called the ECPA/Dickinson Press Book Cover Award program, to "celebrate the best book designs in Christian publishing," organizers said.

The submission period is Aug. 12-16, with winners to be announced at ECPA's PUBu, to be held Oct. 21-22 at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill.

Covers will be judged for their merits in appropriateness for the market; level of conceptual thinking; and quality of execution. Judges will choose at least 10 winners. Winning covers will be featured in a printed annual, designed by Faceout Studio and distributed to the industry's designers and design professionals at PUBu.

Sponsored by Faceout Studio, the awards will be managed by Torrey Sharp, the firm's principal, and judged by a panel of three top designers in the Christian product industry. Launched in 2007, the awards aim to educate, promote and recognize superior cover design in Christian publishing.

Visit www.ecpa.org/?page=bookcoverawards for more information. To view past winners, go to www.bookcoverawards.com.