The 13th annual Christy Awards, honoring the best in Christian fiction, were handed out in nine categories July 16 in Orlando, Florida. The dinner was emceed by author Liz Curtis Higgs.

Related link: The Christy Awards: Honoring Exceptional Christian Fiction

The 2012 Christy winners are:

Contemporary Romance

Wolfsbane
by Ronie Kendig (Barbour Books)

Contemporary Series

The Amish Midwife by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould (Harvest House)

Contemporary Standalone

Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock (Bethany House)

First Novel

Words by Ginny Yttrup (B&H Fiction)

Historical

Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin (Bethany House)

Historical Romance

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen (Bethany House)

Suspense

The Queen by Steven James (Revell Books)

Visionary

Veiled Rose by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (Bethany House)

Young Adult

Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren (David C Cook)

Created in 1999 to recognize novelists and novels of excellence, the Christy Awards honor authors in several categories. Each year, when publishers submit titles for consideration, the novels are read and evaluated against ten criteria by a panel comprised of librarians, literary critics, reviewers, and other readers that have no associations with a publishing company.

See also: 2012 Christy Award nominees

Check out more great articles