The Australasian Religious Press Association (ARPA) annual conference was to have been held 4-6 September in Perth but with Covid 19 and travel restrictions only the annual awards will be announced.
The annual ARPA awards – like all such annual acknowledgements – from the Logies to industry awards – work related awards, sporting awards and the like ….. celebrate remarkable Christian publishing.
The premier annual ARPA award is the Gutenberg (plaque) to a Christian publication or individual.
Then there is a Best publication, and writers, and new writers, and publication front covers, all in all, some 21 different categories.
Our own young writer ministry has received two such awards, a Bronze last year to Matthew Thornton from Auckland, and in 2015 a Gold to Casey Murray also from Auckland, NZ.
An ARPA award is a big thing, as they are ascertained by highly respected judges for over 40 years and this year will be no different.
Former ARPA President 2008-11 Major Peter McGuigan said that the Gutenberg is a massive endorsement of any Christian media ministry and rejoiced that the 2019 Gutenberg went to Press Service International (PSI).
PSI is our young writer ministry providing 18-30 year olds an opportunity to be published internationally through the CMCI international network and have their voice heard in the market place of ideas. PSI celebrated 10 years of ministry in 2019 this was acknowledged at this highest level.
The publisher of the young writers are Christian Today Australian and Christian Today New Zealand are two of the mastheads of CMCI (Christian Media Corporation Int) the largest masthead being Christian Post in the USA and Christian Today UK.
2020 ARPA awards are therefore anticipated with much enthusiasm where Christian media recognises and celebrates the Judges announcements.
Dr Mark Tronson - a 4 min video
Chairman – Well-Being Australia
Baptist Minister 45 years
- 1984 - Australian cricket team chaplain 17 years (Ret)
- 2001 - Life After Cricket (18 years Ret)
- 2009 - Olympic Ministry Medal – presented by Carl Lewis
- 2019 - The Gutenberg - (ARPA Christian Media premier award)
Gutenberg video - 2min 14sec
Married to Delma for 45 years with 4 children and 6 grand children