Awards Press Release 

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Creators of 19 films, TV programs, and books recognized for works that uplift the human spirit

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77th ANNUAL CHRISTOPHER AWARD WINNERS CELEBRATE COMMUNITY, COURAGE, AND COMPASSION

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NEW YORK, April 8, 2026 -  From soldiers, caregivers and country doctors to nonnas, teddy bears and families that make us laugh, the 18 films, TV programs, and books for adults and young people being honored with Christopher Awards in the program’s 77th year highlight the best of humanity. In addition, the acclaimed Prime Video series The Chosen has been selected to receive the 2026 Christopher Spirit Award.

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            The Christopher Awards celebrate writers, producers, directors, authors, and illustrators whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit” and reflects the Christopher motto, “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” Tony Rossi, The Christophers’ Director of Communications, said, “Mother Teresa once observed, ‘If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.’ That sense of ‘belonging to each other’ is reflected in our award-winning stories of selflessness, sacrifice, faith, and kindness that can lead us to a better, more peaceful tomorrow.”

 

Winners in the various categories are:  

 

Feature Films

            The documentary Broken Mary: The Kevin Matthews Story (ODB Films and Family Theater Productions) explores the Chicago radio shock jock’s climb to fame, his dark night of the soul after losing his job and being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and the grace he experienced after discovering a broken statue of the Virgin Mary. Through new interviews and exclusive archival material, The Last Twins (DCTV) reveals the quiet heroism of concentration camp prisoner Erno “Zvi” Spiegel, as he cared for young twins in Auschwitz who were subject to brutal medical experiments, helping them survive the Holocaust and return home.

            Different generations find new purpose in the based-on-a-true-story Nonnas (Netflix), which follows Joe Scaravella’s quest to open an Italian restaurant in his late mother’s honor, staffed by Italian grandmothers cooking their old-world recipes for customers in a warm-hearted family atmosphere. Soul on Fire (AFFIRM Films/Sony Pictures Entertainment) dramatizes the life of motivational speaker John O’Leary who, after suffering life-threatening burns as a child due to playing with matches and gasoline, overcame his physical injuries and personal demons to serve as an inspiration to others. Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Animation Studios) finds bunny and fox police partners Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde investigating the case which resulted in reptiles being excluded from society—and learning that diverse species can be friends despite their differences.

 

TV, Cable, & Streaming         

            The orphaned and abandoned Amerasian children who were airlifted out of Vietnam at the end of the war reunite and reflect on their adoption into American families and the beautiful lives they created here in ABC News 20/20: Operation Babylift: The 50-Year Journey. The challenges of rural healthcare are explored in Country Doctor (HBO Max), which profiles Fairfax, Oklahoma’s Dr. James Graham, who embraces the moral responsibility to serve his community, with or without payment, while trying to keep his local hospital from closing. Nothing lifts the human spirit like laughter, which is on full display in Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion (CBS), featuring new interviews with the hit sitcom’s cast and crew, as well as classic clips of the Barones, who remind us that even families that argue can be grounded in love.

 

Books for Adults

            In The Boys in the Light (Dutton/Penguin Random House), Nina Willner shares the harrowing story of her father Eddie’s survival in German concentration camps, the heroic American tank division members who saved him and nurtured him back to health, and the emotional reunion with his rescuers 60 years later. Drawing on her nearly three decades of humanitarian work around the world, Sharon Eubank informs and inspires readers with a heart for service about the most effective approaches to helping others in need in Doing Small Things with Great Love (Shadow Mountain Publishing). Grounded in the challenges she faced after her husband, actor Bruce Willis, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, The Unexpected Journey (The Open Field/Penguin Random House) presents Emma Heming Willis’ hard-earned, hope-filled wisdom and advice for caregivers unsure of how to handle their situation. Judy Henderson recalls the abuse and manipulation that landed her in prison for a murder she didn’t commit—and the act of kindness which inspired her to help her fellow inmates until she was exonerated after 36 years, in When the Light Finds Us (Worthy Books/Hachette Book Group), written with Jimmy Soni.

 

Books for Young People

            A mother and daughter create what will become one of America’s most beloved children’s toys while recalling their family’s immigrant journey in A Teddy Bear for Emily – and President Roosevelt, Too (Albert Whitman and Company) by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Bethany Stancliffe. Inspired by author and illustrator Katie Mazeika’s childhood experience, Maybe Just Ask Me! (Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster) highlights a young cancer survivor inviting her classmates to ask her about her eye patch and headscarf instead of speculating behind her back. A Mexican street dog, a widowed grandmother, and a memorable road trip lie at the heart of Pablo (kidstori) by Mar Andersons, illustrated by Irvin Walkes, which combines a canine’s comedic hijinks, a heartfelt reflection on grief, and a quest for family and home.

            With no known relatives beyond her mother, a girl stresses over a class assignment to list all her family members until she realizes that her close neighbors and friends fill that role in her life in How to Grow a Family Tree (Neal Porter Books/Holiday House) by Bea Birdsong, illustrated by Jasu Hu. While baking a special cake for the feast of Santa Marija with her granddaughter, a Maltese grandmother revisits her memories of survival, hope, and life under siege during World War II in The Memory Cake (Holiday House) by Caroline L. Perry, illustrated by Jennifer Bricking. When a shy girl is sent to live with a strict aunt and her kindhearted butler, the youngster embarks on a journey towards facing her fears, finding her voice, and fulfilling her potential in The Secret of Honeycake (Alfred A. Knopf/Random House Children’s Books) by Kimberly Newton Fusco.

 

2026 Christopher Spirit Award

            Different generations have always found their own methods of visually representing the life of Jesus. In our modern era, The Chosen has become the biblical epic that appeals to the hearts, minds, and souls of believers—and even those of different faiths or no faith. For its success in bringing the light of Jesus and his teachings to a new audience, The Chosen has earned the 2026 Christopher Spirit Award.

            As the first multi-season TV series about the life of Jesus Christ, The Chosen dramatizes the gospels while creatively imagining and expanding upon its leading figures and situations. Jesus, as portrayed by Jonathan Roumie, is a Messiah who walks in humility despite possessing great power, who conveys God’s love and mercy towards humanity while fully experiencing emotions such as joy, grief, and humor himself. Viewers also find themselves relating to the disciples and other characters who, despite having lived 2,000 years ago, share the same flaws and struggles, faith and doubts as we do today. Since its debut in 2019, The Chosen has drawn more than 300 million viewers worldwide and continues to do so as it moves toward its sixth season on Prime Video later this year. All episodes of The Chosen have more than 900 million views from 175 countries.

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Social media: #ChristopherAwards, Facebook: The Christophers / X: @ChristophersInc / Instagram: @thechristophersnyc

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The Christophers, a nonprofit founded in 1945 by Maryknoll Father James Keller, is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of service to God and humanity. The ancient Chinese proverb—“It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness”— guides its publishing, radio, and awards programs.   [Editors: A complete list of winners is available on request.] 

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