(Nashville, Tenn.) Thomas Nelson’s celebrity-voiced The Word of Promise® Audio Bible has been selected as a finalist for the Audio Publishers Association’s (APA) prestigious Audiobook of the Year Award. This top honor is distinguished by excellence in production as well as by the title’s ability to create new interest in the audiobook format through creative and innovative marketing. The winners will be announced at the Audies Gala awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 25, 2010, at The Museum of the City of New York in New York City.

In addition to the Audiobook of the Year Award nomination, The Word of Promise® Audio Bible is also a finalist in four overall categories of The Audio Publishers Association’s (APA) 2010 Audies competition, which include “Audio Drama,” “Multi-Voiced Performance,” “Inspirational/Faith-Based Non-Fiction,” and “Package Design.” The Audie Awards is the only awards program in the United States devoted entirely to honoring spoken word entertainment.

“The Word of Promise Audio Bible is a massive feat of art and marketing, tapping the skills of over 600 actors and anchored by the steady excellence of Michael York’s narration. Original music gave the recording a cinematic quality, creating an aural landscape that gave the biblical words freshness and immediacy. A uniquely adaptable package and effective use of a wide variety of marketing strategies ensure that this is an audiobook people will hear about for a long time,” noted The Audiobook of the Year judges.

The Word of Promise® Audio Bible is a scripted dramatization of the trusted New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible presented in a compelling, dramatic audio theater format. The project features the talents of Hollywood actors including Michael York (narrator), Richard Dreyfuss (Moses), Gary Sinise (David), Jesse McCartney (young David and Daniel), Stacy Keach (Paul and Job), Ernie Hudson (Peter), Sean Astin (Elihu), Malcolm McDowell (Solomon), Joan Allen (Deborah), Lou Diamond Phillips (Mark), Luke Perry (Judas), Harry Hamlin (Nehemiah), Jim Caviezel (Jesus), and Martin Jarvis (voice of God). Complete with production by AFTRA Award winner Carl Amari (The Twilight Zone™ Radio Dramas), an original music score by prolific Italian composer Stefano Mainetti (Abba Pater & The Shooter), and movie-quality sound effects produced, engineered, and mixed at Cerny American Creative in Chicago—an award-winning facility ranked in the Top 3 in the nation for sound design headed by director JoBe Cerny. The 90+ hour project released through Thomas Nelson, Inc., in October in a special 79-CD box set collection and an 11-MP3 CD offering, both with a bonus features DVD. Stand-alone New Testament and Old Testament sets are also available.

In addition to the Audie Award finalist standing, the title is also currently in the running for Christian Retailing ’s 2010 Retailers Choice Awards and ECPA Christian Book Awards program awards. The project has already received a Platinum Marcom Creative Award in recognition of excellence in creativity. The complete Bible released as a follow-up to the The Word of Promise® New Testament Audio Bible which made history when it became the first audiobook and Bible to win the ECPA Christian Book of the Year Award in the 30-year history of the award program.

Audio samples, a free iPhone/iPod Touch application, and additional information about The Word of Promise® Audio Bible are available by visiting http://www.thomasnelson.com/thewordofpromise. Updates are also available by following The Word of Promise® on Facebook and Twitter, @WordofPromise.

Thomas Nelson, Inc. is a leading provider of Bibles, products, and live events emphasizing Christian, inspirational and family value themes. For more information on the company and its titles, visit http://www.thomasnelson.com or http://www.thomasnelsonbibles.com.