What Makes the Prestigious International Hope Book Awards a Trustworthy & Credible Platform?
Discover the heart behind the Prestigious International Hope Book Awards. Learn about our founder's journey and our unwavering commitment to ethical and transparent judging practices.
Our Founder’s Story
Founder Credibility Statement
The Prestigious International Hope Book Awards
The Prestigious International Hope Book Awards was founded by Johanna Vendel with one clear purpose: to honor books that offer real hope, healing, faith, and transformation—because those were the kinds of books that once helped her survive her own darkest seasons.
This awards platform was not created from industry ambition, financial motive, or trend-driven recognition. It was born from lived experience: personal loss, grief, resilience, faith, and the long road toward healing. Johanna understands firsthand the courage it takes to tell vulnerable stories, and she believes authors who write with purpose deserve to be evaluated with integrity, respect, and ethical care.
As a multi-award-winning author herself, Johanna brings both personal insight and professional accountability to PIHBA. She understands the responsibility behind book awards—how deeply authors trust these platforms with their stories, and how credibility must be earned, not claimed.
For this reason, PIHBA is built on transparent judging standards, a qualified and mission-aligned judging panel, and a firm commitment to fairness over popularity or profit. Every system, policy, and decision reflects Johanna’s belief that awards should uplift—not exploit—authors and their work.
PIHBA continues to grow intentionally and responsibly, guided by integrity, compassion, and service to the global literary community.
Founder Biography – Johanna Vendel
Johanna Vendel is an international award-winning author, motivational speaker, podcast host, and founder of The Prestigious International Hope Book Awards.
She is the recipient of two International Impact Book Awards, a Finalist for Author of the Year 2025, and a recent International Christian Book Awards winner—recognitions that reflect her commitment to writing that speaks to faith, healing, resilience, and hope.
Johanna is the author of multiple books centered on grief recovery, emotional healing, spiritual growth, and personal transformation. Her writing is deeply rooted in lived experience and has resonated with readers navigating loss, trauma, and restoration.
In addition to her work as an author, Johanna is the host of the inspirational podcast and YouTube platform “Give Me Hope with Johanna,” where she amplifies voices of authors, survivors, faith leaders, and advocates whose stories encourage healing and perseverance.
Beyond the literary world, Johanna brings over 29 years of professional experience as a Certified Medical Massage Therapist and Esthetician, further grounding her work in compassion, care, and holistic understanding of healing.
The Prestigious International Hope Book Awards was founded as an extension of her life’s mission: to elevate stories that restore hope, honor truth, and remind others that even in brokenness, Hope can rise again 🌿
What Makes the Prestigious International Hope Book Awards a Trustworthy & Credible Platform?
The Prestigious International Hope Book Awards (PIHBA) was built intentionally to earn trust—through transparency, ethics, and accountability—rather than claiming it through hype or volume.
1. Clear Mission, Not Commercial Motive
PIHBA exists to honor books that genuinely offer hope, healing, faith, and transformation. It was founded from lived experience, not industry trends or profit goals. Every category, policy, and decision is aligned with a single purpose: serving authors and readers with integrity. Awards are not used as marketing bait or guaranteed recognition—they are earned through evaluation.
2. Qualified, Mission-Aligned Judges
PIHBA judges are selected for: Professional experience (authors, editors, educators, librarians, counselors, faith leaders). Ethical reputation. Alignment with hope-centered storytelling. Every judge: Signs a Code of Ethics. Signs a Judge Agreement. Discloses conflicts of interest. Evaluates submissions objectively and confidentially. No judge can influence outcomes based on personal relationships, payment, or favoritism.
3. Transparent Judging Process
PIHBA publicly outlines: How books are judged. What criteria are used. How scores are determined. Books are evaluated on: Literary quality and clarity. Authentic voice and originality. Emotional and/or spiritual impact. Alignment with category and mission. Overall reader value. Decisions are never made by one person alone, and scoring consistency is reviewed to ensure fairness.
4. Ethical Use of Entry Fees
Entry fees support: Administrative coordination. Judge management. Secure review systems. Award materials, certificates, and seals. Website hosting, author recognition, and program operations. Entry fees do not buy awards. Payment does not influence results, placement, or recognition.
5. Public Accountability & Visibility
PIHBA operates with visibility: Judges are publicly listed (with permission). Policies and standards are published. Winners and finalists are verifiable. The Founder is visible, accessible, and accountable. There are no anonymous committees or hidden decision-makers.
6. Founder Credibility & Lived Authority
PIHBA is led by Johanna Vendel, a multi-award-winning author with: Two International Impact Book Awards. Finalist for Author of the Year 2025. An International Christian Book Award win. Decades of professional experience in healing, care, and service. Having navigated the awards world herself, she understands the responsibility involved and has built PIHBA to reflect the ethical standards she expects as an author.
7. Respect for Authors and Their Stories
Many PIHBA submissions come from authors writing about:
Grief and loss. Trauma and recovery. Faith journeys. Personal transformation
PIHBA recognizes that these are not casual stories—they are sacred narratives.
Every submission is treated with dignity, confidentiality, and respect, regardless of outcome.
8. Intentional Growth, Not Mass Volume
PIHBA is growing carefully: Expanding judges slowly. Refining systems annually. Listening to feedback. Documenting improvements. Credibility is built through consistency—not speed.
Our Impact on Author's and Readers
For many authors—especially those writing about grief, trauma, faith, recovery, or redemption—their books are not merely “products,” but rather pieces of their lives. PIHBA affirms that these stories matter and deserve to be evaluated with respect. We also aim to help readers find books that meet them in hard seasons, restoring trust in “hope” as something profound, not superficial.
The lasting impact of The Prestigious International Hope Book Awards lies in restoring trust, confidence, and purpose for authors who write from the heart. Beyond recognition, PIHBA affirms that their stories were read with care, evaluated with integrity, and honored for the courage it takes to tell them. Authors leave with more than an award or title—they gain validation, renewed belief in their voice, and the confidence to continue sharing stories that heal, uplift, and transform lives. Over time, PIHBA builds a community where authors are respected, supported, and remembered not for trends or sales, but for the hope their words bring into the world.
"The prestigious international hope book awards exists to bridge the gap between authors brave enough to tell their healing stories and readers searching for hope that feels real."
Johanna Vendel, Founder