Bill Ellis a winner in the national Amy Writing Awards competition

SCOTT DEPOT -- Bill Ellis, a Scott Depot resident who writes a weekly column for The Putnam Herald, has placed in the top 15 in the 2007 Amy Writing Awards competition.

The Amy Foundation Writing Awards program "is designed to recognize creative, skillful writing that presents in a sensitive, thought-provoking manner the biblical position on issues affecting the world today, with an emphasis on discipling," according to the foundation's Web site, www.amyfound.org. "To be eligible, submitted articles must be published in a secular, non-religious publication (either printed or online) and must be reinforced with at least one passage of scripture."

Ellis' winning column was called "God Uses Failures in Life to Bring About Success," and appeared in the March 10, 2007, issue of the Herald & Review, Decatur, Ill. Ellis earned $1,000 for his Award of Outstanding Merit.

Ellis' more than 1700 columns and commentaries have appeared in newspapers around the globe.

Ellis also has had a long connection with radio and television broadcasting and continues to work, along with his wife, Kitty, as a volunteer staff member for the annual meetings of National Religious Broadcasters, which draws more than 6,000 broadcast-related people to their annual conventions. On May 4, 2008, he was a special guest on the "Hour of Decision" radio program of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. His long-time friend, Dr. Billy Graham, delivered the sermon on that broadcast.

"To be chosen by The Amy Foundation as one of the award winners in the nation is an honor for which I am deeply grateful," Ellis said.