A local animal advocate received a bronze medal by Readers' Favorite for his book, "For Our Friends the Animals," in its annual international book award contest.

The Readers' Favorite International Book Award Contest featured thousands of contestants from over a dozen countries, ranging from new independent authors to NYT best-sellers and celebrities. Readers' Favorite is one of the largest book review and award contest sites on the internet. They have earned the respect of renowned publishers like Random House, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins and have received the "Best Websites for Authors" and "Honoring Excellence" awards from the Association of Independent Authors. They are also fully accredited by the BBB (A+ rating), which is a rarity among Book Review and Book Award Contest companies, according to a press release.

The contest received thousands of entries from all over the world. Because of these large submission numbers, they were able to break down the contest into 140+ genres, and each genre was judged separately, ensuring that books only compete against books of their same genre for a fairer and more accurate competition. Contestants ranged from the first-time, self-published author to New York Times bestsellers like J.A. Jance, James Rollins, and No. 1 best-selling author Daniel Silva, as well as celebrity authors like Jim Carrey ("Bruce Almighty"), Henry Winkler ("Happy Days") and Eriq La Salle ("E.R.," "Coming to America").

Bob Echols won bronze in the Non-Fiction – Religion/Philosophy category.

The Fairhope resident is a spiritual writer, ethicist and lifelong advocate for animal stewardship and reverence for life, according to his bio. A cancer survivor and U.S. Army veteran, he holds degrees from Phillips Exeter Academy, New York University and Emory University (J.D./M.B.A.) with a professional background that includes corporate ethics, legal counsel and nonprofit leadership. He served in the U.S. Army JAG Corps and later as director of business conduct for Monsanto.

"For Our Friends the Animals" is a four-volume treatise that "blends theological insight, personal experience and ethical reasoning to inspire a compassionate worldview centered on the universal love of Jesus. His work draws on the legacy of Albert Schweitzer's 'Reverence for Life' and calls readers to a lived faith that embraces all of God's creation," his bio states.

According to the contest review by Luwi Nyakansaila for Readers' Favorite, "The lessons in this book prompt readers to view various environmental issues from a new perspective, making the issues feel personal and encouraging a deeper awareness of our interconnectedness with all creatures. The book illustrates that everything is part of God's creation and deserves respect and kindness. It is disheartening to realize that humans have caused the extinction of animals, subjected them to experiments, and tortured them for amusement."

The book is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D54XCRGN.