<p>The best-known gospel music awards are the <strong>GMA Dove Awards</strong>, the <strong>Stellar Gospel Music Awards</strong> (usually just called the Stellars) and the gospel and contemporary Christian categories at the <strong>GRAMMY Awards</strong>. Around those three sit fan-voted honours such as the <strong>K-LOVE Fan Awards</strong>, single gospel categories inside bigger shows such as the <strong>BET Awards</strong>, and chart-based awards built on Billboard data.</p>
<p>They are not interchangeable. Each one has a different organiser, a different set of voters and a different idea of what "best" means. This guide explains how they compare, who won the top prizes in 2026, and what is next on the calendar, starting with the 2027 GRAMMY nominations on November 16.</p>

<h2>The main gospel music awards at a glance</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>GMA Dove Awards:</strong> run by the Gospel Music Association. Covers Christian and gospel music in every style, plus film and TV. Winners are chosen by GMA professional members. Held each autumn in Nashville.</li>
<li><strong>Stellar Gospel Music Awards:</strong> founded in 1985 by Don Jackson and presented by the Stellar Awards Gospel Music Academy. Focused on gospel music. Billed as "The Greatest Night in Gospel Music".</li>
<li><strong>GRAMMY Awards:</strong> run by the Recording Academy. Five categories in the Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music field, voted on by Academy members.</li>
<li><strong>K-LOVE Fan Awards:</strong> produced by the K-LOVE radio network since 2013. Voted by fans, and also honours books, films, podcasts and sport.</li>
<li><strong>BET Awards:</strong> one gospel category, the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award, inside a wider awards show.</li>
<li><strong>Billboard Music Awards:</strong> Christian and gospel categories decided by chart performance (streaming, sales and airplay) rather than a vote.</li>
</ul>

<h2>GMA Dove Awards: the Christian music industry's own honours</h2>
<p>The Dove Awards are presented by the Gospel Music Association in the United States, and they are the broadest of the group. Categories run from pop, rock, rap and worship to southern gospel, bluegrass and Spanish-language music, and even feature films and TV series. The ceremony has been held in Nashville every year except 2011 and 2012, when it moved to Atlanta, and it is broadcast on TBN.</p>
<p>Doves are a peer award. GMA professional members pick the nominees from submitted entries and then vote again to choose the winners, so a Dove tells you what people inside Christian and gospel music rate most highly.</p>
<p>At the 57th Dove Awards in October 2026, Phil Wickham was named Artist of the Year, Josiah Queen's "Dusty Bibles" won Song of the Year and Jamie MacDonald was named New Artist of the Year. Wickham, Queen and Brandon Lake tied with three Doves each. Our <a href="/blog/2026-dove-awards-winners-results">full list of 2026 Dove Award winners</a> has every category.</p>

<h2>Stellar Awards: gospel music's biggest night</h2>
<p>Where the Doves cover every style of Christian music, the Stellars concentrate on gospel. Don Jackson founded them in 1985, and they are presented by the Stellar Awards Gospel Music Academy (SAGMA). The show is a fixture for gospel choirs, praise and worship leaders and contemporary gospel artists, and it reaches a national audience through cable and syndicated TV.</p>
<p>The 41st Stellar Awards were held on August 15, 2026, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, with Kirk Franklin hosting. Darrel Walls was named Artist of the Year for <em>Heart of Mine</em>. Tasha Cobbs Leonard received the Aretha Franklin Icon Award, and Pastor Mike Jr. received the Thomas A. Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award. The ceremony premiered on The Stellar Network on August 29 and on BET on August 30, before rolling out to syndicated TV through September.</p>

<h2>GRAMMY Awards: the gospel and Christian music field</h2>
<p>The GRAMMYs are not a gospel show, but they are the award most people outside the genre recognise. The Recording Academy has five categories in its Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music field:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Best Gospel Performance/Song</strong> (traditional, roots or contemporary gospel singles)</li>
<li><strong>Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song</strong> (CCM singles, including pop, rap/hip-hop, Latin and rock)</li>
<li><strong>Best Gospel Album</strong></li>
<li><strong>Best Contemporary Christian Music Album</strong></li>
<li><strong>Best Roots Gospel Album</strong> (country, Southern gospel, bluegrass and Americana)</li>
</ul>
<p>For the album categories, more than 75% of the playing time has to be newly recorded music in that style. These are the 2026 winners, from the 68th GRAMMY Awards on February 1, 2026:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Best Gospel Performance/Song:</strong> "Come Jesus Come", CeCe Winans featuring Shirley Caesar</li>
<li><strong>Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song:</strong> "Hard Fought Hallelujah", Brandon Lake with Jelly Roll</li>
<li><strong>Best Gospel Album:</strong> <em>Heart of Mine</em>, Darrel Walls and PJ Morton</li>
<li><strong>Best Contemporary Christian Music Album:</strong> <em>Coritos Vol. 1</em>, Israel &amp; New Breed</li>
<li><strong>Best Roots Gospel Album:</strong> <em>I Will Not Be Moved (Live)</em>, The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir</li>
</ul>
<p>The next cycle is already moving. For the 2027 GRAMMYs, recordings released between August 31, 2025 and August 28, 2026 are eligible. First-round voting closed on October 22, nominations will be announced on <strong>Monday, November 16, 2026</strong>, and the ceremony is on <strong>Sunday, February 7, 2027</strong>, live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on ABC, Disney+ and Hulu.</p>

<h2>K-LOVE Fan Awards: what listeners voted for</h2>
<p>The K-LOVE Fan Awards work differently: fans vote, not industry members. That makes them a good read on which artists contemporary Christian radio listeners connect with most, and they include non-music categories for books, films, TV, podcasts and sport.</p>
<p>The 13th K-LOVE Fan Awards were held on May 24, 2026, at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Brandon Lake won Artist of the Year for the second year running, along with Male Artist of the Year. MercyMe won Group of the Year, CeCe Winans won Female Artist of the Year, Jamie MacDonald's "Left It In The River" won Song of the Year, and Phil Wickham's "Homesick For Heaven" won Worship Song of the Year.</p>

<h2>Gospel inside the bigger shows: BET and Billboard</h2>
<p>The <strong>BET Awards</strong> include one gospel category, the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award, named after the gospel TV host. At the 2026 show, which aired on June 28, it went to Lecrae, Killer Mike and T.I. for "Headphones". It was Lecrae's fourth BET Award, and Kirk Franklin has won the category more times than anyone else.</p>
<p>The <strong>Billboard Music Awards</strong> have included categories such as Top Christian Artist and Top Gospel Artist, and they work on data, not votes. Winners come from chart performance across streaming, sales and radio, the same inputs behind the weekly charts. Our explainer on <a href="/blog/billboard-hot-christian-songs-chart-explained">how the Hot Christian Songs chart is calculated</a> shows how that data is combined.</p>

<h2>Peer, fan or chart: which award tells you what?</h2>
<p>The quickest way to read any of these awards is to ask who decided it:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Peer awards</strong> (Doves, Stellars, GRAMMYs) reflect what artists, writers, producers and industry professionals rate highly. They often reward craft and influence over raw popularity.</li>
<li><strong>Fan awards</strong> (K-LOVE Fan Awards) reflect who listeners feel most connected to right now.</li>
<li><strong>Chart awards</strong> (Billboard) reflect what people actually streamed, bought and heard on the radio.</li>
</ul>
<p>When all three agree, the signal is strong. In 2026 Darrel Walls won both the GRAMMY for Best Gospel Album and Stellar Artist of the Year for <em>Heart of Mine</em>. Brandon Lake won a GRAMMY, three Doves and two K-LOVE Fan Awards. And Jamie MacDonald was the Doves' New Artist of the Year while "Left It In The River" took the fan-voted Song of the Year. When the awards disagree, it usually means a record is loved by one audience more than another, not that one list is wrong.</p>

<h2>Gospel and Christian music awards calendar, 2026–27</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>February 1, 2026:</strong> 68th GRAMMY Awards</li>
<li><strong>May 24, 2026:</strong> 13th K-LOVE Fan Awards, Nashville</li>
<li><strong>June 28, 2026:</strong> BET Awards</li>
<li><strong>August 15, 2026:</strong> 41st Stellar Gospel Music Awards, Charlotte</li>
<li><strong>October 2026:</strong> 57th GMA Dove Awards, Nashville (broadcast on TBN on October 9)</li>
<li><strong>November 16, 2026:</strong> 2027 GRAMMY nominations announced</li>
<li><strong>February 7, 2027:</strong> 2027 GRAMMY Awards, Los Angeles</li>
</ul>

<h2>Watch: Brandon Lake's GRAMMY win</h2>
<p>The Recording Academy's official channel posted Brandon Lake's acceptance speech for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.</p>
<figure class="video-embed" style="margin:1.5rem 0"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/PV1Z46FdvDU" title="BRANDON LAKE Wins BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN SONG | 2026 GRAMMYs Acceptance Speech" loading="lazy" allow="accelerometer; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen style="width:100%;aspect-ratio:16/9;border:0"></iframe><figcaption>Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV1Z46FdvDU" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">BRANDON LAKE Wins BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN SONG | 2026 GRAMMYs Acceptance Speech</a> by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Grammys" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">GRAMMYS</a> (YouTube)</figcaption></figure>

<h2>Frequently asked questions</h2>
<h3>What are the gospel music awards called?</h3>
<p>The main ones are the GMA Dove Awards, the Stellar Gospel Music Awards (the Stellars) and the GRAMMY Awards' gospel and contemporary Christian music categories. The K-LOVE Fan Awards and the BET Awards' Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award are also widely followed.</p>
<h3>What is the difference between the Dove Awards and the Stellar Awards?</h3>
<p>The Doves are run by the Gospel Music Association and cover every style of Christian and gospel music, plus film and TV. The Stellars are presented by the Stellar Awards Gospel Music Academy and focus on gospel music.</p>
<h3>Is there a GRAMMY for gospel music?</h3>
<p>Yes. The GRAMMYs have five categories in the Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music field, including Best Gospel Album and Best Gospel Performance/Song.</p>
<h3>When are the 2027 GRAMMY nominations announced?</h3>
<p>Monday, November 16, 2026. The 2027 GRAMMY Awards follow on Sunday, February 7, 2027.</p>
<h3>Can fans vote for gospel music awards?</h3>
<p>For the K-LOVE Fan Awards, yes. The Doves, Stellars and GRAMMYs are decided by industry or academy members, not public votes.</p>

<p>More rankings and explainers are on the <a href="/blog">ChristianRanks blog</a>, and the latest lists are on the <a href="/">ChristianRanks home page</a>.</p>
<p><em>Sources: Recording Academy, <a href="https://www.grammy.com/news/2027-grammys-show-air-date-nominations-announced/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">2027 GRAMMYs key dates</a> (May 12, 2026); Gospel Music Association news: <a href="https://gospelmusic.org/news/2026-grammy-winners-in-christian-and-gospel-music" rel="noopener" target="_blank">2026 GRAMMY winners in Christian and gospel music</a>, <a href="https://gospelmusic.org/news/41st-annual-stellar-gospel-award-winners-revealed" rel="noopener" target="_blank">41st Stellar Award winners</a> and <a href="https://gospelmusic.org/news/lecrae-wins-dr.-bobby-jones-award-at-2026-bet-awards" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Lecrae wins the Dr. Bobby Jones Award</a>; K-LOVE, <a href="https://www.klove.com/music/blog/music-news/brandon-lake-and-mercyme-top-leaderboard-at-2026-k-love-fan-awards-see-the-full-winners-list-14994" rel="noopener" target="_blank">2026 K-LOVE Fan Awards winners</a>; Stellar Awards 2026 press kit; doveawards.com. Checked October 24, 2026.</em></p>


The main gospel music awards are the Dove Awards, the Stellars and the GRAMMY gospel categories. Who runs each, who votes, and the 2026 winners.

Gospel Music Awards Explained: Doves, Stellars, GRAMMYs

<p>The 57th Annual GMA Dove Awards ended in a three-way tie at the top. Phil Wickham, Brandon Lake and Josiah Queen each won three Doves. Wickham was named Artist of the Year, Queen's "Dusty Bibles" won Song of the Year, and Jamie MacDonald was named New Artist of the Year.</p>
<p>The show was held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville in early October and broadcast on TBN on October 9, 2026, with Tauren Wells hosting for the fourth year in a row. This guide covers every winner by category, the numbers behind the night, and what a Dove Award does and does not tell you about a song's popularity.</p>

<h2>The headline winners at a glance</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Artist of the Year:</strong> Phil Wickham</li>
<li><strong>Song of the Year:</strong> "Dusty Bibles" (writers Josiah Queen, Zac Lawson, Dylan Thomas and John Michael Howell)</li>
<li><strong>New Artist of the Year:</strong> Jamie MacDonald</li>
<li><strong>Songwriter of the Year (Artist):</strong> Brandon Lake</li>
<li><strong>Songwriter of the Year (Non-Artist):</strong> Jacob Sooter</li>
<li><strong>Producer of the Year:</strong> Jonathan Smith</li>
</ul>

<h2>Who won the most: the scoreboard</h2>
<p>Three artists finished level on three Doves each:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Phil Wickham (3):</strong> Artist of the Year; Worship Album of the Year for <em>Song Of The Saints</em>; Children's Recorded Song of the Year for "Follow The Light" with Brandon Engman and Angel.</li>
<li><strong>Brandon Lake (3):</strong> Songwriter of the Year (Artist); Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for <em>King Of Hearts</em>; Country/Roots Recorded Song of the Year for "The Jesus I Know Now" with Lainey Wilson.</li>
<li><strong>Josiah Queen (3):</strong> Song of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year for "Dusty Bibles"; Recorded Music Packaging of the Year for <em>Mt. Zion</em>.</li>
</ul>
<p>Tasha Cobbs Leonard won two: Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year for <em>TASHA</em> and Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year for "Church", her collaboration with John Legend. The animated film <em>DAVID</em> also won twice: Feature Film of the Year, and Christmas/Special Event Album of the Year for its soundtrack.</p>

<h2>Nominations versus wins</h2>
<p>When the nominations were announced at the end of July, producer Jonathan Smith led the whole field with 14, followed by Jacob Sooter with 12 and Steven Furtick with 11. Among artists, Phil Wickham led with nine and CeCe Winans led the female artists with seven.</p>
<p>How those nominations turned into trophies is the interesting part:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Phil Wickham</strong> turned nine nominations into three wins, including the biggest one of the night.</li>
<li><strong>Jonathan Smith</strong> won Producer of the Year, and his name also appears in the producer credits of two winning albums: <em>Song Of The Saints</em> and the <em>DAVID</em> soundtrack.</li>
<li><strong>Jacob Sooter</strong> won Songwriter of the Year (Non-Artist) and is a credited producer on Brandon Lake's winning album <em>King Of Hearts</em>.</li>
<li><strong>Steven Furtick</strong> is a credited writer on two winning songs, "The Blessing" and "God I'm Just Grateful".</li>
<li><strong>CeCe Winans</strong> won Gospel Worship Recorded Song of the Year for "More Than This" with Todd Dulaney. According to the Gospel Music Association, it is the second year in a row she has won that category.</li>
</ul>
<p>The pattern is worth noticing. The most-nominated names are often the people behind the records, not the artists on the cover, because one producer or writer can be credited on many nominated songs and albums at once.</p>

<h2>Full list of 2026 Dove Award winners by genre</h2>
<p>The Gospel Music Association lists 39 winning entries this year, including the six general awards above. Here are the rest, grouped by genre.</p>
<h3>Pop, rock, rap, worship and inspirational</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song:</strong> "Dusty Bibles", Josiah Queen</li>
<li><strong>Pop/Contemporary Album:</strong> <em>King Of Hearts</em>, Brandon Lake</li>
<li><strong>Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song:</strong> "No Survivors", Jeremy Camp (ft. Skillet)</li>
<li><strong>Rock/Contemporary Album:</strong> <em>Plastic Wine</em>, Strings &amp; Heart</li>
<li><strong>Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song:</strong> "ROB HELL", indie tribe, nobigdyl. and Torey D'Shaun (ft. Jon Keith)</li>
<li><strong>Rap/Hip Hop Album:</strong> <em>COULD BE TONIGHT</em>, Hulvey</li>
<li><strong>Worship Recorded Song:</strong> "God I'm Just Grateful", Elevation Worship and Chandler Moore</li>
<li><strong>Worship Album:</strong> <em>Song Of The Saints</em>, Phil Wickham</li>
<li><strong>Inspirational Recorded Song:</strong> "The Blessing", Andrea Bocelli, Cody Carnes and Kari Jobe</li>
<li><strong>Children's Recorded Song:</strong> "Follow The Light", Brandon Engman, Phil Wickham and Angel</li>
<li><strong>Christmas Recorded Song:</strong> "We Three Kings", We Are Messengers</li>
</ul>
<h3>Gospel</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song:</strong> "Still (Live)", Jonathan McReynolds and Jamal Roberts</li>
<li><strong>Traditional Gospel Recorded Song:</strong> "Church", Tasha Cobbs Leonard and John Legend</li>
<li><strong>Gospel Worship Recorded Song:</strong> "More Than This [Radio Edit]", CeCe Winans (ft. Todd Dulaney)</li>
<li><strong>Contemporary Gospel Album:</strong> <em>TASHA</em>, Tasha Cobbs Leonard</li>
<li><strong>Traditional Gospel Album:</strong> <em>Revival: Live in Dallas</em>, Lisa Knowles-Smith &amp; The Brown Singers</li>
<li><strong>Gospel Worship Album:</strong> <em>Live at Redemption Church</em>, Red Worship</li>
</ul>
<h3>Southern gospel, bluegrass and country</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Southern Gospel Recorded Song:</strong> "No Rock", Jeff &amp; Sheri Easter</li>
<li><strong>Southern Gospel Album:</strong> <em>Good Answers</em>, Karen Peck &amp; New River</li>
<li><strong>Bluegrass Recorded Song:</strong> "Broken Angels", The Grascals and Dolly Parton</li>
<li><strong>Country/Roots Recorded Song:</strong> "The Jesus I Know Now", Brandon Lake and Lainey Wilson</li>
<li><strong>Bluegrass/Country/Roots Album:</strong> <em>American Morning: Side A - EP</em>, Chosen Road</li>
</ul>
<h3>Spanish language</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Spanish Language Recorded Song:</strong> "Tu Voz", Sarai Rivera</li>
<li><strong>Spanish Language Worship Recorded Song:</strong> "Solo Hay Uno", Joel Rocco and Enoc Parra</li>
<li><strong>Spanish Language Album:</strong> <em>Lamento en Baile</em>, Daddy Yankee</li>
</ul>
<h3>Film, television, video and special projects</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Feature Film:</strong> <em>DAVID</em></li>
<li><strong>Television Series:</strong> <em>The Chosen</em></li>
<li><strong>Christmas/Special Event Album:</strong> <em>DAVID (Soundtrack from the Angel Original Film)</em>, Various Artists</li>
<li><strong>Long Form Music Video:</strong> <em>The Resurrection Of A King</em>, Tommee Profitt</li>
<li><strong>Short Form Music Video (Concept):</strong> "World On Fire", for KING &amp; COUNTRY and Taylor Hill</li>
<li><strong>Short Form Music Video (Performance):</strong> "Have Your Way", Katy Nichole</li>
<li><strong>Musical/Choral Collection:</strong> <em>We Shall Behold Him: A Tribute to Dottie Rambo</em></li>
<li><strong>Recorded Music Packaging:</strong> <em>Mt. Zion</em>, Josiah Queen</li>
</ul>

<h2>Five takeaways from the results</h2>
<ol>
<li><strong>A new generation reached the top.</strong> Josiah Queen won Song of the Year with "Dusty Bibles", and Jamie MacDonald, whose "Left It in the River" was also a Song of the Year nominee, took New Artist of the Year.</li>
<li><strong>Country and Christian music keep meeting.</strong> Brandon Lake and Lainey Wilson's "The Jesus I Know Now" won Country/Roots Recorded Song and was performed on the show. Dolly Parton appears on the bluegrass winner "Broken Angels" with The Grascals, and Amy Grant and Natalie Grant performed a tribute to her.</li>
<li><strong>Producers and writers shape the field.</strong> Jonathan Smith, Jacob Sooter and Steven Furtick were the three most-nominated people of the year, and their credits run through several winning records.</li>
<li><strong>Gospel spread its wins widely.</strong> The six gospel categories went to five different acts; Tasha Cobbs Leonard was the only one to win twice.</li>
<li><strong>Faith-based screen work is part of the story.</strong> <em>DAVID</em> won two Doves, and <em>The Chosen</em> was named Television Series of the Year for its fifth season.</li>
</ol>

<h2>Dove Awards vs. the charts: what a win measures</h2>
<p>A Dove is a peer award, not a popularity ranking. Nominees are chosen by Gospel Music Association professional members from submitted entries (more than 2,800 this year), and members vote again in a final round, which in 2026 ran from August 7 to 14.</p>
<p>Billboard's Christian charts work the other way round. They are built from data: radio audience, streaming and sales. Our explainer on <a href="/blog/billboard-hot-christian-songs-chart-explained">how the Hot Christian Songs chart is calculated</a> walks through that formula.</p>
<p>That difference is why the two lists don't always agree. A song can lead the streaming numbers and still lose a Dove to a track that industry voters rate more highly, and an album can win its genre category without ever reaching the top of an all-genre chart. The charts tell you what listeners played; the Doves tell you what the people who make Christian and gospel music chose to honour.</p>
<p>Use both. For a playlist of the year's most-played songs, start with the charts. For the records the industry rated best, start with the Dove winners above.</p>

<h2>Watch the highlights</h2>
<p>TBN, which broadcast the ceremony, has posted highlights including performances from CeCe Winans, Brandon Lake and Lainey Wilson, and Tasha Cobbs Leonard.</p>
<figure class="video-embed" style="margin:1.5rem 0"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/pD0FVq3rcPQ" title="GMA Dove Awards 2026: CeCe Winans, Brandon Lake, Lainey Wilson, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, and More! | TBN" loading="lazy" allow="accelerometer; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen style="width:100%;aspect-ratio:16/9;border:0"></iframe><figcaption>Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD0FVq3rcPQ" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">GMA Dove Awards 2026: CeCe Winans, Brandon Lake, Lainey Wilson, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, and More! | TBN</a> by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TBN" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">TBN</a> (YouTube)</figcaption></figure>

<h2>Frequently asked questions</h2>
<h3>Who won Artist of the Year at the 2026 Dove Awards?</h3>
<p>Phil Wickham.</p>
<h3>What won Song of the Year?</h3>
<p>"Dusty Bibles", recorded by Josiah Queen and written by Josiah Queen, Zac Lawson, Dylan Thomas and John Michael Howell.</p>
<h3>Who won the most Dove Awards in 2026?</h3>
<p>Phil Wickham, Brandon Lake and Josiah Queen tied with three each. Tasha Cobbs Leonard won two, the most of any female artist.</p>
<h3>Who votes for the Dove Awards?</h3>
<p>Professional members of the Gospel Music Association select the nominees and vote on the winners. It is not a public fan vote, so the results reflect the industry's view rather than streaming or sales.</p>

<p>More rankings and explainers are on the <a href="/blog">ChristianRanks blog</a>, and the latest lists are on the <a href="/">ChristianRanks home page</a>.</p>
<p><em>Sources: Gospel Music Association, <a href="https://gospelmusic.org/news/57th-annual-gma-dove-awards-see-full-list-of-winners" rel="noopener" target="_blank">"57th Annual GMA Dove Awards: See Full List of Winners"</a> (October 9, 2026); the official <a href="https://doveawards.com/awards/2026-winners" rel="noopener" target="_blank">2026 winners</a> and nominees pages on doveawards.com; GMA's nominations announcement as reported by Patheos (August 1, 2026). Checked October 23, 2026.</em></p>

All 2026 Dove Awards winners: Phil Wickham, Brandon Lake and Josiah Queen won three each, Dusty Bibles took Song of the Year. Full list and key takeaways.

2026 Dove Awards Winners: Who Won the Most and What the Results Show

<p>Every week, Christian music fans check where their favourite worship song or CCM single sits on Billboard. But what does a song's position on the Hot Christian Songs chart actually measure? Radio play? Streams? Sales? The answer is all three, and the mix matters, because it explains why some songs debut high and fade fast while others sit near the top for years.</p>

<p>This explainer covers how the chart is built, how it differs from the Christian Airplay chart, why some songs stay at No. 1 for so long, and how to read the numbers without over-reading them.</p>

<h2>A short history: from radio-only to multi-metric</h2>
<p>Billboard launched Hot Christian Songs in June 2003. For its first decade it ranked songs only by audience impressions on contemporary Christian music radio stations; in effect it was a radio chart.</p>
<p>That changed with the chart dated December 7, 2013. From then on, Hot Christian Songs has used the same basic method as the Billboard Hot 100: it combines radio airplay, streaming and digital download sales into one ranking. At the same time Billboard created a separate <strong>Christian Airplay</strong> chart so that pure radio performance would still be tracked on its own.</p>
<p>That split is the single most useful thing to know when you read Christian charts. "No. 1 on Christian radio" and "No. 1 on Hot Christian Songs" are two different achievements.</p>

<h2>The three ingredients</h2>
<h3>1. Airplay</h3>
<p>For Hot Christian Songs, airplay counts across all monitored radio stations, not just Christian ones. A Christian song that crosses over to country or pop radio gets credit for those plays too. Airplay is measured in audience impressions, an estimate of how many people heard the song, so a play in a large market counts for more than a play on a small station.</p>
<h3>2. Streaming</h3>
<p>On-demand audio streams (such as Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music) and video streams (including official YouTube videos) are counted. Billboard weights streams from paid subscriptions more heavily than ad-supported or free streams, in line with its Hot 100 rules. Billboard does not publish the exact weighting for each genre chart, so be careful with any claim that "X streams equal one sale."</p>
<h3>3. Digital sales</h3>
<p>Paid downloads of individual songs from stores such as iTunes and Amazon still count, even though download volumes are far smaller than they were a decade ago. Because sales are now a small market, a release-week sales push by an artist's fans can still nudge a song up for a week or two.</p>

<h2>Where the data comes from and when the chart updates</h2>
<p>Billboard's sales and streaming numbers come from its data partner Luminate. The tracking week runs from Friday to Thursday, matching the global Friday release day for new music, and Billboard publishes the new charts the following week. That is why a song released on a Friday has a full tracking week to make its debut.</p>

<h2>Hot Christian Songs vs Christian Airplay: why the rankings differ</h2>
<table>
<thead><tr><th></th><th>Hot Christian Songs</th><th>Christian Airplay</th></tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr><td>What it measures</td><td>Airplay + streaming + digital sales</td><td>Radio airplay on Christian stations only</td></tr>
<tr><td>Typical fast risers</td><td>Big releases, viral worship moments, crossover hits</td><td>Songs promoted to Christian radio, which build slowly</td></tr>
<tr><td>Typical long runs</td><td>Songs that keep streaming in churches and playlists</td><td>Radio favourites in heavy rotation</td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>A new single from a well-known worship collective can debut high on Hot Christian Songs because fans stream it heavily in week one, while the same song may take months to climb Christian Airplay as stations add it gradually. The reverse also happens: a radio-friendly single can top Christian Airplay without dominating streaming.</p>

<h2>Why some songs stay at No. 1 for years</h2>
<p>Under the multi-metric method, a song that becomes part of everyday church life keeps generating streams long after its release. Congregations learn it, worship leaders add it to setlists, and listeners return to it on playlists. Radio keeps playing it because listeners keep asking for it.</p>
<p>The clearest example is Lauren Daigle's "You Say," which spent a record 132 weeks at No. 1 on Hot Christian Songs between 2018 and 2021. Long runs at the top by songs such as Hillsong United's "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" and Brandon Lake's "Hard Fought Hallelujah" follow the same pattern: steady streaming plus steady radio, week after week.</p>

<h2>Crossover songs and surprise debuts</h2>
<p>Because the chart counts all streaming and all monitored radio, songs from artists outside the Christian music industry can appear when they release openly faith-themed material. Big TV singing competitions have also produced No. 1 debuts in the past, when contestants' performances of hymns sold heavily as downloads in a single week. These entries are real chart achievements, but they usually do not last, because they lack the radio and church-streaming base that keeps worship songs on the chart.</p>

<h2>How to read the chart sensibly</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Check which chart you are looking at.</strong> Hot Christian Songs, Christian Airplay, Christian Streaming Songs and Christian Digital Song Sales each measure something different.</li>
<li><strong>Look at weeks on chart, not only the position.</strong> A song at No. 12 in its 60th week often has more lasting impact than a one-week No. 3 debut.</li>
<li><strong>Remember timing.</strong> Christmas songs, Easter releases and album weeks create predictable seasonal jumps.</li>
<li><strong>Do not treat the chart as a quality ranking.</strong> It measures listening and buying in the United States. Many beloved songs, including most non-English worship music, never appear on it.</li>
<li><strong>Use the official source.</strong> The current positions are on Billboard's own chart pages; secondary sites, including this one, may be a week behind.</li>
</ul>

<h2>The bottom line</h2>
<p>Hot Christian Songs is no longer a radio chart. Since December 2013 it has blended airplay, streaming and downloads, which rewards songs that people keep coming back to, in church and at home. If you want to know what Christian radio is playing, read Christian Airplay. If you want the broadest single measure of what Christian music listeners in the US are engaging with each week, read Hot Christian Songs, and read the weeks-on-chart column too.</p>
<p><em>Sources: Billboard chart pages and chart methodology announcements; Wikipedia's Hot Christian Songs article for chart history and records (checked October 18, 2026).</em></p>

How Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart is calculated: airplay, streaming and sales since 2013, the Christian Airplay difference, record runs and how to read it.

ChristianRanks

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