Gospel Music Awards Explained: Doves, Stellars, GRAMMYs
The best-known gospel music awards are the GMA Dove Awards, the Stellar Gospel Music Awards (usually just called the Stellars) and the gospel and contemporary Christian categories at the GRAMMY Awards. Around those three sit fan-voted honours such as the K-LOVE Fan Awards, single gospel categories inside bigger shows such as the BET Awards, and chart-based awards built on Billboard data.
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.
The main gospel music awards at a glance
- GMA Dove Awards: 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.
- Stellar Gospel Music Awards: 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".
- GRAMMY Awards: run by the Recording Academy. Five categories in the Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music field, voted on by Academy members.
- K-LOVE Fan Awards: produced by the K-LOVE radio network since 2013. Voted by fans, and also honours books, films, podcasts and sport.
- BET Awards: one gospel category, the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award, inside a wider awards show.
- Billboard Music Awards: Christian and gospel categories decided by chart performance (streaming, sales and airplay) rather than a vote.
GMA Dove Awards: the Christian music industry's own honours
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.
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.
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 full list of 2026 Dove Award winners has every category.
Stellar Awards: gospel music's biggest night
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.
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 Heart of Mine. 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.
GRAMMY Awards: the gospel and Christian music field
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:
- Best Gospel Performance/Song (traditional, roots or contemporary gospel singles)
- Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song (CCM singles, including pop, rap/hip-hop, Latin and rock)
- Best Gospel Album
- Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
- Best Roots Gospel Album (country, Southern gospel, bluegrass and Americana)
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:
- Best Gospel Performance/Song: "Come Jesus Come", CeCe Winans featuring Shirley Caesar
- Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song: "Hard Fought Hallelujah", Brandon Lake with Jelly Roll
- Best Gospel Album: Heart of Mine, Darrel Walls and PJ Morton
- Best Contemporary Christian Music Album: Coritos Vol. 1, Israel & New Breed
- Best Roots Gospel Album: I Will Not Be Moved (Live), The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
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 Monday, November 16, 2026, and the ceremony is on Sunday, February 7, 2027, live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on ABC, Disney+ and Hulu.
K-LOVE Fan Awards: what listeners voted for
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.
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.
Gospel inside the bigger shows: BET and Billboard
The BET Awards 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.
The Billboard Music Awards 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 how the Hot Christian Songs chart is calculated shows how that data is combined.
Peer, fan or chart: which award tells you what?
The quickest way to read any of these awards is to ask who decided it:
- Peer awards (Doves, Stellars, GRAMMYs) reflect what artists, writers, producers and industry professionals rate highly. They often reward craft and influence over raw popularity.
- Fan awards (K-LOVE Fan Awards) reflect who listeners feel most connected to right now.
- Chart awards (Billboard) reflect what people actually streamed, bought and heard on the radio.
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 Heart of Mine. 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.
Gospel and Christian music awards calendar, 2026–27
- February 1, 2026: 68th GRAMMY Awards
- May 24, 2026: 13th K-LOVE Fan Awards, Nashville
- June 28, 2026: BET Awards
- August 15, 2026: 41st Stellar Gospel Music Awards, Charlotte
- October 2026: 57th GMA Dove Awards, Nashville (broadcast on TBN on October 9)
- November 16, 2026: 2027 GRAMMY nominations announced
- February 7, 2027: 2027 GRAMMY Awards, Los Angeles
Watch: Brandon Lake's GRAMMY win
The Recording Academy's official channel posted Brandon Lake's acceptance speech for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.
Frequently asked questions
What are the gospel music awards called?
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.
What is the difference between the Dove Awards and the Stellar Awards?
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.
Is there a GRAMMY for gospel music?
Yes. The GRAMMYs have five categories in the Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music field, including Best Gospel Album and Best Gospel Performance/Song.
When are the 2027 GRAMMY nominations announced?
Monday, November 16, 2026. The 2027 GRAMMY Awards follow on Sunday, February 7, 2027.
Can fans vote for gospel music awards?
For the K-LOVE Fan Awards, yes. The Doves, Stellars and GRAMMYs are decided by industry or academy members, not public votes.
More rankings and explainers are on the ChristianRanks blog, and the latest lists are on the ChristianRanks home page.
Sources: Recording Academy, 2027 GRAMMYs key dates (May 12, 2026); Gospel Music Association news: 2026 GRAMMY winners in Christian and gospel music, 41st Stellar Award winners and Lecrae wins the Dr. Bobby Jones Award; K-LOVE, 2026 K-LOVE Fan Awards winners; Stellar Awards 2026 press kit; doveawards.com. Checked October 24, 2026.