Nashville artists dominate GMA Dove Awards nominations

Artists and songwriters from across the Christian and gospel music spectrum have been nominated for the 57th Annual GMA Dove Awards, according to a press statement, and the diversity of creatives being honored all point to Nashville becoming the national capital of faith-based media production.

Phil Wickham leads the male nominees with nine nods, while Tennessee-based CeCe Winans tops the female nominations with seven. The nominations prove that Nashville has become a global hub for Christian media, with more than a dozen nominees having strong ties to Music City, including Nashville residents Joel and Luke Smallbone from for KING + COUNTRY as well as singers Lauren Daigle, Anne Wilson and Jamie MacDonald. Plus, filmmaker Andrew Erwin's latest

movie, "I Can Only Imagine 2," was also nominated to potentially be the Gospel Music Association's feature film of the year.

Tauren Wells, an eight-time Dove Award winner, will host the event for the fourth consecutive year. He is also serving as an executive producer and is nominated in two categories.

“Hosting for the fourth time? GMA must be crazy to keep inviting me back. I’m so grateful, I really am. It’s an honor to steward a night like this where we honor God and we honor the gifts that He has given so many people in so many different spaces, beyond those that will hold trophies. It’s a joy, I love bringing the swag, the sauce, and the Holy Spirit into a night like this,” Wells told The Tennessean.

On the songwriting and production side, Nashville-based songwriters Jonathan Smith and Jacob Sooter lead the nominations with 14 and 12 nods, respectively. According to Luminate's most recent 2026 report, Christian music artists generated more than 30 billion on-demand streams over the previous 12 months and continues to be a quickly growing genre, especially in the U.S. The upcoming award ceremony will also include categories for faith-based television and film productions. This year's nominees were selected by GMA professional members from more than 2,800 submitted entries. Final-round voting runs Aug. 7-14.

Where to watch the GMA Dove Awards 2026

The awards ceremony will take place Oct. 6 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. It will be broadcast exclusively on TBN and the TBN+ app at 7:30 and 10 p.m. ET on Oct. 9. A rebroadcast will air on Oct. 16 at the same times. Fans can also listen to the event on SiriusXM's The Message (Channel 65) during the Oct. 9 simulcast, according to the announcement.

How to participate in the GMA Dove Awards in Nashville

The Dove Awards Music City Fan Experience is also returning, offering fans a weekend of events centered around Christian music. Packages include premium seating at the Night of Worship at the Ryman Auditorium, a New Artist of the Year showcase, exclusive previews from artists and creators in faith-based entertainment, a riverboat lunch cruise with artist and songwriter performances, a three-night stay at the Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown, round-trip transportation (within Nashville) to all Fan Experience events and premium seating at the Dove Awards ceremony.

Tickets for the Fan Experience package are available at https://doveawards.com/fan-experience.

In addition to award nominations, several artists and songwriters will be recognized for making significant impacts across multiple categories. Pat Barrett, Matthew West, Jeff Pardo, Jonathan Smith, Bryan Fowler, Hank Bentley, Jacob Sooter and Colby Wedgeworth will all be recognized for their contributions to the industry. Here are select nominations from major categories.

Song of the Year presented by MultiTracks.com

• "Dusty Bibles" (Writers: Josiah Queen, Zac Lawson, Dylan Thomas, John Michael Howell)
• "God I'm Just Grateful" (Writers: Chandler Moore, Pat Barrett, Steven Furtick, Abubakar Baker Shariff-Farr, Joshua Coleman)
• "Left It In The River" (Writers: Jamie MacDonald, Jonathan Gamble, Colby Wedgeworth)
• "No Fear" (Writers: Jon Reddick, Matthew West, Jeff Pardo)
• "What An Awesome God" (Writers: Phil Wickham, Jonathan Smith, Rich Mullins)
• "Mighty Name Of Jesus" (Writers: Hope Darst, Jacob Sooter, Lauren Sloat)
• "Can't Steal My Joy” (Writers: Josiah Queen, Brandon Lake, Hank Bentley, Jacob Sooter)
• "Come Jesus Come" (Writers: Hank Bentley, Bryan Fowler, Stephen McWhirter, Tara McWhirter)
• "Homesick For Heaven" (Writers: Phil Wickham, Jonathan Smith)
• "I Know A Name” (Writers: Steven Furtick, Brandon Lake, Jacob Sooter, Hank Bentley)

Artist of the Year:

• Brandon Lake
• CeCe Winans
• Josiah Queen
• Lauren Daigle
• Phil Wickham

New Artist of the Year

• bodie
• Emerson Day
• Jamie MacDonald
• Megan Woods
• SEU Worship

Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year

• "No Survivors" - Jeremy Camp (ft. Skillet)
• "SEVENS" - Brandon Lake
• "The Love I Have For You" - Colton Dixon
• "eyes on Him" - Strings & Heart
• "idols" - Stephen Stanley

Country/Roots Recorded Song of the Year

• "Black Sheep" - Ben Fuller"
• "Broken Man Can" - Scotty Inman
• "Speaking Terms" - Ella Langley
• "Still Do" - Anne Wilson and Cole Swindell
• "The Jesus I Know Now" - Brandon Lake and Lainey Wilson

Spanish Language Recorded Song of the Year

• "ABCD" - Daddy Yankee (ft. Alex Zurdo)
• "CRISTO (En vivo desde la Prision de El Salvador)” - Miel San Marcos, Josh Morales, Luis Morales Jr.
• "DIGNO" - Nate Diaz (ft. Aaron Moses, Israel Houghton)
• "Necesito a Cristo (En Vivo)” - Karen Espinosa
• "Tu Voz" - Sarai Rivera

Worship Recorded Song of the Year Presented by CCLI

• "God I'm Just Grateful" - Elevation Worship, Chandler Moore
• "How Good It Is" - Chris Tomlin
• "Mighty Name Of Jesus" - Hope Darst, Josh Baldwin
• "What An Awesome God" - Phil Wickham
• "Worthy Of It All (Worthy)" - CeCe Winans

Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year

• "Counting My Blessings" - Seph Schlueter
• "King Of Hearts" - Brandon Lake
• "Jamie MacDonald" - Jamie MacDonald
• "Walk through Fire" - Ben Fuller
• "Mt. Zion" - Josiah Queen

Short Form Music Video of the Year

• "Heaven On My Mind" - TobyMac
• "I've Got A Fire" - Pat Barrett
• "SEVENS" - Brandon Lake
• "Raised by Wolves" - Franni Cash
• "World On Fire" - for KING + COUNTRY and Taylor Hill

Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year

• “Bless You” - Lecrae, Torey D'Shaun
• “DAVE” - Hulvey
• “God Did II” - RUA YOUNG, KB
• “ROB HELL” - indie tribe, nobigdyl., Torey D'Shaun (ft. Jon Keith)
• “Yes” - Steven Malcolm, for KING + COUNTRY, KB

Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year

• "Already Good (Tasha Slide)" - Tasha Cobbs Leonard
• "imposter syndrome" - ANTHNY
• "Jesus I Do" - Mariah Carey (ft. The Clark Sisters)
• "Still (Live)" - Jonathan McReynolds, Jamal Roberts
• "Sunday Morning" - Tauren Wells, Pastor Mike Jr.

Southern Gospel Album of the Year

• "Forever" - Tribute Quartet
• "Good Answers" - Karen Peck & New River
• "Steadfast Love" - The Craguns
• "Then Came the Morning" - Gaither Vocal Band
• "This Is The Time I Must Sing" - The Martins

Gospel Worship Album of the Year

• "Greater" - Todd Galberth
• "Live at Redemption Church" - Red Worship
• "More Than This (Deluxe Edition)" - CeCe Winans
• "Promises: The Best Of Todd Dulaney" - Todd Dulaney
• "Soundcheck" - VaShawn Mitchell

Television Series of the Year

• "Duck Dynasty: The Revival"
• "House of David"
• "The Chosen"
• "The Promised Land"
• "The Wingfeather Saga"

Feature Film of the Year

• "A Great Awakening"
• "DAVID"
• "I Can Only Imagine 2"
• "Sarah's Oil"
• "Soul on Fire"

This story was written by Leigh Cuen with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville artists dominate GMA Dove Awards nominations