The Gospel Music Association (GMA) today announced the nominees for the 57th Annual GMA Dove Awards, celebrating the best in Christian and Gospel music. Phil Wickham earns nine nominations as this year’s top male artist nominee, while CeCe Winans leads all female artists with seven. Both are joined in the Artist of the Year category by Brandon Lake, Josiah Queen and Lauren Daigle.
Eight-time Dove Award winner Tauren Wells will return to host the Dove Awards for the fourth consecutive year, marking one of the longest hosting runs in the show’s history. This year Wells also serves as an Executive Producer of the show and is a two-time nominee himself, in addition to taking the stage as a performer.
“The Dove Awards are more than just an awards show. The promise of scripture is if two or three people come together that Jesus is in our midst. We know this isn’t about trophies; it’s about elevating the name of Jesus and celebrating those who have done that very well this year. I’m so grateful to be back hosting and I cannot wait to get back on that stage, it’s truly an honor,” said Wells.
Behind the scenes, the creative forces shaping this year’s biggest Christian and Gospel records earned even deeper recognition: Jonathan Smith leads all nominees with 14 nominations, followed by Jacob Sooter with 12 and Steven Furtick with 11. Their work threads through several of the year’s most nominated songs and albums. Alongside them, a new generation is making its own mark: this year’s New Artist of the Year nominees, bodie, Emerson Day, Jamie MacDonald, Megan Woods and SEU Worship, represent some of the fastest-rising voices in the genre.
This year’s theme, “Together For One,” is inspired by Colossians 3:14: “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
“Every year, the Dove Awards bring the diverse voices of the Christian music community together to celebrate the God we all serve, and that’s exactly the heart behind this year’s theme, ‘Together For One.’ This year’s class of nominees embodies that spirit, creating life-changing music that continues to unite people across the globe,” said Jackie Patillo, President of the Gospel Music Association.
The 57th Annual GMA Dove Awards, presented in partnership with the Cantinas Arts Foundation, will be held Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Tickets are on sale now here.
The show broadcasts exclusively on TBN and the TBN+ App Friday, October 9 at 7:30 PM and 10 PM ET, with a rebroadcast airing Friday, October 16, at the same times. Fans can also listen on SiriusXM’s The Message (Channel 65) during the October 9 simulcast.
