2026 Dove Awards Winners: Phil Wickham, Brandon Lake and Josiah Queen Lead

The 57th Annual GMA Dove Awards celebrated excellence in Christian and Gospel music on October 6, 2026, bringing together artists, songwriters, producers and creative professionals whose work continues to shape the Christian music industry. 

The ceremony, hosted by Tauren Wells at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, recognised achievements across contemporary Christian music, Gospel, worship, country, hip-hop, Spanish-language music and faith-based entertainment.

Among the biggest winners of the night were Phil Wickham, Brandon Lake and Josiah Queen, who each secured three awards. Their achievements reflected the strength of contemporary Christian music and the growing influence of artists connecting with audiences through worship, songwriting and personal expressions of faith.

Phil Wickham received Artist of the Year and Worship Album of the Year for Song of the Saints. His recognition highlighted his continued contribution to contemporary worship music and his influence among churches and Christian music listeners. 

Brandon Lake also enjoyed a successful evening, winning Songwriter of the Year (Artist) and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for King of Hearts. His collaboration with country music star Lainey Wilson, “The Jesus I Know Now,” also won Country/Roots Recorded Song of the Year.

Josiah Queen emerged as another major winner, taking home Song of the Year for “Dusty Bibles,” which also won Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year. His album Mt. Zion received recognition in the Recorded Music Packaging category, further strengthening his position among the emerging voices in Christian music. Jamie MacDonald was named New Artist of the Year, marking a significant milestone in her career.

The Gospel music categories also produced notable results. Tasha Cobbs Leonard won Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year for TASHA, while her collaboration with John Legend, “Church,” received Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year. 

CeCe Winans won Gospel Worship Recorded Song of the Year for “More Than This,” featuring Todd Dulaney, marking her second consecutive win in the category. Jonathan McReynolds and Jamal Roberts received Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year for “Still (Live),” while Red Worship won Gospel Worship Album of the Year for Live at Redemption Church.

Other notable winners included Hulvey, whose COULD BE TONIGHT won Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year, and Strings & Heart, whose Plastic Wine received Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year. Jeremy Camp and Skillet won Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year for “No Survivors,” while Karen Peck & New River took Southern Gospel Album of the Year for Good Answers. Jeff & Sheri Easter won Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year for “No Rock,” and Chosen Road received Bluegrass/Country/Roots Album of the Year for American Morning: Side A – EP. Dolly Parton and The Grascals were recognised in the Bluegrass Recorded Song category for “Broken Angels.”

The awards also recognised inspirational and international music. Andrea Bocelli, Cody Carnes and Kari Jobe won Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year for “The Blessing.” Sarai Rivera received Spanish Language Recorded Song of the Year for “Tu Voz,” while Joel Rocco and Enoc Parra won Spanish Language Worship Recorded Song of the Year for “Solo Hay Uno.” Daddy Yankee’s Lamento en Baile won Spanish Language Album of the Year. Elevation Worship and Chandler Moore received Worship Recorded Song of the Year for “God I’m Just Grateful,” while Brandon Engman, Phil Wickham and Angel won Children’s Recorded Song of the Year for “Follow The Light.” We Are Messengers took Christmas Recorded Song of the Year for “We Three Kings.”

Other album winners included Revival: Live in Dallas by Lisa Knowles-Smith & The Brown Singers, which won Traditional Gospel Album of the Year, and We Shall Behold Him: A Tribute to Dottie Rambo, which received Musical/Choral Collection of the Year. DAVID (Soundtrack from the Angel Original Film) won Christmas/Special Event Album of the Year, while The Chosen received Television Series of the Year for its fifth season.

In the music video categories, Katy Nichole won Short Form Music Video of the Year (Performance) for “Have Your Way,” while “World On Fire” by for KING & COUNTRY and Taylor Hill won Short Form Music Video of the Year (Concept). Tommee Profitt received Long Form Music Video of the Year for The Resurrection Of A King. The animated film DAVID also won Feature Film of the Year, highlighting the Dove Awards’ recognition of Christian storytelling beyond music recordings.

The ceremony featured performances and tributes that celebrated the breadth of Christian and Gospel music. Brandon Lake and Lainey Wilson performed their winning collaboration, “The Jesus I Know Now.” Amy Grant and Natalie Grant paid tribute to Dolly Parton, while Jonathan McReynolds, Donald Lawrence, Kierra Sheard, Maurette Brown Clark and Ted Winn joined in honouring Gospel music legend Richard Smallwood.

Organised by the Gospel Music Association, the Dove Awards recognise achievements across music, songwriting, production and faith-based entertainment. The 2026 ceremony demonstrated the diversity of the Christian music landscape, bringing together established worship leaders, Gospel veterans, emerging performers and artists working across multiple genres.

The success of Phil Wickham, Brandon Lake and Josiah Queen underscored the strength of contemporary Christian music, while the recognition of Tasha Cobbs Leonard, CeCe Winans, Jonathan McReynolds and Red Worship highlighted the continuing contribution of Gospel music. From worship albums and recorded songs to films, music videos and Spanish-language releases, the awards celebrated the people and projects bringing Christian music to audiences around the world.