A Dove Award is an accolade by the

Gospel Music Association The Gospel Music Association (GMA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of gospel music. As of 2011, there are about 4,000 members worldwide. The GMA's membership co ...

(GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the

Christian music Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely aroun ...

industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, the Dove Awards took place in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

during 2011 and 2012, but has since moved back to Nashville. The ceremonies feature live musical performances and are broadcast on TBN. The awards were established in 1969, and represent a variety of musical styles, including rock, pop, hip hop,

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

, and

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

History

The Dove Awards were originally conceptualized by

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

singer and songwriter Bill Gaither, at a

board meeting in 1968. The idea of the award being represented by a dove is credited to Gaither and design for the award itself is credited to gospel singer Les Beasley and designer Bob McConnell. The first GMA Dove Awards were held at the

Peabody Hotel The Peabody Memphis is a historic luxury hotel in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, opened in 1925. The hotel is known for the "Peabody Ducks" that live on the hotel rooftop and make daily treks to the lobby. The Peabody is a member of Historic Hot ...

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

in October 1969. In 1971, the awards moved to Nashville. The 3rd GMA Dove Awards of 1971 were deemed invalid due to apparent

ballot stuffing Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of ...

by the southern gospel group the Blackwood Brothers, and that year is still not considered an official awards year by the Gospel Music Association. There were no awards held in 1979, due to a decision by the Gospel Music Association to move the awards from autumn to spring. Every ceremony since has been held in the spring. The first televised ceremony was the 15th GMA Dove Awards of 1984, which aired on the

Christian Broadcasting Network The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is an American Christian media production and distribution organization. Founded in 1960 by Pat Robertson, it produces the long-running TV series '' The 700 Club'', co-produces the ongoing ''Superbook'' ...

. The awards were held in Nashville until 2011 before being presented at the Fox Theatre in

in 2012. They returned to Nashville in 2013, and have been held at the

Allen Arena Allen Arena is an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. The arena was named in honor of James C. and Linda Allen, the facility's primary benefactors. James Allen is a member of the board of trustees for the university and wo ...

on the campus of

Lipscomb University Lipscomb University is a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The campus is located in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, between Belmont Boulevard to the west and Granny White Pike o ...

since.

Categories

Because of the large number of award categories (42 in 2012), and the desire to feature several performances by various artists, only the ones with the most popular interest are presented directly at the televised version of the award ceremony.

General

The "General Field" includes seven awards which are not restricted by genre: * Song of the Year is awarded to the songwriter and the publisher. * Dove Award for Songwriter of the Year * Male Vocalist of the Year * Female Vocalist of the Year * Group of the Year * Artist of the Year * New Artist of the Year * Producer of the Year Other awards are given for performances in specific genres, as well as for other contributions such as artwork and video. As of the 43rd Dove Awards, these include:

Inspirational

* Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year * Inspirational Album of the Year

Pop

* Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year * Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year

Southern Gospel

* Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year * Southern Gospel Album of the Year

Gospel (soul/black)

* Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year * Traditional Gospel Album of the Year * Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year * Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year

Musicals

* Musical of the Year * Youth/Children's Musical of the Year

Praise & Worship

Worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. It may involve one or more of activities such as veneration, adoration, praise, and praying. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recogniti ...

Song of the Year * Worship-Recorded Song of the Year * Worship Album of the Year

Country & Bluegrass

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

Recorded Song of the Year * Country Album of the Year * Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year * Bluegrass Album of the Year

Rock

* Rock Recorded Song of the Year * Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year * Rock Album of the Year * Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year

Rap/Hip Hop & Urban

* Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year * Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year *

Urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

Recorded Song of the Year

Miscellaneous

* Instrumental Album of the Year * Children's Music Album of the Year * Spanish Language Album of the Year * Special Event Album of the Year * Christmas Album of the Year * Choral Collection of the Year * Recorded Music Packaging * Short Form Music Video of the Year * Long Form Music Video of the Year * Inspirational Film of the Year

Re-definition of gospel music

In 1998 the GMA published a new definition of gospel music. According to the definition, to be considered eligible for the Dove Awards, music was required to have lyrics that were: * Substantially based upon historically orthodox Christian truth contained in or derived from the Holy Bible * An expression of worship of God or praise for His works; and /or * Testimony of relationship with God through Christ; and/or * Obviously prompted and informed by a Christian world view. Prior to the definition, the only qualified music was that sold in Christian Booksellers Association affiliated stores. The new standards resulted in complaints by some fans and artists after thirteen entries were disqualified as being too secular in the 1999 Dove Awards. The rules were rescinded afterwards, and many groups disqualified by the rulings in 1999 were winners in 2000. The GMA's current policy states: "From time to time, screening judges may encounter product submissions that raise questions about whether or not the product’s content is appropriate for the GMA Dove Awards. To assist the judges in their determination, the GMA Board has authorized the following content criteria for use in these instances: 'For purposes of GMA Dove Award eligibility, the content of all entries will be: based upon the historically orthodox Christian faith contained in or derived from the Holy Bible; or apparently prompted and informed by a Christian world-view.'"

References

External links

*
GMA website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gma Dove Award Culture of Nashville, Tennessee Awards established in 1969 American music awards 1969 establishments in Tennessee