2023 Stellar Awards Nominees Announced

The nominations for the 2023 Stellar Awards are out and they have caused quite the buzz among gospel music fans and industry professionals alike. This is the thirty-eighth edition of the awards recognizing the hard work, dedication, and exceptional talent of some of the most outstanding artists in the gospel music industry.

According to the Gospel Music Association, this year’s list of nominees includes top artists such as Maverick City Music, Kirk Franklin, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, and many others who have made significant contributions to gospel music over the last year. Winning the “Artist of the Year” award is an incredible achievement for any gospel artist, as it represents the pinnacle of success in the industry.

The event, which is set to take place on July 15th, promises to be a spectacular celebration of music, with some of the best artists in the industry set to perform. Fans of gospel music simply cannot afford to miss this incredible event.

Complete List of Categories and Nominees

Below is a list showing the different categories and the nominees for each category at this year’s Stellar Awards.

Category #1: Artist of the Year

• Doe; Clarity; Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration
• Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin; Kingdom Book One; Tribl Records / Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
• Pastor Mike Jr.; Winning; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
• Tasha Cobbs Leonard; Hymns; TeeLee Records/Motown Gospel
• Tye Tribbett; All Things New; Motown Gospel

Category #2: Song of the Year

• Impossible; Pastor Mike Jr., James Fortune & JeVon Hill; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
• Kingdom (feat. Naomi Raine & Chandler Moore); Kirk Franklin, Chandler Moore, Jonathan Jay & Jacob Poole; Tribl Records / Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
• New; Tye Tribbett; Motown Gospel
• Positive; Erica Campbell, Warryn Campbell & Juan Winans; My Block Inc.
• When I Pray; Dominique Jones & Dewitt Jones; Label ~ Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration

Category #3: Male Artist of the Year

• Brian Courtney Wilson; Transitions; Motown Gospel
• JJ Hairston; Believe Again; Jamestown Music/ Tribl Records, LLC
• Pastor Mike Jr.; Winning; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
• Tye Tribbett; All Things New; Motown Gospel
• Zacardi Cortez; Imprint; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide

Category #4: Albertina Walker Female Artist of the Year

• CeCe Winans; Believe For it – Deluxe Edition; Pure Springs, Fair Trade, Red Alliance Media
• DOE; Clarity; Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration
• Maranda Curtis; Die To Live; Butterfly Works /Red Alliance Media
• Tamela Mann; Overcomer Deluxe; Tillymann Music Group
• Tasha Cobbs Leonard; Hymns; TeeLee Records/Motown Gospel

Category #5: Duo/Chorus Group of the Year

• Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin; Kingdom Book One; Tribl Records / Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
• The Group Fire; Heal the Land; Jet Records North/East
• Tim Bowman Jr. & Faith City Music; Welcome to Faith City; Faith City Music/Tribl Records, LLC
• Travis Greene & Forward City; Tent Revival; Tribl Records, LLC

Category #6: New Artist of the Year

• Courtney Franklin; Heal Us; Pebble Street Records
• Lena Byrd Miles; Brand New; My Block Inc.
• Pastor Nell; It’s My Time; Righteous Records Inc.
• The Hawkins Boys; Vanquish; Melvin Williams Entertainment

Category #7: Album of the Year

• All Things New; Tye Tribbett; Motown Gospel
• Imprint; Zacardi Cortez; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
• Kingdom Book One; Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin; Tribl Records / Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
• Overcomer Deluxe; Tamela Mann; Tillymann Music Group
• Winning; Pastor Mike Jr.; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide

Category #8: Choir of the Year

• Bishop S.Y. Younger feat. Sounds of the Ramp; Rampology Vol. 1; Ramp Records / MNRK
• Brent Jones; Nothing Else Matters (INSTEAD OF COMPLAINING, PRAISE HIM); JDI Entertainment
• Demetrius West & Jesus Promoters; Old Fellowship Hour; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
• Vincent Bohanan & SOV; A Choir Christmas; HezHouse Entertainment

Category #9: Producer of the Year

• James Fortune & David Outing; My Life; FIYA World / MNRK
• Rodney Andre Turner, Jr. & Michael McClure Jr.; Winning; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
• Tony Brown, Jonathan Jay, Kirk Franklin, Chandler Moore & Norman Gyamfi; Kingdom Book One; Tribl Records / Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
• Travis Greene, Matthew Edwards, Brunes Charles & Reggie Rhett; Tent Revival; Tribl Records, LLC
• Tye Tribbett; All Things New; Motown Gospel

Category #10: Contemporary Duo/Chorus Group of the Year

• Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin; Kingdom Book One; Tribl Records / Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
• Tennessee State University Marching Band, Kierra Sheard Kelly, Sir The Baptist & Dubba-AA; The Urban Hymnal; Tennessee State University
• The Group Fire; Heal the Land; Jet Records North/East
• Travis Greene & Forward City; Tent Revival; Tribl Records, LLC

Category #12: Contemporary Male Artist of the Year

• Brian Courtney Wilson; Transitions; Motown Gospel
• Pastor Mike Jr.; Winning; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
• James Fortune; My Life; FIYA World / MNRK
• Tye Tribbett; All Things New; Motown Gospel

Category #13: Traditional Male Artist of the Year

• Bishop S.Y. Younger; Rampology Vol. 1; Ramp Records / MNRK
• Brent Jones; Nothing Else Matters (INSTEAD OF COMPLAINING, PRAISE HIM); JDI Entertainment
• JJ Hairston; Believe Again; Jamestown Music/ Tribl Records, LLC
• Zacardi Cortez; Imprint; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide

Category #14: Contemporary Female Artist of the Year

• CeCe Winans; Believe For it – Deluxe Edition; Pure Springs, Fair Trade, Red Alliance Media
• DOE; Clarity; Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration
• Maranda Curtis; Die to Live; Butterfly Works /Red Alliance Media
• Tamela Mann; Overcomer Deluxe; Tillymann Music Group
• Tasha Cobbs Leonard; Hymns; TeeLee Records/Motown Gospel

Category #16: Contemporary Album of the Year

• All Things New; Tye Tribbett; Motown Gospel
• Kingdom Book One; Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin; Tribl Records / Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
• Overcomer Deluxe; Tamela Mann; Tillymann Music Group
• Winning; Pastor Mike Jr.; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide

Category #17: Traditional Album of the Year

• Believe Again; JJ Hairston; Jamestown Music/ Tribl Records, LLC
• Imprint; Zacardi Cortez; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
• Nothing Else Matters (INSTEAD OF COMPLAINING, PRAISE HIM); Brent Jones; JDI Entertainment
• Rampology Vol. 1 (Live); Bishop S.Y. Younger feat. Sounds of the Ramp; Ramp Records / MNRK

Category #18: Urban/Inspirational Single or Performance of the Year

• Bless Me; Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin; Tribl Records / Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
• Get Up; Tye Tribbett; Motown Gospel
• Impossible ft. James Fortune; Pastor Mike Jr.; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
• The Better Benediction ft. Zacardi Cortez, Gene Moore, Samoht, Tim Rogers, and Darrel ‘MusiqCity’ Walls; PJ Morton; Morton Records / Empire
• When I Pray; DOE; Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration

Category #19: Music Video of the Year

• Goodness of God; C’mon Creative; Pure Springs/FairTrade Services/Red Alliance Media
• Jesus (feat. Le’Andria Johnson); Joshua Freeman and Tim Bowman Jr.; Faith City Music/Tribl Records, LLC
• Mr. McClure; Michael McClure, Andre Rudolph & Antonio Minifield; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
• Positive; James Earl; My Block Inc.

Category #23: Special Event Album of the Year

• Christmas at Our House; Teddy & Tina Campbell; Gee Tree Creative/Red Alliance Media
• Kingdom Business: Season 1 Soundtrack; Kingdom Business Cast; RCA Inspiration / Sony Music Entertainment
• T.D. Jakes Presents “Finally Loosed”; Various Artists; Dexterity Sounds
• The Urban Hymnal; Tennessee State University Marching Band, Kierra Sheard Kelly, Sir The Baptist & Dubba-AA; Tennessee State University

Category #24: Rap Hip Hop Gospel Album of the Year

• As I Am; 1K Phew; Reach Records
• Church Clothes 4; Lecrae; Reach Records
• He’s Been Good; Miz Tiffany; Mixed Bag Entertainment
• Us Against the World; God Over Money; God Over Money Records

Category #25: Youth Project of the Year

• Alana Inez; Minor in a Major World; Law Ent.
• Alphonso (A.J.) Evans Jr.; Not 2 Young; Enon Music Group
• AMG Kidz; Sunday School; AMG Kidz / Anderson Music Group
• Detroit Youth Choir; Rockspell; Confidential Records
• Walt Whitman & The Soul Children of Chicago; Still Standing; M’Paact Records

Category #26: Quartet of the Year

• Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson; Restructure, Renew Reunion; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
• The Christian Brothers; He ReWrote My Story; Millennium Sound Records
• The Hawkins Boys; Vanquish; Melvin Williams Entertainment
• The Williams Singers; Quartagious (Deluxe Edition); Deznell Music Group / Anderson Music Group

Category #27: Recorded Music Packaging of the Year

• All Things New; Mike McKesey & Trent Nicholson; Motown Gospel
• Clarity; Tyler Simien; Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration
• Overcomer Deluxe; Keston McKinnon; Tillymann Music Group
• Worship & Justice; Tim Parker; RCA Inspiration

Category #28: Praise And Worship Album of the Year

• Die To Live; Maranda Curtis; Butterfly Works /Red Alliance Media
• Hymns; Tasha Cobbs Leonard; TeeLee Records/Motown Gospel
• Morning Songs; Dulaneyland Music; MNRK
• The Invitation; Isabel Davis; Global Ministry Records

Category #29: Praise And Worship Song of the Year

• I Still Have You; Smokie Norful; Tre’Myles Music / MNRK
• I Will Rejoice; Isabel Davis; Global Ministry Records
• The Moment; Tasha Cobbs Leonard; TeeLee Records/Motown Gospel
• You’ve Been Good To Me; Zacardi Cortez; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide

Category #30: Rap/Hip Hop Song of the Year

• Any Attack; Lecrae + 1K Phew; Reach Records
• Blak Sheep; Pastor Mike Jr.; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
• He’s Been Good; Miz Tiffany; Mixed Bag Entertainment
• Jireh (My Provider) ft. Lecrae + HappiMusic; Limoblaze; Limoblaze Music
• New; Tye Tribbett; Motown Gospel

Gospel Radio of the Year Nominees

Major Market f the Year

• WPZE Praise 102.5, Atlanta
• WPZS 100.9, Charlotte
• WGRB 1390AM, Chicago
• WMBM AM 1490, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale

Large Market of the Year

• WJYD JOY 107.1, Columbus
• WBBP AM 1480, Memphis
• WHAL-FM 95.7, Memphis
• WREJ 101.3 FM 990 AM, Richmond

Medium Market of the Year

• WNZN 89.1, Cleveland
• WCGL AM1360/FM94.7, Jacksonville
• WHLH FM 95.5, Jackson
• WXHL 89.1 FM Reach Gospel Radio, Wilmington

Small Market of the Year

• KOKA 980 AM 93.3 FM, Shreveport
• WEHA 88.7FM & 100.3FM, Atlantic City
• WHLW -FM 104.3, Montgomery
• WWLD-HD2 98.3FM, Tallahassee

Internet Station of the Year

• Black Gospel Radio, https://blackgospelradio.net/listen
• Power of Worship Radio, www.powerofworship.net
• WNZNSouth/waycrosspraise.org, https://s5.radio.co/s69376b9dc/listen
• WVTC Gospel Radio Network, http://www.wvtcradio.com

Gospel Announcer of the Year

• Charles Johnson, KOKA 980 AM, Pastor CeJay In The Afternoons
• Darlene McCoy Jackson, WPZE Praise 102.5 – The Nightly Spirit With Darlene
• Erica Campbell, Nationally Syndicated, Get Up! Mornings With Erica Campbell
• Melanie Pratt, WPZS Praise – Melanie In The Midday

Conclusion

We all can’t wait for the 2023 Stellar Gospel Music Awards. The countdown is on as the awards ceremony holds in two months. GodKulture will continue to provide more details as the event draws closer.