Phil Wickham and CeCe Winans Lead the 2026 Dove Awards Field
Nine nominations for Wickham, seven for Winans, and a New Artist field that shows how quickly Christian music's center is shifting.
Phil Wickham earned nine nominations for the 57th Annual GMA Dove Awards, the most among male artists. CeCe Winans leads the female field with seven. Both are nominated for Artist of the Year alongside Brandon Lake, Josiah Queen and Lauren Daigle.
The production credits reveal an industry built as much in writing rooms as on stages: Jonathan Smith leads all nominees with 14, followed by Jacob Sooter with 12 and Steven Furtick with 11.
The New Artist of the Year list — bodie, Emerson Day, Jamie MacDonald, Megan Woods and SEU Worship — is the more interesting map of what comes next. Folk detail, pop economy and collective worship all sit in the same category without sounding interchangeable.
The ceremony is scheduled for October 6 at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, with broadcast on TBN and TBN+ on October 9.
