GMA Dove Award facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dove Award |
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Dove Awards logo
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| Presented by | Gospel Music Association |
| Country | United States |
| First awarded | 1969 |
A Dove Award is a special prize given out by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) in the United States. It celebrates amazing achievements in the Christian music industry. These awards happen every year. Most of the time, the ceremony is held in Nashville, Tennessee. Only for two years, in 2011 and 2012, were they held in Atlanta, Georgia. The award shows feature live music performances and are shown on the TBN television channel.
The awards started in 1969. They recognize many different types of music. This includes rock, pop, hip hop, country, and urban Christian music.
Contents
History of the Dove Awards
The idea for the Dove Awards came from Gospel singer and songwriter Bill Gaither. He suggested it at a Gospel Music Association meeting in 1968. The award itself is shaped like a dove. This idea came from Bill Gaither too. The design was created by gospel singer Les Beasley and designer Bob McConnell.
The very first GMA Dove Awards were held in October 1969. They took place at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1971, the awards moved to Nashville.
The third Dove Awards in 1971 had a problem with voting. Because of this, that year is not officially counted by the Gospel Music Association. There were no awards in 1979. This was because the Gospel Music Association decided to change the awards from autumn to spring. Every ceremony since then has been held in the spring. The first time the awards were shown on TV was in 1984. They aired on the Christian Broadcasting Network.
The awards stayed in Nashville until 2011. Then, they were held at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia in 2012. They came back to Nashville in 2013. Since then, they have been held at the Allen Arena on the campus of Lipscomb University.
Award Categories
There are many different award categories, about 42 in 2012! Because there are so many, and because they want to show many performances, only the most popular awards are given out during the televised show.
Main Awards
There are seven main awards that are not limited to one type of music:
- Song of the Year: This award goes to the person who wrote the song and the company that published it.
- Dove Award for Songwriter of the Year: This award is for the best songwriter.
- Male Vocalist of the Year: For the best male singer.
- Female Vocalist of the Year: For the best female singer.
- Group of the Year: For the best music group.
- Artist of the Year: For the best overall artist.
- New Artist of the Year: For the best new artist.
- Producer of the Year: For the person who produces the music.
Other awards are given for specific types of music. There are also awards for things like album artwork and music videos.
Music Genre Awards
- Inspirational Music
- Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year
- Inspirational Album of the Year
- Pop Music
- Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year
- Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year
- Southern Gospel Music
- Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year
- Southern Gospel Album of the Year
- Gospel (Soul/Black) Music
- 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 Music
- Worship Song of the Year
- Worship-Recorded Song of the Year
- Worship Album of the Year
- Country & Bluegrass Music
- Country Recorded Song of the Year
- Country Album of the Year
- Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year
- Bluegrass Album of the Year
- Rock Music
- 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 Music
- Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year
- Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year
- Urban Recorded Song of the Year
Other Awards
- 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
What is Gospel Music?
In 1998, the GMA created a new way to define gospel music. To be considered for a Dove Award, music needed to have lyrics that were:
- Based on Christian beliefs found in the Bible.
- An expression of worship to God.
- A story about a relationship with God through Christ.
- Clearly coming from a Christian point of view.
Before this new rule, only music sold in Christian Booksellers Association stores could be nominated. After the new rules, some songs were not allowed in the 1999 Dove Awards because they were thought to be too "secular" (not religious enough). This caused some complaints from fans and artists. So, the rules were changed back. Many groups that were not allowed to enter in 1999 won awards in 2000.
Today, the GMA's rule says that for a product to be eligible for a Dove Award, its content must 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." This means the music should reflect Christian beliefs.
See also
In Spanish: GMA Dove Awards para niños
- Christian pop culture
- Gospel Music Association of Canada Covenant Awards
- List of religion-related awards
