Top award victors include MercyMe, Switchfoot and Stacie Orrico

SEVERAL NEWER acts were the winners at the Gospel Music Association's 35th Annual Awards show held at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium on 28th April. MercyMe, Switchfoot, Stacie Orrico and Jeremy Camp were among the evening's top winners. MercyMe captured the Dove Award for Artist Of The Year, the group also winning Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song Of The Year for "Word Of God Speak" penned by MercyMe's lead vocalist Bart Millard and producer Peter Kipley. "Word Of God Speak" also won the Song Of The Year award. Said Millard, "The greatest thing about winning a Dove Award is that it's essentially coming from your peers and people in the industry. They are people that do this all the time and hear and see so much, (which) makes this an especially big honour."

The list of Dove Award winners are as follows: Song Of The Year: "Word Of God Speak" from the MercyMe album 'Spoken For'; Songwriter Of The Year: Mark Hall; Male Vocalist Of The Year: Jeremy Camp; Female Vocalist Of The Year: Stacie Orrico; Group Of The Year: MercyMe; Artist Of The Year: MercyMe; New Artist Of The Year: Jeremy Camp; Producer Of The Year: Brown Bannister; Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song: "Believe" from the Grits album The Art Of Translation'; Modern Rock Recorded Song: "Breaking Me Down" from the Downhere album 'So Much For Substitutes'; Rock Recorded Song: "Ammunition" from the Switchfoot album The Beautiful Letdown; Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song: "Meant To Live" from the Switchfoot album The Beautiful Letdown'; Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song: "Word Of God Speak" from the MercyMe album 'Spoken For'; Inspirational Recorded Song: "Everything To Me" from the Avalon album Testify To Love: The Very Best Of Avalon'; Southern Gospel Recorded Song: "The Cross" from The Crabb Family album The Walk' and "The Promise" from The Martins album 'Above It All'; Bluegrass Recorded Song: "So Many Years, So Many Blessings" from The Lewis Family album '50th Anniversary'; Country Recorded Song: "Three Wooden Crosses" from the Randy Travis album 'Rise And Shine'; Urban Recorded Song: "Dance, Dance, Dance" by Mary Mary from the various artists album 'Gotta Have Gospel'; Traditional Gospel Recorded Song: "Poor Man Lazarus" from the Fisk Jubilee Singers album 'In Bright Mansions'; Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song: "Hallelujah Praise" from the CeCe Winans album Throne Room'; Rap/Hip-Hop Album: 'It's Pronounced Five Two', KJ-52; Modern Rock Album: Two Lefts Don't Make A Right - But Three Do', Relient K; Rock Album: lose This Life', Tait; Rock/Contemporary Album: The Beautiful Letdown', Switchfoot; Pop/Contemporary Album: 'Stacie Orrico', Stacie Orrico; Inspirational Album: 'Above It All', The Martins; Southern Gospel Album: The Walk', The Crabb Family; Bluegrass Album: 'Wondrous Love', Blue Highway; Country Album: 'Worship And Faith', Randy Travis; Urban Album: 'Unclassified', Robert Randolph & The Family Band; Traditional Gospel Album: 'CeCe Winans Presents - The Born Again Church Choir', The Born Again Church Choir; Contemporary Gospel Album: limited Edition', Smokie Norful; Praise & Worship Album: 'Offerings II: All I Have To Give', Third Day; Instrumental Album: 'An Acoustic Christmas', Tom Hemby; Children's Music Album: 'Shout Praises Kids 3'; Spanish Language Album: 'Con Poder', Salvador; Special Event Album: 'IHero The Rock Opera', various; Musical: The Wonderful Cross; Youth/Children's Musical: Noelle, The First; Choral Collection: 'High Praises'; Worship Song: "Here I Am To Worship", Tim Hughes; Recorded Music Packaging: 'Hero The Rock Opera'; Short Form Music Video: "(There's Gotta Be) More To Life", Stacie Orrico; Long Form Music Video: "Third Day Live In Concert, The Come Together Tour"; Third Day.