The "Greatest Night in Gospel Music" is coming to your television when the 35th Anniversary Stellar Gospel Music Awards premieres on BET Networks as a two-hour virtual special on Sunday, August 23rd. The virtual production will acknowledge all award winners from the Stellar Awards pre-show and main show, with select categories being presented in the broadcast. Kirk Franklin, Jonathan McReynolds and Koryn Hawthorne will serve as hosts, the show will honor the contributions of first responder heroes on the front lines of the battle against the Coronavirus pandemic.
Confirmed performers include Anthony Brown, CeCe Winans, James Fortune, Koryn Hawthorne, J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise, Jonathan McReynolds, Travis Greene, Kierra Sheard, Marvin Sapp, Tye Tribbett, Zacardi Cortez, Pastor Mike Jr, and more. Emerging artists set to make their Stellar Awards debut include Group Fire, Keyla Richardson, Melvin Crispell III, and Titus Showers.
The show’s star-studded digital red carpet will be hosted by Gospel Jekalyn Carr on Stellar Awards Facebook and Instagram pages at 4 p.m. CT on Saturday, August 23.
The “Road to the Stellars” kicks off with digital announcement throughout the week of the non-televised pre-show winners. Pre-Show nominees and winners will be announced daily at 6 p.m. CT from Monday, August 17 through Saturday, August 22 on the Stellar Awards website as well as Facebook and Instagram pages.
The Stellar Awards recognizes the year's best performances in the genre, honors Gospel music icons and acknowledges the accomplishments of individuals instrumental in advocating for the industry. Previously announced nominees for the 2020 Stellar Awards include Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers, who leads the field of nominees with nine nominations. Other top nominees include Kirk Franklin and Tasha Cobbs Leonard with eight nominations each; JJ Hairston (7 Nominations), Bishop Paul S. Morton (6 Nominations), John P. Kee (5 Nominations), Kurt Carr & The Kurt Carr Singers, Bishop William Murphy, and Pastor Mike, Jr. (4 Nominations each), Maranda Curtis and Fresh Start Worship (3 Nominations) round out the field of top nominated artists.
For the complete list of the 35th Anniversary Stellar Gospel Music Awards nominees, please visit www.thestellarawards.com.
Rounding out a night of inspiration, the Stellar Awards will be followed by the season 10 finale of BET’s “Sunday Best” at 8 p.m. ET. In addition, an encore presentation of the Stellar Awards is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET. The award show will also run in national broadcast syndication in 210 markets starting August 25 – September 30 (check local listings).