Riding a wave of momentum from a smash first year, the WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS are back for an exciting second season, and music fans are invited to help pick the winners of 23 distinct categories now through Dec. 13 at www.theweloveawards.com.  

The awards, produced by the largest Christian music site online, NewReleaseTuesday.com, in conjunction with Grand Canyon University, announced the nominees for this year's honors, representing an eclectic mix of the best artists and records of Christian music in the calendar year 2013, as chosen by NewReleaseTuesday.com's editorial staff.  Leading this year's class of nominees is pop/rock outfit Hawk Nelson, whose recent reconfiguration under new lead singer Jonathan Steingard and hit album, Made, earned them nominations for Group of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year ("Words"),The Hook Award for Best Pop Artist/Group, The Relaunch Award for Best Comeback or Lineup Change, and Best Collaboration (for "Words" feat. Bart Millard).  Rock mainstays Skillet, pop/rock newcomers Everfound and another reconfigured staple of Christian music, Audio Adrenaline, clocked in with five nominations each. Among record labels, Fair Trade Services leads the pack with 15 nominations, followed by Capitol Christian Music Group (14) and Word Label Group (12).   

This year's WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS introduces several exciting, new categories, including The Front Porch (Best Country or Southern Gospel Artist/Group), The Chorus (Best Church-Based Worship Group), Best Lead Singer, The Next Big Thing (for undiscovered or underground talent) and EP of the Year, reflecting a growing trend of artists releasing EPs that aren't eligible for Album of the Year honors.   "Part of what makes the WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS so exciting and unique is our desire and ability to change our categories based on industry trends and listener tastes," said NewReleaseTuesday.com's Editor-in-Chief Marcus Hathcock. "We think the addition of The Front Porch, The Chorus and EP of the Year particularly bring special recognition to some important areas."  

Also returning this year is the Fan Impact Award, a completely fan-voted award that asks fans to name the artist or group that impacted them most in 2013. There are no nominations for this category, and it's completely fan-decided.After bringing the WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS to more than 250,000 people in its first year, the show is hitting the road again as a part of The Roadshow 2014 tour in January and February. Concertgoers will have the chance to experience the live announcement of an award each night of the tour, complete with exclusive acceptance speeches from winners.  

To reflect the partnership with The Roadshow, attendees also will have the exclusive opportunity to choose the winner of a category new to the awards in 2014: The Roadshow Award for the best performance/set on the tour.   "We can't wait to get out on The Roadshow again to share the WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS experience with tens of thousands of Christian music fans," said NewReleaseTuesday.com Founder Kevin McNeese. "So many people never have the chance to go to an awards show, and we truly enjoy bringing it to the people in the electric atmosphere of this tour."