Today the Gospel Music Association (GMA) announced the nominees in 41 categories for the 46th Annual GMA Dove Awards.

The theme of this year's award show is "Better Together" focuses on the strength in unity. The conference took place at Liscomb University and was also streamed live on CMM MAGAZINE and YES Lord Radio.

The awards show will take place on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at Allen Arena on the campus of Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN at 6:30pm CT. Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) will exclusively air the awards show on Sunday, October 18 on the network's global stage reaching over 100 million homes in the US, plus global and multi-platform distribution. Voting for the final winners will run August 20 through August 27. The "Song of the Year" and "Songwriter of the Year" categories will be made in a special announcement in the coming weeks.

Lecrae leads all nominations with 7, followed by for KING & COUNTRY with 5. Crowder, Matt Maher and Chris Tomlin tally 4 nods each.

The full list of nominees can be found here: FULL LIST OF 46th ANNUAL GMA DOVE AWARD NOMINEES

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, GMA executive director Jackie Patillo and artists Audio Adrenaline, Jason Crabb, Colton Dixon, Joseph Habedank, Casey J and RED were among the artist and dignitaries participating in the nominee announcements.
"This is always an exciting day for us at the GMA," Patillo states. "We are honored to recognize the many talents of our industry and the contributions they have made. This year Gospel and Christian Music's biggest night is going to be off the charts with unforgettable performances and special pairings.

Additionally, Patillo expanded on this year's "Better Together" initiative. "Since 1969, the GMA Dove Awards has honored the outstanding achievement and excellence of our music community. We hope to bring much more light to our mission with this year's "Better Together" theme as we focus on unity, diversity and creativity and come together during this exciting time in our industry," states Patillo.

TBN Vice President Matthew Crouch said the network is excited to serve as the exclusive broadcast partner for the GMA Dove Awards. "The Dove Awards represent the gold standard for Gospel and Christian singers, songwriters, and music professionals," he said. "And TBN is privileged once again to share this special evening of honors, excitement, and life-changing music with our viewers around the world."

The nominees in 12 categories were revealed today during the press conference and included here are five of the top categories announced today.

Artist of the Year
for KING & COUNTRY
Francesca Battistelli
Kari Jobe
Lecrae
Mercy Me

New Artist of the Year
About A Mile
Danny Gokey
I Am They
Lauren Daigle
NF

Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year
Chris Tomlin
for KING & COUNTRY
Hillsong UNITED
Lecrae
MercyMe

Southern Gospel Artist of the Year
Booth Brothers
Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Gaither Vocal Band
Collingsworth Family
The Isaacs

Gospel Artist of the Year
Erica Campbell
Fred Hammond
Israel & New Breed
Jonathan McReynolds
Tamela Mann
Tasha Cobbs

The GMA Dove Awards will feature artists from every style of Christian/Gospel music coming together to celebrate their collective impact. Dove Award nominees are determined by over 1,500 professional members. Winners will be voted on by the entire GMA membership of nearly 2,500. The awards are produced by the GMA.

CCM Magazine will live stream the red carpet, pre-telecast and other non-broadcast show activities, including never before seen backstage access.

Tickets to the 46th Annual GMA Dove Awards are now on sale at the Allen Arena box office in Nashville or at www.doveawards.com. Ticket prices range from $35.00 to $200.00.