Stellar Awards

The first award ceremony was held at Arie Crown Theater in Chicago in 1985. Over the years, the Stellars have been held in various locations including Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nashville, and New York. Starting from the 30th Annual Stellar Awards in 2015, the show aired on American digital cable and satellite television network TV One. Starting with the 34th annual ceremony in 2019, the Stellar Awards moved its annual broadcast to BET. The number of awards given has changed over the years with categories being added and removed. The Stellars are produced by Don Jackson's Chicago-based Central City Productions. The production company is also a distributor of original programming to television and cable networks. In the spring of 2000, Central City Productions changed the voting process by creating the Stellar Awards Gospel Music Academy (SAGMA). SAGMA is currently the official voting body for the Stellar Awards. The Academy is open to artists, gospel industry professionals, radio announcers, record company executives, writers, and educators. == Entry process and selection of nominees ==

Record companies and artists enter recordings and music videos online released during the eligibility period that meet the category requirements. Entries are made online and product is submitted digitally. Once a work is entered, submission go through a screening process. A confidential review committee made up of music industry experts in various fields meet to insure that all entries meet the eligibility criteria, all entries are in the appropriate categories, and are appropriate for the Stellar Awards. Each category is limited based on the dictate and discretion of the review committee. Technical quality, lyrics, voice quality, charting duration, project content and charting performance are reviewed for inclusion on the ballot. All review committee selections are then finalized. == Final voting ==

The voting process for narrowing down the final nominees consist of two separate ballots. The first round ballot includes eligible entries as determined by the review committee and voted upon by eligible SAGMA members. Top entries for each category from the first ballot move forward to the final ballot. During the final voting process, SAGMA members determine the Stellar Awards nominees and winners. The nominees are announced during a press/radio tour. Once final nominees are determined, some categories are available for public voting through the Fan Favorite Voting period. Selected categories for fan voting changes from year to year. Categories • Artist of the Year • Song of the Year • Male Artist of the Year • Albertina Walker Female Artist of the Year • Duo/Chorus Group of the Year • New Artist of the Year • Album of the Year • Choir of the Year • Producer of the Year • Contemporary Duo/Chorus Group of the Year • Traditional Duo/Chorus Group of the Year • Contemporary Male Artist of the Year • Traditional Male Artist of the Year • Traditional Female Artist of the Year • Contemporary Female Artist of the Year • Contemporary Album of the Year • Traditional Album of the Year • Urban/Inspirational Single or Performance of the Year • Music Video of the Year • Traditional Choir of the Year • Contemporary Choir of the Year • Traditional Artist of the Year • Special Event Album of the Year • Rap/Hip Hop Gospel Album of the Year • Rap/Hip Hop Gospel Song of the Year • Youth Project of the Year • Quartet of the Year • Recorded Music Packaging of Year • Praise and Worship Album of the Year • Praise and Worship Song of the Year • James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award Radio & Internet Station Awards • Gospel Radio Top Market of the Year • Gospel Radio Medium Market of the Year • Gospel Radio Small Market of the Year • Gospel Radio Internet Station of the Year • Gospel Announcer of the Year • Syndicated Gospel Radio Show of the Year == Ceremonies ==