“We congratulate each of the deserving recipients and are grateful for the role they each play in furthering GMA’s mission of exposing, promoting and celebrating the gospel through music,” said John W. Styll, president of the GMA. The recipients of the seven award categories are:

Impact Award
The Impact Award is presented to the non-artist individual or organization that has made the most significant contribution to the gospel music industry. The recipients of the honor this year are Compassion International and World Vision.

Compassion International is one of the nation’s largest child development organizations, working with more than 65 denominations and many indigenous church partners in Africa, Asia, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Compassion partnered with Christian musicians in 1979, causing thousands of concertgoers and music lovers to provide physical, emotional and spiritual support for children in 23 developing countries. Today, Compassion is partnered with 129 artists and speakers throughout the country, reaching more than one million people in the last six months.

World Vision was started in the 1950s by Dr. Bob Pierce to help children orphaned in the Korean War. The organization has grown well beyond its child-assistance roots to facilitating the transformation of entire communities with water programs, health care education, agricultural and economic development, and strategic Christian leadership activities. Their mission for the past 50+ years is "To call people to a life-changing commitment to serve the poor in the name of Christ."

World Vision started by assisting children in struggling communities with food, education and health care supported by monthly contributions from donors. These efforts to affect self-sustainable change evolved into World Vision's current community development work. Long-term development has proven central to bringing lasting hope. After meeting immediate survival needs, World Vision works with communities to help them find solutions and move toward self-reliance. Local leaders actively participate in determining the future of their communities. While communities work toward self-sufficiency, World Vision often provides fresh water wells and sanitation facilities, supplemental food, farming tools and seeds, loans for small businesses, and medicine. As people begin providing for themselves, dignity is restored and a new cycle of hope is born.

Past honorees of the Impact Award include Pro Tools Software, Salem Communications’ FISH radio stations, SoundScan, Sandi Patty, Amy Grant, Dan Harrell and Michael Blanton, Jars of Clay, CCLI, NARM, CCM Communications, the Gaither “Homecoming Series” and the “WoW” series.

Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes major contributions to the gospel music industry through a company’s commitment to the Christian community for 20 or more years. This year, the award goes to the Stellar Awards.

The Stellar Awards annual television special, in its 18th year, is the premier gospel event that recognizes and honors African- American artists worldwide. Founded by Don Jackson, CEO for 32 years of Central City Productions, Inc., a national television company in Chicago, Ill. Don is a Chicago native who graduated from Northwestern University in 1965. Central City Productions has launched many new and unique television programs to Black Americans nationwide. Many of these programs have more than 15 years of consecutive airing including: The "Bud Billiken Back-to-School Parade" is now in its 22nd consecutive year on television. This 70-year-old event is the first and only Black parade on television. "MBR: The Minority Business Report" the first nationally syndicated business show geared to the minority business community is entering its 17th consecutive year.

Past honorees include Creation Festivals/iTickets/WJTL-FM, Lorenz Publishing, SESAC, The Gaither Music Organization, Gospel Music Workshop of America, Christian Artists “Seminar in the Rockies,” The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Church Music Publishers Association, the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) and several music labels, including Sparrow, Benson, Maranatha! and Word.

Grady Nutt Humor Award
Grady Nutt, who starred on TV’s “Hee Haw” for many years, was a beloved friend of Christian music. After he was killed in a tragic plane crash in 1982, the Grady Nutt Humor Award was created in his honor. This year’s recipient is LarkNews.com.

Joel Kilpatrick launched LarkNews.com on Jan 1, 2003, and the site soon became the world's leading source of Christian satire. LarkNews was featured in the Washington Post, CBS Radio, the Dallas Morning News and dozens of newspapers in the U.S. and abroad. One radio report said LarkNews provides "pithy Christian satire on par with the irreverence of Saturday Night Live."

Founder Joel Kilpatrick is an award-winning journalist and author who has reported from disaster zones and civil wars in 17 countries, and won the Evangelical Press Association’s first place award for freelance reporting in 2004. He has written hundreds of articles for magazines like Christianity Today, Charisma and Ministries Today, and has authored and ghostwritten more than 30 books. He earned an MS degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York in 1995.

Past honorees include last year’s winner, Brad Stine, three-time winner Mark Lowry and two-time winner Chonda Pierce, as well as Wendy Bagwell, Hicks & Cohagan, Jeff Allen and VeggieTales creators Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki.

Outstanding Mainstream Contribution to Gospel Music Award
The Outstanding Mainstream Contribution to Gospel Music award is given to the person or entity outside of the Christian music industry that has helped bring gospel music to a wider audience. This year’s honoree is Mel Gibson and “The Passion of The Christ.”

The screenplay for "The Passion of The Christ" was adapted by director/producer Mel Gibson and depicts the last twelve hours of Christ’s life on Earth. It was adapted from a composite account of The Passion assembled from the four Biblical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John. The film was released on Ash Wednesday, Feb 25, 2004 and has grossed more than $611 million worldwide.

The film inspired two 2005 Dove nominees: the original soundrack and The Passion of The Christ: Songs as well as the Universal South project, The Passion of the Christ: Songs Inspired By. The film score, composed by John Debney a three-time Emmy Award winner, brings an atmospheric texture that complemented the cinematography of the film. The success of the movie increased interest around the country in Christian entertainment, and its impact is still being felt worldwide in the Christian music industry.

Past honorees include Radio & Records, Wal-Mart, Time Life “Songs for Worship” series, Time Life “Songs for Life” series, Billboard magazine, Whitney Houston, Newsweek and Sylvia Rhone of Elektra Entertainment Group.

International Award
The International Award honors a performer or organization from outside of the U.S. that has made an impact not just in his or her own country, but on the world at large. Tim Hughes receives the award this year.

Tim Hughes is a worship leader with the organization Soul Survivor. He is involved in leading worship at events around the world, including Australia, Canada, South Africa, Malaysia and Holland. His heart is to train and equip other worship leaders. His songs include “Here I am to Worship,” “Beautiful One,” “Whole World in His Hands,” and “Jesus You Alone.” He has also written a book called, Here I am to Worship. Tim is married and lives in Watford, United Kingdom.

Past honorees include Robin Mark, Brian Doerksen, Matt Redman, Delirious?, Darlene Zschech, World Wide Message Tribe, Graham Kendrick, Adrian Snell, Cliff Richard, Sheila Walsh and MiC.

Scott Campbell Radio Award
The Scott Campbell Award honors outstanding efforts and contributions in broadcasting. This year’s honoree is Jon Hull.

Jon Hull has been in Christian radio since 1974. He is currently the Vice President of Operations at KSBJ/Houston, where he served as Program Director since 1996. He is regarded in the industry as one of the pioneers of the contemporary Christian music format, having worked at WCIE/Lakeland, K-LOVE, The Word in Music Satellite Network, and KBIQ/Colorado Springs.

His programming expertise has helped KSBJ become a three-time GMA award recipient for Radio Station of the Year (Major Market.) Jon was also the 2003/2004 R&R Christian Radio Programmer of the Year. Jon is a frequent seminar speaker and has served on the board of directors for the Gospel Music Association and Christian Music Broadcasters (CMB).

Past honorees include Jon Rivers, Rob Gregory, Brad Burkhart, Joe Battaglia, Keith Whipple, Wayne Pederson and last year’s honoree, John Frost.

Rob Gregory Award
The Rob Gregory Award is given for major contributions made to the community through the medium of radio. This year’s honoree is Jim Hoge/WPOZ, Orlando, Fla.

Jim started Z88.3 in Orlando/Daytona Beach in 1995 and is the President/General Manager. When a terrible hurricane hit their region seven years ago (killing 43 people), Z88 was the only station on the air giving emergency information. This led to their station being selected as an EAS station (Emergency Alert System) for the eight-county Central Florida region. Z88 alerts the public of severe weather and technological or terrorism events. The station is being honored for their work during the three hurricanes that hit Central Florida during late 2004.

Jim took an early interest in electricity and electronics, building a complete radio station, for a ninth grade science fair. The radio station was installed in a downtown office building. Jim worked in the station after school and played the early contemporary Christian music of Larry Norman, Love Song, The Children of the Day and Mustard Seed Faith.

During college, Jim ran the campus station programming several hours of Christian music each weekend. After graduating from Bluefield State College and getting a BA degree from Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va., he worked primarily in secular radio. In 1981, he hooked up with two friends and developed an audio processor for major market radio called the Audio Prism. It turned out to be the ultimate weapon at the time to make a radio station sonically standout above its competitors. The processor was mandated for most of the major groups of the time in virtually every major radio station in the country starting with the famed Z100 in New York. Jim has been married for 16 years and has two children.

Past honorees include David Stephens, Tim McDermott and KSBJ, Randy Rich and KLYT Radio, Jim Campbell, Brian Lowring and Bob Augsburg.