Editing GMA Dove Award (section)

==History==
{{Gospel music articles}}
[[File: Stellar kart dove award.jpg|thumb| [[Stellar Kart]] at a press conference after the GMA Dove Awards in [[Nashville, Tennessee]], USA, in 2007]]
The Dove Awards were originally conceptualized by [[Gospel music|Gospel]] singer and songwriter [[Bill Gaither]] at a [[Gospel Music Association]] board meeting in 1968. The idea of the award being represented by a dove is credited to Gaither and the design for the award itself is credited to gospel singer [[Les Beasley]] and designer Bob McConnell.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://doveawards.com/dovestatuette/|title=Dove Statuette &#124; The 52nd Annual GMA Dove Awards|accessdate=August 26, 2021}}</ref> The first GMA Dove Awards were held at the [[Peabody Hotel]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee]] in October 1969. In 1971, the awards moved to Nashville.

The [[3rd GMA Dove Awards]] of 1971 were deemed invalid due to apparent [[ballot stuffing]] by the [[southern gospel]] group [[the Blackwood Brothers]] and that year is still not considered an official awards year by the Gospel Music Association. There were no awards held in 1979 due to a decision by the Gospel Music Association to move the awards from autumn to spring. Every ceremony since then has been held in the spring. The first televised ceremony was the [[15th GMA Dove Awards]] of 1984 which aired on the [[Christian Broadcasting Network]].<ref name="encyc">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3jqjSKHKcwC |title=Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music: Pop, Rock, and Worship |last=Cusic |first=Don |publisher=ABC-CLIO, LLC |year=2010 |location=[[Santa Barbara, California]] |pages=111–113 |isbn=9780313344268 |access-date=April 6, 2012}}</ref>

The awards were held in Nashville until 2011 before being presented at the [[Fox Theatre (Atlanta, Georgia)|Fox Theatre]] in [[Atlanta]], Georgia in 2012.<ref name="cp43rd" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20110216/us-music-dove-awards/ |title=Chris Tomlin, TobyMac lead Dove Award nominations |last=Landrum|first=Jonathan Jr. |date=February 16, 2011 |work=[[The Huffington Post]] |access-date=April 6, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125155704/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20110216/us-music-dove-awards/|archive-date=January 25, 2013}}</ref> They returned to Nashville in 2013, and have been held at the [[Allen Arena]] on the campus of [[Lipscomb University]] since.<ref name="2013 GMA Press Release">{{Cite web |url=http://www.doveawards.com/return-of-dove-awards-nashville/ |title=GOSPEL MUSIC ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES RETURN OF THE LEGENDARY GMA DOVE AWARDS TO NASHVILLE |date=March 19, 2013 |website=GMA Dove Awards |publisher=[[Gospel Music Association]]|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707063747/http://www.doveawards.com/return-of-dove-awards-nashville/ |archive-date=July 7, 2015 |access-date=July 6, 2015 }}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=April 2020}}<ref name="Dove FAQs">{{Cite web |url=http://www.doveawards.com/faqs/ |title=FAQs |website=GMA Dove Awards |publisher=[[Gospel Music Association]]|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707055236/http://www.doveawards.com/faqs/ |archive-date=July 7, 2015 |access-date=July 6, 2015 }}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=April 2020}}