Fort Valley State University is the only Georgia Historically Black College or University (HBCU) on the ballot for the 41st Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards this year
Under the direction of Alicia Carner-McDonald, FVSU Choir is competing in the gospel music awards show’s newly created HBCU Choir of the Year category and faces 12 other groups.
Founded in 1985, the Stellar Awards are the longest-running African-American gospel music awards show on television, widely regarded as the ultimate celebration of gospel music. This year, the ceremony honors excellence and impact of HBCU gospel choirs.
Carner-McDonald said the recognition, whether they win or not, says a lot about the Wildcats and the school’s legacy.
“(The students) were so overjoyed and excited to even make the ballot because this is inaugural,” she told The Telegraph.
Carner-McDonald learned earlier this spring that the university choir advanced to the first-round ballot.
“It’s a privilege and opportunity just to be among (this category) and be able to submit …. I was already on a high for that, but then receiving the information that we actually made the ballot, I was so excited,” she said.
With about 35 years of experience directing choirs, Carner-McDonald said she has long known about the Stellar Awards through her ministry, but this is the first time she has been this close to potentially receiving the honor.
‘If we win, we all win’
For Carner-McDonald, the recognition is layered in camaraderie.
“I feel like we’re carrying all of the Georgia HBCUs. They’re a part of us because we are representing everybody in this area,” she said, noting she has already heard from choir directors at Albany State and Savannah State who are backing Fort Valley’s run. “Our wins are their wins, and their wins are our wins.”
Carner-McDonald, who joined Fort Valley State in 2019, said she tells her students their success is rooted in faith and in the people who came before them.
“First and foremost, we give honor to God, because without Him we would not be able to do any of this,” she said. “We also pay homage to those who have gone on before us that did the same thing at the university. We’re standing on their shoulders.”
The choir now numbers about 40 active members, performing a range of genres from gospel to pop arrangements, Carner-McDonald said.
Carner-McDonald encourages everyone to continue supporting and voting for FVSU, as they aim to bring it home to “the Valley” and for the state.
“Want everyone to know that if we win, we all win in this area,” she added.
Macon native and House of Hope Macon Pastor E. Dewey Smith is a ballot contender in three categories: Traditional Male Artist of the Year, Traditional Album of the Year and Traditional Artist of the Year.
Tubman African American Museum Executive Director and Macon’s Praise 99.5 FM WYPZ radio host Harold Young is also a contender for Small Market of the Year in the gospel radio station category.
When will the show air, winners be announced?
The 2026 Stellar Awards will take place in Charlotte, N.C., according to the Gospel Music Association. The ceremony will be taped live from the Spectrum Center on Saturday, Aug. 15.
Public voting is now open for several categories, including the HBCU Choir of the Year and the Gospel Music Radio Station awards. Polls for public voting will close on June 1. Visit www.thestellarawards.com to cast your vote.
Stellar Awards nominees, determined by voting results of the second Stellar Awards Gospel Music Academy ballot and the final round of public voting, will be announced on June 3, according to the agency.
