41st Stellar Gospel Music Awards Honors Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Pastor Mike Jr. in Charlotte
The 41st Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards took place August 15, 2026, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, hosted by Kirk Franklin. Tasha Cobbs Leonard received the Aretha Franklin Icon Award, and Pastor Mike Jr. was honored with the Thomas A. Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award. Performers included Kierra Sheard, Tye Tribbett, PJ Morton, and John P. Kee.
The 41st Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards took place August 15, 2026, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, under the theme "Feels Like Home."
Kirk Franklin hosted the ceremony, which featured a wide lineup of gospel artists. Performers included Aaron Cole, Childlike CiCi, Darrel Walls, Kierra Sheard, Jekalyn Carr, Jevon Dewand and The Trap Starz featuring Isaac Carree and Jazze Pha, JustCordell, John P. Kee, Le'Andria Johnson, Lisa Knowles-Smith and The Brown Singers, Melvin Crispell III, PJ Morton, Tye Tribbett featuring ABLAZE, and Vincent Bohanan and SOV.
Tasha Cobbs Leonard received the Aretha Franklin Icon Award during the ceremony. Pastor Mike Jr. was honored with the Thomas A. Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award.
The awards were part of a broader Stellar Plus Experience held from August 12 through 15, 2026. The multi-day celebration included master classes, a songwriters symposium, a fitness zone, a comedy experience, and a vendor marketplace. A pre-show and the Gospel Radio Awards were held separately on August 14 at the Carolina Theatre in Charlotte.
Earlier in the summer, the gospel community celebrated the 2026 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards in Nashville, where Kierra Sheard received the BMI Impact Award. Sheard, along with her brother J Drew Sheard II and songwriter Kerry Douglas, were also named BMI Gospel Songwriters of the Year.
At the 2026 BET Awards, Lecrae, Killer Mike, and T.I. secured the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award for their track "Headphones."
