For many loyal K-Love listeners, Memorial Day weekend means it’s time for the annual K-Love Fan Awards Weekend and K-Love Fan Awards. Held at the Gaylord Opryland Convention Center and Resort (weekend events) and the Grand Ole Opry (awards show) from May 22–24, it was a weekend of encouragement while showcasing talented individuals who have submitted themselves to God for His glory. From the first concert to the awards ceremony, there was a strong presence of worship as well as a lot of sharing how God has been there through struggles and challenges.
The weekend included the Friday Night Kick-Off Concert, Saturday’s Worship in the Round, Emerging Artists Showcase and Songwriters Showcase, and Sunday’s worship service, sprinkled with fun activities, book signings and artist interviews throughout.
SIGN UP for our weekly Highlights emails.
Friday night kicked off with Leanna Crawford, Ben Fuller, Colton Dixon and CAIN, three siblings who are known for their bright, colorful outfits, unexpected antics and upbeat songs.
Saturday began with Worship in the Round, which is basically what its name implies – several musical artists sit in a line on the stage and take turns singing worship songs. However, Worship in the Round isn’t simply a concert. Starting with the first song, the audience was led into worship which continued throughout that time.
Early afternoon welcomed Bart Millard of MercyMe, Frannie Cash, Bay Turner, Carly Ann Taylor and Peter Burton to the Emerging Artists Showcase. Similar to earlier, all the artists stayed on stage and took turns sharing their songs.
Stories behind the songs
Taylor shared a personal story about how she had been abused while growing up. At seven years old, she was taken by Child Protective Services and stayed in the foster system for the next eight years until she was adopted.
“My life completely changed,” Taylor said. “I accepted Jesus when I was 15.”
The crowning event of the weekend was the Songwriter’s Showcase, hosted by one of the most decorated artists in Christian music, Steven Curtis Chapman. Instead of introducing the artists the typical way, he used the music from his 1999 hit, “Dive,” and changed the lyrics to introduce the other artists. However, he had to do a quick re-write as Matthew West couldn’t make it due to illness. According to Chapman, David Leonard was chosen as a replacement because he was “a guy wearing a really cool hat.”
The others performing in the Songwriter’s Showcase were Terrian, Andrew Ripp and Anne Willson. Each shared their songs, again taking turns, but during this time the focus was the story behind the song.
Though many of the songs’ origin stories were faith-building, Andrew Ripp’s tied an experience he had that he turned to Jesus’ perspective for his song, “I’d Do it Again.”
Ripp had a seven year wait to adopt his daughter. After that long wait was over and he could finally hold her in his arms, a friend asked, “All of that pain you went through during that long period of time, knowing who you were waiting for, would you do it again?”
“Yes!” Ripp quickly said. “[I] didn’t even have to think twice. My next thought was that if I could answer that question that quickly, how fast would Jesus say it?”
The morning of the taping of the Awards Show a worship service was held with Josh Baldwin, Pat Barrett and Zahriya Zachary leading worship and Levi Lusko speaking.
The Awards Show was hosted Lauren Daigle and Sadie Robertson Huff, both “Louisiana girls.” Their words, “We don’t ease into a party. We parade into it!” brought a rousing and unique Louisiana based beginning featuring the Stratford Marching Legion Band of East Nashville and the K-Love Kids followed by “How Good It Is” led by Chris Tomlin and Dwan Hill & the Choir Room.
‘Beauty from ashes’
The show continued the theme, “Beauty from ashes,” that was based on Isaiah 61:3.
The 2026 K-Love Fan Awards was broadcast on Friday, May 29th on TBN but can still be watched on TBN+ Premium. Use the code 2026KLOVE to get a month ad-free for $.99.
Learn more about the K-LOVE Fan Awards at klovefanawards.com. To see all that K-Love offers, go to www.klove.com.
2026 K-Love Fan Award Winners:
- Artist of the Year: Brandon Lake
- Male Artist of the Year: Brandon Lake
- Female Artist of the Year: CeCe Winans
- Group of the Year: MercyMe
- Song of the Year: “Left It In the River”– Jamie MacDonald
- Breakout Single: “Get Behind Me”– Emerson Day
- Worship Song of the Year: “Homesick for Heaven”– Phil Wickham
- Film Impact: “I Can Only Imagine 2”
- TV/Streaming Impact: “House of David: Season 2”
- Book Impact: “Hey Girl”– Anne Wilson
- Podcast Impact: “Whoa That’s Good”–Sadie Robertson Huff
- Sports Impact: Robert Anthony Cruz “Coach RAC”- Savannah Bananas
2026 K-Love Fan Award Show’s Performers:
- Chris Tomlin
- Katy Nichole
- Zach Williams, featuring Ben Fuller
- Chandler Moore
- Leanna Crawford
- Pat Barrett
- Andrew Ripp
- Lauren Daigle
- Ben Fuller
- Terrian
- Anne Wilson
- CAIN
- Hope Darst, featuring Josh Baldwin
- MercyMe, featuring Tim Timmons and Sam Wesley
- Elevation Worship
Share with others: