Canadian Selah Music Awards 2026: Calgary celebrated worship, excellence and unity
The 2026 Canadian Selah Music Awards concluded after a weekend of celebration in Calgary, Alberta, bringing together finalists from Canada and beyond, as well as Christian artists, worship leaders, music industry professionals, pastors, media and international guests. The event was held at First Alliance Church and the Martha Cohen Theater, Werklund Center, with the theme of the glory of Jesus Christ through music.
For two days, participants experienced moments of worship, fellowship, teaching and celebration. According to the official note, this 2026 edition highlighted the faithfulness of God while honoring those who use their gifts to proclaim the Gospel and advance the Kingdom of God through music.
A first day dedicated to teaching and worship
The first day was held at First Alliance Church, where several speakers led a workshop designed to encourage and equip artists, worship leaders, songwriters, producers and ministry leaders. The memo states that they shared their biblical wisdom, ministry experience and professional expertise.
In the evening, Canadian and international Christian artists took the stage for a worship concert presented as one of the great highlights of the weekend. The event highlighted that God’s love transcends nations, cultures, languages and generations.
A second day marked by the red carpet and the awards ceremony
The celebration continued at the Martha Cohen Theatre, Werklund Centre, where the red carpet began at 4:00 p.m. before the official ceremony kicked off at 6:00 p.m. Organizers say the evening recognized excellence in Christian music across 58 categories, while presenting special recognition awards to individuals and organizations who have had a profound impact on Christian music and ministry.
Performances by Canadian and international artists punctuated the evening in an atmosphere of adoration, hope and inspiration. CSMA Founder and CEO Dr. Elio Alcindor said the weekend was never just about awards, but first and foremost an opportunity to give all the glory to God, celebrate His faithfulness and honor those who serve through music.
Although the CSMA team did not explicitly communicate the official evaluation window in its report, the analysis of the awarded works provides clear insight. Looking at the release dates of the main singles and albums on the list of 2026 winners, we see that the eligibility period extended from June 2024 until the end 2025.
Canadian Selah Music Awards 2026: complete list of winners
Canadian Categories
- 1. Canadian Album or EP of the Year — MIRACLE IN THE MAKING by Tehillah Worship
- 2. Canadian Alternate Song of the Year — STAND UPON YOUR MOUNTAIN by Stirling John; STAY by Alisha Eich
- 3. Canadian Breakthrough Female Artist of the Year —Ruthie Larbi; Kristal Chalmers
- 4. Canadian Breakthrough Male Artist of the Year —Donte Brown
- 5. Canadian Contemporary Music or Praise and Worship Song of the Year — LIGHT THAT SHINES by Daniel Richter
- 6. Canadian Collaboration Song of the Year — RED LETTERZ 25 by Fresh IE Feat. One8tea
- 7. Canadian Gospel Song of the Year — SOLID ROCK MEDLEY by Michael Manhertz
- 8. Canadian Female Artist of the Year —Morrissa Nicole
- 9. Canadian Male Artist of the Year —Joshua Ali
- 10. Canadian Gospel Artist of the Year —O’Neil Watson
- 11. Canadian Rising Artist of the Year —Jennifer Lynn
- 12. Canadian Artist of the Year Foreign Language —Jude Samuel Merat
- 13. Canadian Contemporary or Praise and Worship Album or EP of the Year — EVERY VOICE by FAC Music; SOUNDS FROM THE DEEP by PV Idemudia
- 14. Canadian Music Video of the Year — Don’t Say too Much / GODINA / Claudiu Roman – Claudiu Roman Productions
- 15. Canadian Producer of the Year —Chris R Music; Matt LeFait
- 16. Canadian Urban/Rap/HipHop Artist of the Year — DJC2
- 17. Canadian Duo, Band or Choir of the Year —Kevin Adams & Voices of Praise
General Categories
- 18. Agency, Promoter or Magazine of the Year — Vision PR Solutions – Canada
- 19. African Artist of the Year —Daniel Ojo
- 20. Breakthrough Artist of the Year Foreign Language — Barrington Morris
- 21. Duo, Band or Choir of the Year — SOVA Gospel Mass Choir
- 22. Female Artist of the Year Foreign Language —Barbara Cassamajor
- 23. Male Artist of the Year Foreign Language —Leo Soriano
- 24. Male Radio, TV, or Podcast Host of the Year Foreign Language — Alfredo Pacheco / En Sintonía con Dios / Radio Avivamiento Internacional – Mexico
- 25. Female Radio, TV, or Podcast Host of the Year Foreign Language — Anlly Piantini / Yo Soy Autentica / Dominican Republic; Yolanda Fabian / ¡Esto es un HIT! Con Yolanda Fabian / WFAB-DB New York – USA
- 26. Gospel Album or EP of the Year — Emerge by Neon Adejo
- 27. Gospel Song of the Year — TASTE OF VICTORY by Mo Dinka
- 28. Radio, TV or Podcast Host of the Year — Rosemary Siemens / Sunday Hymn Serenade – Radio Edition / Golden West Broadcasting, CFAM 950, AM1250, CJRB 1220 – Canada
- 29. Album or EP of the Year Foreign Language — AMEN by Jennifer Hurtado
- 30. Album or EP of the Year — CHANGE THE ATMOSPHERE (LIVE) by Noel Robinson
- 31. Alternate Song of the Year Foreign Language — YO NO ESTOY SOLO by Juan Manuel Solis
- 32. Alternate Song of the Year — SALT by Amethyst
- 33. Breakthrough Latin Artist of the Year —Santiago Ojeda
- 34. Breakthrough Male Artist of the Year —Sachi Basaki; Brant Pethick
- 35. Caribbean Artist of the Year —Kevin Downswell
- 36. Collaboration Song of the Year Foreign Language — NUH MORE DAN WI by Prince Saj Feat. Johnmark Wiggan; WONT OU YO by Denervil Wiliadel Feat. Rosena Josselin Orys
- 37. Collaboration Song of the Year — BLESS ME by Kevin Downswell & Panta Son; DEPTHS by Elenee & Kaégan
- 38. Duo, Band or Choir of the Year Foreign Language —Jesus Worship Center
- 39. Female Artist of the Year — Elenee
- 40. Male Artist of the Year — K-Anthony
- 41. Gospel Artist of the Year —Theo Milford
- 42. Latin Artist of the Year —Luis Palacios
- 43. Song of the Year Foreign Language — E NOMBER DI HESUS by Luigi Cortes
- 44. Song of the Year — YOU WON’T by Madison Watkins; I DON’T FIGHT ALONE by Tuzee
- 45. Spanish Song of the Year — VICTORIA by Glenda García
- 46. Tropical Artist of the Year —Cesar Dario
- 47. Tropical Song of the Year — NADA ME FALTARÁ by Matty Martínez
- 48. Urban, Rap, Hip Hop Artist of the Year Foreign Language —Tony Lisenko
- 49. Urban, Rap, Hip Hop Song of the Year Foreign Language — POR TU GRACIA by Ariel Ramírez
- 50. Reggae Song of the Year — THANK YOU FOR THE CROSS by Joshua Kesler
- 51. Producer of the Year —Sajun Nauriyal
- 52. Music Video of the Year — God Alone / Jovan Whyte / Dwayne Mighty – Gmkm Visualz
- 53. Music Video of the Year Foreign Language — Tu Intención / David Ordoñez / Jhon Gutiérrez – Siervo Films
- 54. Christian Event of the Year — Gentil Misigaro / Joyous Celebration Concert – Uganda
- 55. Urban/Rap/HipHop Artist of the Year —JahOcean
- 56. Breakthrough Female Artist of the Year — Temeka Williams; Thonia
- 57. Children’s Content Creator of the Year —Amy; Lila Alegria
- 58. Most Influential Artist of the Year —Cece Winans
Special Recognition
- 59. Kevin Pauls — Lifetime Achievement Award – Canadian Artist
- 60. Martine Kelsey — Outstanding Achievement Award – Canadian Artist
- 61. Danny Berrios — Lifetime Achievement Award – International Artist
- 62. LIN D — Outstanding Emerging Group Achievement Award
- 63. Maricruz Pacheco by Szymanski — Outstanding Music Ambassador Award
- 64. Danny Dario Ramirez Fortunato —Lifetime Music Ambassador Award
CSMA 2027
Organizers are already indicating that nominations for the 2027 Canadian Selah Music Awards will officially open next September. Christian artists, worship teams, choirs, songwriters, producers, musicians and ministries from Canada and around the world will be invited to submit their God-given work.
This 2026 edition thus confirmed the vocation of the CSMA to recognize excellence, to encourage musical ministries and to bring together the Christian community around the same mission. The official note also expresses deep gratitude to the finalists, artists, speakers, volunteers, sponsors, partners, churches, media and participants who contributed to the success of the event.
