Way back in February I posted a list of the Dove Award nominees and provided a bit of uninspired commentary on each of the categories I care a bit about. It turns out that I did quite well with my picks! I was elated to see that Switchfoot cleaned up in their categories after being snubbed by the Grammy Awards. MercyMe, to no one’s surprise, received several awards, more for their incredible break into the mainstream market than for the album they released last year. Let’s take a look at some of last night’s winners.

Song of the Year - Word of God Speak by MercyMe. We knew they were going to win this, so no great surprise here. As I said, this is an award for their mainstream success as much as it is for writing a good song.

Songwriter of the Year - Mark Hall of Casting Crowns. I have only heard this album once or twice so cannot comment. I would have picked Derek Webb, but that’s just me…

Male Vocalist of the Year - Jeremy Camp. Not my favorite artist, but he is an able singer and songwriter and has a nice voice to boot. He has quite an incredible testimony too…

Female Vocalist of the Year - Stacey Orrico. Was there ever any doubt?

Group of the Year - MercyMe. Once again, we know why they won this award, and I suppose based on the amazing success of I Can Only Imagine they probably deserve it. Note, though, that this award does not come to them because of an album they released last year.

Artist of the Year - MercyMe. Strange that a group can win artist of the year and Group of the Year. See above.

New Artist of the Year - Jeremy Camp. Fair enough. I would have liked to see Derek Webb but he is not in the good books of the GMA at the moment.

Modern Rock Recorded Song of the Year - Breaking Me Down by downhere. This was my pick in a bit of a weak category. It’s nice to see some Canadian boys pick up the award, though!

Rock Recorded Song of the Year - Ammunition by Switchfoot. I used to like this song. Having heard it live a couple of weeks ago, I now love it. A well-deserved award for a fantastic band.

Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year - Meant to Live by Switchfoot. Again, well-deserved award for this band. Their break into the mainstream should assure them of even more GMA attention in coming years. I had hoped Gone would win, but Meant to Live was a great song too.

Modern Rock Album of the Year - Two Lefts Don't Make a Right…But Three Do by Relient K. They have made a better album than this in the past and there was a better album nominated in the category. I was hoping Dakona would get some deserved recognition in this category. Still, Two Lefts was a fun, if not particularly good, album. Perhaps I am just getting a bit too old to enjoy Relient K.

Rock Album of the Year - Lose This Life by Tait. This album was one of my biggest disappointments of the year. However, it was in a weak category. It is strange, though, that a song that garnered no nominations for songwriting can win an award for the album.

Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year - The Beautiful Letdown by Switchfoot. Easily the best album in the category, I would have been very disappointed to see anything else win. This is a great and well-deserved honor for Switchfoot.

So all-in-all, I would have to say the GMA did quite well this year. There were a few surprises but more often than not I would say the right artists took home awards. Now if only those people at the Grammies could get it right…