Here's a brief overview of how the voting process works for the 24th Annual Stellar Awards.

Gospel record labels submit their nominations in each of the various categories. This list is compiled by Central City Productions and is sent to an independent advisory committee who co-ordinate the preliminary list of nominees. Among other things, they ensure that each nominee fulfills the requirements, including that each entry must have been nationally released between August 1, 2007 and July 31, 2008.

With the exception of the Fan Favorite "Song of the Year" category (see below), the ballot is then sent out to each registered member of the Stellar Awards Gospel Music Academy (SAGMA). While each category may include as many as 10 entries, voting consists of ranking in order of preference only the top five choices in each category. Ballots are sent by individual academy members directly to auditors before the September 2008 deadline.

The results of the ballot are tallied and verified by the auditors, and the final nomination list announced by Central City Productions in the Fall of 2008 press conference. The announcement consists of the top five vote-getters in each category. The winners in each category are only revealed at the televised awards ceremony, to be held in January, 2009.

What this means, therefore, is that while information on which artists are on the ballot may leak from various sources before the October press conference, those artists may or may not be present on the official nomination list. Again, that's because this list can include a maximum of five per category, while the ballot may contain many more.

The Fan Favorite "Song of the Year" category, new since the 23rd Annual Stellar Awards, can soon be voted on by ALL fans at the Stellar Awards website, up until December 31, 2007. This award is separate from Academy voted "Song of the Year" and will not in any way impact the existing award.