After a decade of celebrating excellence in Jamaica’s gospel music industry, the Sterling Gospel Music Awards (SGMA) is looking beyond the island as it enters a new phase marked by national television, wider international reach and plans for future expansion.

At the official media launch for Sterling 10, organisers announced that this year’s awards will move from its traditional physical staging to a specially produced television event, airing on TVJ on October 18 at 9:30 p.m., with online streaming also opening the production to regional and international audiences.

SGMA founder Basillia Barnaby-Cuff said the shift is part of a wider strategy to grow the Sterling brand beyond what can be accommodated inside a single venue.

“This is not about making Sterling smaller. It is about expanding the reach, increasing the visibility for our nominees, our performers and our partners and introducing the Sterling brand to a much wider audience,” she said.

Beyond Jamaica

The milestone year also comes with ambitions beyond Jamaica. Barnaby-Cuff revealed that Sterling has received interest from other countries over the years, but the team deliberately chose to first establish the platform at home.

“The aim going forward from year 10 is to have a branch of Sterling in different countries,” she said.

It is a significant step for a platform that began with approximately 50 people in Mandeville and has continued to evolve over the past decade.

One of Sterling’s biggest turning points came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when a physical staging was cancelled just days before the event. The team pivoted to television and radio, reaching an audience of more than one million people.

For Sterling 10, however, organisers stressed that the television production will be a completely new experience created specifically for the milestone year.

Main sponsor KFC also welcomed the new direction, with representative Andreí Roper describing Sterling as a platform that has continued to “grow and thrive” despite the challenges it has faced.

“It is truly inspiring to see how Sterling has weathered the storms and to see how the platform continues to grow and thrive and elevate from strength to strength,” he said. “We’re looking forward to millions of people, as Basillia said, tuning in to TVJ on October 18th, not just on their physical TV sets, but on their phones and their tablets and their computers, on the YouTube streams.”

New Digital Impact Award

Sterling 10 will also introduce the Digital Impact Award, a new People’s Choice category recognising social media personalities and pages making a positive impact within the gospel and faith-based community. Barnaby-Cuff said the addition reflects Sterling’s effort to continue evolving alongside the industry.

“We have continued to move with the times,” she said, adding that the team continues to assess what can be introduced or adjusted to “keep the brand relevant.”

First Sterling 10 Nominees Revealed

The media launch also delivered the first official nominee reveal for Sterling 10, giving guests an early look at several of this year’s committee-selected categories.

Among the nominees announced were Rhoda Isabella, Petra Kaye, Audia Spencer- Brown and Chevelle Franklyn for Female Artiste of the Year, while Johnmark Wiggan, Prince Saj, Jermaine Edwards and Kevin Downswell were named in the Male Artiste of the Year category.

The reveal also included nominees for Album of the Year, EP of the Year, Group of the Year, Breakout Sensation of the Year, Collaboration of the Year and Local Hit of the Year, with artistes including the Foster Triplets, Gilead Collective, Rondell Positive, Sherwin Gardner and several emerging gospel acts appearing across the categories.

Barnaby-Cuff said she remains particularly excited about the Breakout Sensation of the Year category, noting that it “really points to the direction of where the gospel music industry is going.”

The complete slate of nominees, including the People’s Choice categories, is scheduled to be released on Monday, September 21.

An Intimate Celebration with a Wider Reach

While Sterling 10 will reach its largest potential audience through television and digital platforms, organisers are retaining an intimate in-person element through an exclusive all-white watch party for nominees, sponsors, media partners and specially invited guests.

“We wanted for year 10 to keep this one like we did the very first year, very intimate while we share the stage with millions in your living rooms right across Jamaica, right across the region and right across the world,” Barnaby-Cuff said.

The invited audience will watch the production together on the night of the broadcast, with awards presented to winners following the viewing.

Partners Behind Sterling 10

Sterling 10 is being supported by Main Sponsor: KFC, Credit Unions of Jamaica; Uneque Production Entertainment Studios, R Hotel, One Group, IOSIF Image Solutions Ltd., Sora Media; TVJ; MStyle Events; Abi’s Catering; Rhon Matthison Music; Prime Awards; Phenomenal Systems; SR Music and Entertainment Factory; Peculiar Treasures; FHL Designs; Gerald Gordon Production; and Obsiidiian Socials.

With a new format, new category, a fresh slate of nominees and an audience now extending far beyond the walls of a traditional venue, Sterling 10 is inviting Jamaica and the wider gospel community to be part of its biggest milestone yet