Brandon Lake and Benjamin William Hastings won the Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song award for their song "Hard Fought Hallelujah" at the 13th Annual KLOVE Fan Awards, taped May 24 at Nashville's Opry House. According to the awards repport, Lake—a 35-year-old Texas native with six Grammy wins—also took home both Artist of the Year and Male Artist of the Year honors. The ceremony, co-hosted by Sadie Robertson Huff and Josiah Queen, premiered on TBN and the TBN app on Friday, May 29, with an encore scheduled for June 5.

At the Opry House on May 24: a taped ceremony with three Lake wins

The KLOVE Fan Awards, now in their 13th year, were recorded live at Nashville's iconic Opry House on May 24, with no audience recation available for the telecast. As reported by the event's coverage, Brandon Lake alone collected three trophies: the collaborative award with Hastings, plus Artist of the Year and Male Artist of the Year. The broadcast also recognized Lake's previous win for "Can't Steal My Joy," though the report does not specify whether that was a separate category or part of the same ceremony.

Lake's sixth Grammy and a KLOVE three-award sweep

Lake's six Grammy wins—including the 2026 Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song award for the same track—underscore his dominance in the genre. The report notes that Lake accepted the Grammy for "Hard Fought Hallelujah" at the 68th Grammys Premiere Ceremony on February 1, 2026, at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The KLOVE Fan Awards sweep adds to a year of momentum for the Texas-born artist, though the report does not break down how many nominations he received in total.

From 'Left It in the River' to 'Mighty Name of Jesus': the night's diverse setlist

Beyond the awards, the ceremony featured several live performances that hint at the breadth of contemporary Christian music.. according to the article, Jamie MacDonald performed "Left It in the River," Phil Wickham sang "What an Awesome God," Hope Darst and Josh Baldwin delivered "Mighty Name of Jesus," and Robert Anthony Cruz offered "Coach RAC by Savannah Banana." The inclusion of both established acts and newer voices suggests the KLOVE Fan Awards aim to showcase a spectrum of the genre's current output.

Who voted and how? KLOVE's opaque selection process

The report does not detail how winners are determined for the KLOVE Fan Awards, leaving a key question unanswered. While the organization describes the awards as honoring fan favorites, no information is provided about voter eligibility, voting deadlines, or whether ballots are audited. Without such disclosure, it remains unclear whether the results reflect widespread listener preference or a narrower base of active participants. The absence of a runner-up tally or voting metrics also prevents independent verification of the outcomes.