Nominations for the 36th annual GMA Music Awards were announced today with top-sellers and new artists leading the field of nominees for the Dove Awards.

Michael W. Smith led the Dove Award nominations with eight individual nominations. Casting Crowns followed with seven nominations, and lead singer/songwriter Mark Hall added six individual nominations of his own. The Crabb Family also nabbed six nominations while the group's patriarch, Gerald Crabb, earned six nominations for his songwriting.

Switchfoot's nominations totaled five, and frontman Jonathan Foreman added another three of his own; and in the reverse, Israel Houghton earned five Dove Award nominations, with his group Israel & New Breed receiving two nominations.

MercyMe and Matthew West rounded out the leading nominee list with five each. Artists with four nominations included Steven Curtis Chapman, BarlowGirl, Selah, Jeremy Camp, Martha Munizzi, Martin Smith, Sanctus Real, J Moss and Matt Redman.

The five artists nominated by GMA members for Artist of the Year were Casting Crowns, MercyMe, Selah, Michael W. Smith and Switchfoot. Male Vocalist of the Year nominees were Jeremy Camp, Jason Crabb, Mark Hall, Israel Houghton and Fernando Ortega.

The Best New Artist of the Year nominees are BarlowGirl, Building 429, Day of Fire, Bethany Dillon and Matthew West.

Word Records' artist and American Idol 3 finalist George Huff, Houghton and Grant announced the Dove Award nominations today at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville, site of the GMA Week Convention, to be held April 9-13.

The Doves will be handed out on April 13 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.

A complete nominations list is available at www.gmamusicawards.com.