Forty-six music artistes have emerged winners in the first ever Catholic Music Awards held on July 27, 2025, at the Auditorium Conciliazione lose to St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Founded on the idea of the Fraternity and Fundacion Ramón Pané headed by Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga and Brother Ricardo Grzona, the awards aim at rewarding Catholic music artistes – singers, composers, musicians, producers, engineers, mixers among others, who have helped promote Christian values through music with an intercultural and multilingual vision.

Winners were selected by an international jury comprising over 60 experts, whose works were evaluated based on their content, artistic value and technical professionalism; and prizes awarded in nineteen categories across four global languages English, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian.

Categories include: Best Album, Best Female Singer, Best Male Singer, Best Unpublished Song, Best Liturgical Song, Best Song of Praise, Best Evangelization Song, Best Marian Song, Best Song for Catechesis (Tradition, Doctrine or Magisterium), Best Parish Choir, Best Pop Song, Best Tropical Song, Best Group, Band or Duo, Best Urban Song, Best Rock Song, Best Song In Any Language, Best Production, Best Sound Engineering and Best Music Video.

Winners in the English category include – Robert Galea – ‘Love You’ (Best Praise-Worship Song), Fr Giuseppe Pietro Arsciwals – ‘Dominican Blessing’ (Best Parish Choir), Fr Maximilian M Dean – ‘Song to Mary’ (Best Marian Song), Debora Vezzani – ‘Mother of God’ (Best Catechesis Song), Mariana BE – ‘New Life’ (Best Evangelization Song), Priscilla Salisbury – ‘Rejoice Greatly’ (Best Female Singer), Luciano Lamonarca – ‘The Song of Saint Pio’ (Best Male Singer), Sarah Hart – ‘All The Earth Alive Rejoicing’ (Best Album), Andrean Peters – ‘Wonderful Love’ (Best Rock Song), Juan Camilo Perez – ‘Holy’ (Best Pop Song), James J Wright – ‘Drawn Back to the Table’ (Best Production Song), Gen Verde – ‘We Choose Peace’ (Best Music Video), Francesca LaRosa – ‘My Soul Proclaims’ (Best New Singer) and Jomma Vomvolakis – ‘Be Still’ (Best English Song).

Although Africa and Nigeria seemed not to have featured or made a good outing at the awards, there are several categories it has prospects such as the ‘Best Song In Any Language’, ‘Best Parish Choir’ not to mention the potential of submitting in three global (and colonial languages), English, Portuguese and French, that are the continents lingua francas.

It is hoped that there would be increased participation by the continent known for hosting the world’s highest number of Catholics (281 million in 2023), and the future of the Catholic Church, in the annual competition.