The group was well represented in the GMA Dove Awards’ general categories, picking up mentions in the Artist of the Year and Group of the Year categories, as well as inclusion for Song of the Year for “Two Hands.”

The Long Fall Back To Earth was also nominated as Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year, as well as notching two slots in the creative category Recorded Music Packaging of the Year, for the standard and limited editions of the project.

But the band will not be partaking in any celebratory beverages in honor of its nomination slate, as band members are in the early stages of its annual “40 Days of Water” benefit for its long-time charitable concern Blood:Water Mission. Jars of Clay, along with many other artists and fans, undertake drinking water as their only beverage for 40 days (coinciding with the Lenten season) and donating the savings to support local water projects in Uganda. For more information, go to 40days.bloodwatermission.com.

About Jars of Clay
Jars of Clay launched its breakout career with the multi-format hit “Flood” in 1995. Since then, it’s amassed more than six million in career sales (5 Gold, 2 Platinum and 1 double Platinum certification), 3 GRAMMY Awards (from 8 nominations), an American Music Award nod, 17 No. 1 radio hits, and numerous film credits and BMI honors for songwriting and performing. Its recent GRAMMY nominated tenth album, The Long Fall Back To Earth (April 21), debuted at No. 1 on SoundScan.

While celebrated for its music and writing, Jars of Clay is most concerned with the needs in Africa. Compelled to make a difference, members Dan Haseltine, Stephen Mason, Matt Odmark and Charlie Lowell founded the Blood:Water Mission in early 2002. The first effort of this non-profit was the “1000 Wells Project” with a goal of raising funds to build, rebuild and repair 1,000 wells in urban and rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. This year Jars of Clay will celebrate the building of the 1,000th well which will bring clean water to more than 150,000 people. (www.bloodwatermission.com)

About the 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards
The GMA Dove Awards is Christian/Gospel music’s biggest night of the year, where top artists from every style of gospel music come together for a night of music and celebration as the GMA bestows the industry's highest honor -- the Dove Award.

The 41st Annual Dove Awards will be held on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at Nashville’s famed Grand Ole Opry House and televised nationwide on gmc (http://www.gmclife.com), Sunday, April 25, 2010 from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. EST. gmc is the fastest-growing network in television and can be seen in 46 million homes on various cable systems around the country, on DIRECTV on channel 338 and on Verizon FiOS on channel 224.

For more info on Jars of Clay, visit the JFH Artists Database.