A handful of local artists shared the spotlight on the national stage this weekend. Both The Color and the Rosemary & The Sweet Sound Revival took home hardware at the 39th annual Gospel Music Associations awards in Edmonton.

The Color returned to the GMAs this year, bringing home a record four wins for the local musicians including Group of the Year, Artist of the Year and accolades for two singles ('First Day of My Life' and 'Surprise').

"We'd never won Artist or Group of the Year, so we were really excited about that," band member Jordan Janzen says.

The awards speak to impact the band is having on the industry, "looking at the overall picture," Janzen explains.

"As a band, we've put in a lot of investment, sacrifice... this is the season of seeing some of that fruit."

Five years after winning New Artist of the Year, The Color returns to collect Group of the Year, as well as Artist of the Year

While the band has seen a few members take their leave and others added, the core group has played more than 450 concerts in the past six years, earned 20 GMA nominations, including 12 wins. The Color released their 4th studio album earlier this year with singles like 'Surprise' charting in top spots across North America.

This spring Janzen says they will be hitting the road again, touring across Canada and into the U.S.

World-renowned violinist Rosemary Siemens took home the Southern Gospel/Country album of the Year for Plum Coulee My Home.

She explains it was gratifying to see the album recognized after the journey from an idea to finished product, especially considering it's her first foray into the genre.

"I've since had people message me, "do you want to write with me?" You get to be a part of a community and work with people," she says.

Looking ahead to this May, Rosemary has been invited to play at the National Prayer Breakfast in Ottawa. She's also partnering with this summer's record harvest event with Harvest for Kids.

Along with the Pembina Valley artists, fellow Manitoba musician Steve Bell and long-time Producer Dave Zeglinski were honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Awards. Bell's latest album, Where The Good Way Lies, was named Album of the Year.

Steve Bell with Manager/Producer Dave Zeglinski. Photo courtesy Facebook