Women thoroughly dominate the nominations for the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, announced Thursday morning (April 9).
This year’s four most-nominated artists are all women: Megan Moroney leads with nine nods, followed by Miranda Lambert (eight) and Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson (seven each). It’s the second year in a row that a female solo artist has led the nominations. Langley was out front last year with eight nods.
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Lambert, the most decorated artist in ACM history, with 33 wins, may well collect even more trophies when the 2026 ACM Awards are presented at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 17. The show will stream live on Prime Video for the fifth consecutive year.
Lambert’s eight nominations are the most she has received in a single year since 2017. Lambert received her 17th nomination for female artist of the year, which allows her to pull ahead of Reba McEntire for the most nominations in the history of that category. McEntire was nominated 16 times from 1984 to 2018. The two artists share a nomination this year – music event of the year for “Trailblazer,” which they recorded with Wilson. McEntire was nominated twice for her work on the record, as both an artist and a producer. These are her first ACM nods since 2021.
Moroney received her first nod for entertainer of the year, where she faces six repeat nominees. Chris Stapleton (who won in 2023) received his eighth nonconsecutive nomination in the category. Luke Combs, who has yet to win in the category, was nominated for the seventh year in a row. If Combs finally wins, he’ll complete what the ACM calls the Triple Crown, having previously won new male artist of the year and male artist of the year.
Morgan Wallen received his fourth consecutive entertainer of the year nod. He, too, has yet to win in the category. Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson and Wilson each received their third entertainer of the year nods. Wilson won the last two years. If she wins again this year, she’ll become the first person to win three years running since Jason Aldean won every year from 2016 to 2018. She’d be the first woman to ever win three years in a row.
Carter Faith’s Cherry Valley was a surprise nominee for album of the year. It’s the first debut album to be nominated in that category since Stapleton’s Traveller 10 years ago. (Zach Top‘s Cold Beer and Country Music, nominated last year, was his first country album, but he had a prior bluegrass release on another label. Maren Morris’ Hero, nominated in 2017, was her first major-label album, but she had released three previous albums.)
Faith’s album is competing with Wallen’s I’m the Problem, his third album in a row to be nominated in that category; Top’s Ain’t in It for My Health, his second album in a row to be nominated in that category; and albums by first-time category nominees Riley Green and Parker McCollum.
Wilson’s “Somewhere Over Laredo” is this year’s only work to receive nominations for single, song and visual media of the year. The song interpolates the melody of the Oscar-winning classic “Over the Rainbow,” which resulted in that song’s co-writers, Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg, receiving posthumous ACM song of the year nominations. Arlen died in 1986; Harburg in 1981.
Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” and Top’s “I Never Lie” were nominated for both single and song of the year but didn’t land nods for visual media of the year.
Gavin Adcock, Shaboozey and Tucker Wetmore were nominated for new male artist of the year for the second year in a row. (They lost to Top last year.) Dasha was nominated for new female artist of the year for second year in a row. (She lost to Langley last year.) ACM rules allow artists two tries in these categories.
The ACM quietly dropped its new duo/group of the year category, which was won in 2024 and 2025 by Tigirlily Gold and The Red Clay Strays, respectively, because not enough qualified entries were submitted.
Brooks & Dunn received their 26th nomination for duo of the year (or equivalent categories in previous years), extending their likely unbeatable record. Other artists who added to their impressive nominations tallies in various categories are Rascal Flatts (their 14th nod for group of the year), Brothers Osborne (their 12th nod for duo of the year), Old Dominion (their 11th nod for group of the year), Stapleton (his 11th nomination for male artist of the year) and Ballerini (her ninth nod for female artist of the year). Ballerini has yet to win in that category. Unless she wins this year, she’ll join Anne Murray as the only artists to go 0-9 in that category. The widely-admired Canadian singer was nominated nine times between 1972 and 1986 without ever winning.
The year’s most-nominated male artist is Stapleton, with six nods, followed by Top (five), and Johnson and Green (four each). Stapleton is within striking distance of two big records. If he converts even one of his six nominations this year into a win, he’ll tie George Strait’s record for the most ACM Awards by a male artist (19). And if Stapleton wins male artist of the year, he’ll tie Merle Haggard’s record as the artist with the most wins in that category (six).
No group or duo received more than one nod.
This year’s most nominated non-artist is producer/songwriter Carson Chamberlain, who received three nods for his work with Top. Behind-the-scenes pros with two nominations each were Dann Huff, Charlie Handsome, Jessie Jo Dillon, Kristian Bush, Christen Pinkston, Wesley Stebbins-Perry and Tim Colfield.
Thelma & James were nominated for duo of the year. The duo is comprised of MacKenzie Porter and her husband Jake Etheridge. This is the fourth year in a row that a married couple has been nominated in this category. The War and Treaty was nominated the last three years. Deep ACM trivia: Porter was nominated for music event of the year three years ago as a featured artist on Dustin Lynch’s “Thinking ’Bout You.”
Here’s the complete nominations list for the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards.
Entertainer of the Year
Luke Combs
Jelly Roll
Cody Johnson
Megan Moroney
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Lainey Wilson
Female Artist of the Year
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Ella Langley
Megan Moroney
Lainey Wilson
Male Artist of the Year
Luke Combs
Riley Green
Cody Johnson
Chris Stapleton
Zach Top
Group of the Year
49 Winchester
Flatland Cavalry
Old Dominion
Rascal Flatts
The Red Clay Strays
Duo of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Muscadine Bloodline
Thelma & James
Album of the Year
[Awarded to artist(s)/producer(s)/record Company–label(s)]
Ain’t In It For My Health – Zach Top; Producer: Carson Chamberlain; Record Company-Label: Leo33
Cherry Valley – Carter Faith; Producer: Tofer Brown; Record Company-Label: Gatsby Records / MCA
Don’t Mind If I Do (Deluxe) – Riley Green; Producers: Dann Huff, Michael Knox; Record Company-Label: Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment
I’m The Problem – Morgan Wallen; Producers: Joey Moi, Charlie Handsome, Jacob Durrett; Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records
Parker McCollum – Parker McCollum; Producers: Frank Liddell, Eric Masse; Record Company-Label: MCA
Song of the Year
[Awarded to songwriter(s)/publisher(s)/artist(s)]
“A Song To Sing” – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton; Songwriters: Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Jenee Fleenor, Jesse Frasure; Publishers: I Wrote These Songs; Pink Dog Publishing; Songs for the Munch Music; Songs of Influence; Sony/ATV Tree Publishing; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp
“Am I Okay?” – Megan Moroney; Songwriters: Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, Jessie Jo Dillon; Publishers: Big Ass Pile of Dimes Music; Big Music Machine
“Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley; Songwriters: Ella Langley, Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Joybeth Taylor; Publishers: Bada Bing & Bada Langley Publishing; Little Louder Songs; Sony Music Publishing
“I Never Lie” – Zach Top; Songwriters: Zach Top, Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols; Publishers: Music and Magazine Publishing; Rio Bravo Music Inc; Sony/ATV Tree Publishing; Too Broke to Quit Music; Zach Top Music
“Somewhere Over Laredo – Lainey Wilson; Songwriters: Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson, Andy Albert, Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg; Publishers: Concord Sounds; Dtown Boogie Music; Emi Feist Catalog Inc; Songs of Riser House; Songs of Wild Cat Well Music; Sony/ATV Countryside; Story Farmer; Tacklebox Music Publishing
Single of the Year
[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
“6 Months Later” – Megan Moroney; Producer: Kristian Bush; Record Company-Label: Sony Music Nashville / Columbia Records
“Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley; Producers: Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert, Ben West; Record Company-Label: SAWGOD / Columbia Records
“I Never Lie” – Zach Top; Producer: Carson Chamberlain; Record Company-Label: Leo33
“Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey Wilson; Producer: Jay Joyce; Record Company-Label: BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville / Broken Bow Records
“The Fall” – Cody Johnson; Producer: Trent Willmon; Record Company-Label: CoJo Music / Warner Records Nashville
Visual Media of the Year
[Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]
“6 Months Later” – Megan Moroney; Producers: Christen Pinkston, Wesley Stebbins-Perry; Director: CeCe Dawson, Megan Moroney
“A Song To Sing” – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton; Producer: James Stratakis; Director: Alexa King Stone, Stephen Kinigopoulos
“Cuckoo” -Stephen Wilson, Jr.; Producer: Tim Cofield; Director: Tim Cofield
“Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey Wilson; Producer: Katie Babbage; Director: TK McKamy
“The Fall” – Cody Johnson; Producers: Christen Pinkston & Wesley Stebbins-Perry; Director: Dustin Haney
Music Event of the Year
[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
“A Song To Sing” – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton; Producer: Dave Cobb; Record Company-Label: Republic Records
“Amen” – Shaboozey & Jelly Roll; Producers: Danny Majic, Nevin Sastry, Sean Cook; Record Company-Label: Empire
“Don’t Mind If I Do” – Riley Green feat. Ella Langley; Producer: Dann Huff; Record Company-Label: Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment
“Trailblazer” – Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson; Producers: Tony Brown, Reba McEntire; Record Company-Label: MCA
“You Had To Be There” – Megan Moroney & Kenny Chesney; Producer: Kristian Bush; Record Company-Label: Sony Music Nashville / Columbia Records
Songwriter of the Year
Jessie Jo Dillon
Ashley Gorley
Charlie Handsome
Chase McGill
Blake Pendergrass
Artist-Songwriter of the Year
Luke Combs
Riley Green
Ella Langley
Megan Moroney
Morgan Wallen
New Male Artist of the Year
Gavin Adcock
Vincent Mason
Shaboozey
Hudson Westbrook
Tucker Wetmore
New Female Artist of the Year
Avery Anna
Mackenzie Carpenter
Dasha
Caroline Jones
Emily Ann Roberts
The ACM Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
from Billboard https://ift.tt/5B2sNfk
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