The 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards nominations have been revealed.
First-time nominee Ella Langley leads this year’s nominees with eight nods, followed by seven-time nominees Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson and Cody Johnson and Chris Stapleton with six nods. Post Malone and Riley Green landed five nominations each.
Wallen, Wilson, Johnson and Stapleton are all up the top prize of for entertainer of the year, along with Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs and Jelly Roll.
Langley is up for female artist of the year and new female artist of the year and received six nominations for her song with Riley Green, “you look like you love me.”
If Combs wins entertainer of the year, he will have clinched the coveted Triple Crown Award, which includes wins for entertainer of the year and wins in the act’s respective new artist (male, female, duo or group) and artist categories (male, female, duo or group). Past Triple Crown recipients include Wilson, Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood and Kenny Chesney.
Wilson, who won entertainer of the year last year, is already among the stars set to perform at this year’s ACM Awards. Other performers include Blake Shelton and Eric Church.
The 60th ACM Awards will be hosted by Reba McEntire, a 16-time ACM winner, and stream live on Amazon’s Prime Video on Thursday May 8 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
A complete list of the 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards nominations follows. The studio recording and industry awards will be presented at the 18th Academy of Country Music Honors, held in August in Nashville.
The ACM Awards producer Dick Clark Productions is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge that also owns The Hollywood Reporter.
MAIN AWARDS:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Luke Combs
- Cody Johnson
- Jelly Roll
- Chris Stapleton
- Morgan Wallen
- Lainey Wilson
FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Ella Langley
- Megan Moroney
- Kacey Musgraves
- Lainey Wilson
MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Luke Combs
- Cody Johnson
- Jelly Roll
- Chris Stapleton
- Morgan Wallen
DUO OF THE YEAR
- Brooks & Dunn
- Brothers Osborne
- Dan + Shay
- Muscadine Bloodline
- The War And Treaty
GROUP OF THE YEAR
- Flatland Cavalry
- Little Big Town
- Old Dominion
- Rascal Flatts
- The Red Clay Strays
NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Kassi Ashton
- Ashley Cooke
- Dasha
- Ella Langley
- Jessie Murph
NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Gavin Adcock
- Shaboozey
- Zach Top
- Tucker Wetmore
- Bailey Zimmerman
NEW DUO OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
- Restless Road
- The Red Clay Strays
- Treaty Oak Revival
ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
- Am I Okay? (I’ll Be Fine) – Megan Moroney
Producer: Kristian Bush
Record Company-Label: Columbia Records / Sony Music Nashville
- Beautifully Broken – Jelly Roll
Producers: BazeXX, Brock Berryhill, Zach Crowell, Devin Dawson, Charlie Handsome, Ben Johnson, mgk, The Monsters & Strangerz, Austin Nivarel, SlimXX, Ryan Tedder, Isaiah Tejada, Alysa Vanderheym
Record Company-Label: BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville / Republic Records
- Cold Beer & Country Music – Zach Top
Producer: Carson Chamberlain
Record Company-Label: Leo33
- F-1 Trillion – Post Malone
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
Record Company-Label: Mercury Records / Republic Records
- Whirlwind – Lainey Wilson
Producer: Jay Joyce
Record Company-Label: BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville
SINGLE OF THE YEAR[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
- A Bar Song (Tipsy) – Shaboozey
Producers: Sean Cook, Nevin Sastry
Record Company-Label: American Dogwood / EMPIRE
- Dirt Cheap – Cody Johnson
Producer: Trent Willmon
Record Company-Label: CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville
- I Had Some Help – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
Record Company-Label: Mercury Records / Republic Records
- White Horse – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton, Morgane Stapleton
Record Company-Label: Mercury Nashville
- you look like you love me – Ella Langley, Riley Green
Producer: Will Bundy
Record Company-Label: SAWGOD / Columbia Records
SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
Songwriters: Jon Decious, Aaron Raitiere, Lainey Wilson
Publishers: Louisiana Lady; One Tooth Productions; Reservoir 416; Songs of One Riot Music; Sony/ATV Accent
- The Architect – Kacey Musgraves
Songwriters: Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves, Josh Osborne
Publishers: Songs for Indy and Owl; Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing
- Dirt Cheap – Cody Johnson
Songwriter: Josh Phillips
Publishers: Warner-Tamerlane Publishing; Write or Die Music; Write the Lightning Publishing
- I Had Some Help – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen
Songwriters: Louis Bell, Ashley Gorley, Hoskins, Austin Post, Ernest Keith Smith, Morgan Wallen, Chandler Paul Walters, Ryan Vojtesak
Publishers: Bell Ear Publishing; Master of my Domain Music; Poppy’s Picks; Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing; Universal Music Corporation
- you look like you love me – Ella Langley, Riley Green
Songwriters: Riley Green, Ella Langley, Aaron Raitiere
Publishers: Back 40 Publishing International; Langley Publishing; One Tooth Productions; Sony/ATV Tree; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp
MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
- Cowboys Cry Too – Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan
Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan, Alysa Vanderheym
Record Company-Label: Black River Entertainment
- I Had Some Help – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
Record Company-Label: Mercury Records / Republic Records
- I’m Gonna Love You – Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood
Producer: Trent Willmon
Record Company-Label: CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville
- we don’t fight anymore – Carly Pearce, Chris Stapleton
Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Carly Pearce
Record Company-Label: Big Machine Records
- you look like you love me – Ella Langley, Riley Green
Producer: Will Bundy
Record Company-Label: SAWGOD / Columbia Records
VISUAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]
Producer: Jennifer Ansell
Director: Dano Cerny
- Dirt Cheap – Cody Johnson
Producer: Dustin Haney
Director: Dustin Haney
- I’m Gonna Love You – Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood
Producers: Christen Pinkston, Wesley Stebbins-Perry
Director: Dustin Haney
- Think I’m In Love With You – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Wes Edwards, Angie Lorenz, Jamie Stratakis
Director: Running Bear (Stephen Kinigopoulos, Alexa Stone)
- you look like you love me – Ella Langley, Riley Green
Producer: Whale Tale Music
Directors: Ella Langley, John Park, Wales Toney
ARTIST-SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
- Luke Combs
- ERNEST
- HARDY
- Morgan Wallen
- Lainey Wilson
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
- Jessi Alexander
- Jessie Jo Dillon
- Ashley Gorley
- Chase McGill
- Josh Osborne
STUDIO RECORDING AWARDS:
BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- J.T. Cure
- Mark Hill
- Rachel Loy
- Tony Lucido
- Craig Young
DRUMMER OF THE YEAR
- Fred Eltringham
- Tommy Harden
- Evan Hutchings
- Aaron Sterling
- Nir Z
ACOUSTIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Tim Galloway
- Todd Lombardo
- Mac McAnally
- Bryan Sutton
- Ilya Toshinskiy
PIANO/KEYBOARDS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Dave Cohen
- Ian Fitchuk
- Billy Justineau
- Gordon Mote
- Alex Wright
SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Dan Dugmore
- Jenee Fleenor
- Josh Matheny
- Justin Schipper
- Kristin Wilkinson
ELECTRIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Kris Donegan
- Jedd Hughes
- Brent Mason
- Sol Philcox-Littlefield
- Derek Wells
AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
- Brandon Bell
- Drew Bollman
- Josh Ditty
- Buckley Miller
- F. Reid Shippen
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
- Dave Cobb
- Ian Fitchuk
- Charlie Handsome
- Jon Randall
- Alysa Vanderheym
INDUSTRY AWARDS:
CASINO OF THE YEAR – THEATER
- Deadwood Mountain Grand – Deadwood, SD
- Foxwoods Resort Casino – Mashantucket, CT
- Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort – Cherokee, NC
- The Theater at Virgin Hotels – Las Vegas, NV
- Yaamava’ Theater – Highland, CA
CASINO OF THE YEAR – ARENA
- Golden Nugget Lake Charles – Lake Charles, LA
- Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena – Atlantic City, NJ
- Harveys Lake Tahoe – Stateline, NV
- Mystic Lake Casino Showroom – Prior Lake, MN
- Turning Stone Resort Casino – Verona, NY
FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR
- C2C Country to Country – London, England
- CMC Rocks – Ipswich, Queensland
- Stagecoach Festival – Indio, CA
- Two Step Inn – Georgetown, TX
- Windy City Smokeout – Chicago, IL
FAIR/RODEO OF THE YEAR
- Calgary Stampede – Calgary, AB
- California Mid-State Fair – Paso Robles, CA
- Cheyenne Frontier Days – Cheyenne, WY
- Minnesota State Fair – Falcon Heights, MN
- Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo – Houston, TX
CLUB OF THE YEAR
- Billy Bob’s Texas – Fort Worth, TX
- Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville, TN
- Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, OK
- Georgia Theatre – Athens, GA
- Joe’s on Weed St. – Chicago, IL
THEATER OF THE YEAR
- The Caverns – Pelham, TN
- MGM Music Hall at Fenway – Boston, MA
- The Met Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA
- The Rave/Eagles Club – Milwaukee, WI
- Tennessee Theatre – Knoxville, TN
OUTDOOR VENUE OF THE YEAR
- BankNH Pavilion – Gilford, NH
- CMAC – Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center – Canandaigua, NY
- Saint Augustine Amphitheatre – St. Augustine, FL
- The Wharf Amphitheater – Orange Beach, AL
- Whitewater Amphitheater – New Braunfels, TX
ARENA OF THE YEAR
- Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, TX
- Moody Center – Austin, TX
- TD Garden – Boston, MA
- Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center – Knoxville, TN
- Van Andel Arena – Grand Rapids, MI
DON ROMEO TALENT BUYER OF THE YEAR
- Deana Baker
- Bobby Clay
- Gil Cunningham
- Weston Hebert
- Stacy Vee
- Taylor Williamson
PROMOTER OF THE YEAR
- Brent Fedrizzi
- Alex Maxwell
- Patrick McDill
- Anna-Sophie Mertens
- Rich Schaefer
- Aaron Spalding
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