When Are The 2026 ACM Awards & Who Are The Nominees?
The 2026 ACM Awards will be held on Sunday, May 17th. Fans can watch the show live at 8 PM ET/7 PM CT/5 PM PT on Amazon Prime Video or on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch.
Performers who’ve joined the all-star lineup include Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley, Blake Shelton, Kane Brown, The Red Clay Strays, Cody Johnson, and Riley Green.
This year’s ceremony will be hosted by three-time ACM winner Shania Twain. She’ll lead the event from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
RELATED: 12 SNUBS & SURPRISES FROM THE 2026 ACM AWARD NOMINATIONS
The nominees for the 2026 ACM Awards were announced on April 9. The ladies lead the pack with the most nominations this year, with the top nominees being:
- Megan Moroney with 9 nominations
- Miranda Lambert with 8 nominations
- Ella Langley with 7 nominations
- Lainey Wilson with 7 nominations
- Chris Stapleton with 6 nominations
- Zach Top with 5 nominations
- Cody Johnson with 4 nominations
Several of these artists have the potential to make history with wins at this year’s ACM Awards. For example, VegasInsider.com found a few singers who could break or tie the record for the most ACM Awards won at a single ceremony.
Three artists are currently tied for this record. Chris Stapleton, Faith Hill, and Garth Brooks each won 6 ACM Awards in a single night, in 2016, 1999, and 1991, respectively.
Taking into account that the awards for New Female & Male Artist of the Year and Visual Media of the Year have already been presented, Megan Moroney could win up to 7 awards at this year’s ACM Awards. If she does, she would break the record for the most wins in a single night.
Lainey Wilson, Ella Langley, and Miranda Lambert all have the potential to tie the record by winning up to 6 trophies at this year’s ceremony.
Keep reading for a list of 10 country stars who could experience a career-defining night at the ACM Awards on May 17th!
See Some Of The Stars Who Could Make History With Wins At The 2026 ACM Awards
Luke Combs
Luke Combs is no stranger to winning ACM Awards. But one trophy is still missing from his collection.
Combs has been nominated for the ACM’s Entertainer of the Year award 6 times. He earned his seventh nomination in the category this year and is eyeing his first win.
If Combs wins Entertainer of the Year, he’ll also receive the ACM’s prestigious Triple Crown Award. The Triple Crown is bestowed upon artists who win their respective New Artist category, their respective Artist category, and Entertainer of the Year.
Combs could become the 12th artist to receive the Triple Crown honor. Past recipients include Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, and Lainey Wilson, among others.
Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert already made ACM history a long time ago! But she has the potential to add to her legacy at the 2026 ACM Awards.
Lambert is currently the most-awarded artist at the ACMs. Depending on whether or not you count “special” honors such as the Triple Crown and Merle Haggard Spirit Award, her win count varies from 33 to 38.
Lambert scored 8 nominations at this year’s ceremony, so she could significantly extend her record. She also has more Female Artist of the Year wins than any other artist (9 total) and could extend that record as well.
Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn hold the record for the most wins in the Duo of the Year category (which has changed names several times through the years). They’ve won the trophy an impressive 17 times, most recently in 2025.
If they win again this year, they’ll add another tally to their record, making it extra challenging for any other pair to ever surpass their total.
Additionally, VegasInsider.com reports that Brooks & Dunn is the most-awarded duo in ACM history overall, with 31 wins. A win this year would extend that total to 32.
Old Dominion
Old Dominion has been on a roll at the ACM Awards! They’ve won the Group of the Year category for the past 8 years. Their win in 2025 allowed them to surpass the previous record set by Rascal Flatts (who won the category 7 times in a row).
If Old Dominion wins Group of the Year again at the 2026 ACM Awards, they will add even further to their already unprecedented winning streak.
Lainey Wilson
Lainey Wilson has the chance to achieve a major “first” if she wins Entertainer of the Year at the 2026 ACM Awards. She could become the first female artist to ever win the category 3 years in a row.
Although Carrie Underwood has won the ACM’s Entertainer of the Year award 3 times, she hasn’t won it in consecutive years. Her wins were in 2009, 2010, and 2020.
- Alabama currently holds the record for the longest Entertainer of the Year winning streak, with 5 consecutive wins from 1982-1986.
- Kenny Chesney and Garth Brooks have both scored 4 consecutive wins (2005-2008 for Chesney, 1991-1994 for Brooks).
- Jason Aldean and Hank Williams Jr. have earned 3 consecutive wins (2016-2018 for Aldean, 1987-1989 for Williams).
So Wilson would find herself in some pretty elite company if she can pull off a three-peat this year!
Also, VegasInsider.com found that Wilson could become the fourth female artist to win Female Artist of the Year 4 or more times. Plus, if she wins that category, she’ll be the third artist to do so in 4 consecutive years.
Ella Langley & Riley Green
The 2026 ACM Awards give Ella Langley and Riley Green the chance to accomplish something only one other duo has ever done before.
Last year (2025), Langley and Green’s hit collaboration, “you look like you love me,” won the award for Music Event of the Year. This year, another one of their duets, “Don’t Mind If I Do,” is nominated in the category.
If Langley and Green win again this year, they’ll become only the second same-partner duo to earn repeat wins in the category. Other artists, such as Carly Pearce, have won in back-to-back years, but with different duet partners.
The only other same-partner duo to accomplish this feat is real-life couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. They won in 1997 with “It’s Your Love” and again in 1998 with “Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me.”
Megan Moroney
As the most-nominated artist at the 2026 ACM Awards, Megan Moroney could head home with lots of hardware at the end of the night.
She earned her first Entertainer of the Year nomination and therefore has the chance to score her first win in the category. If she wins, she’ll only be the 10th solo female artist to do so!
Plus, as mentioned earlier, she has the chance to break the record for the most ACM wins in a single night!
Chris Stapleton
VegasInsider.com reports that Chris Stapleton has the potential to earn more ACM wins than any other male solo artist. The record is currently held by George Strait, who has 24 wins to his name.
Stapleton has won 21 ACM Awards so far, and could win 5 this year. If he wins 3, he ties Strait’s record. If he wins 4 or more, he surpasses it.
Additionally, VegasInsider.com found that Stapleton could tie the record for the most wins in the Male Artist of the Year category. That record is currently held by the late Merle Haggard, who won it 6 times. Stapleton, meanwhile, has won it 5 times.
Plus, Stapleton could become the third artist to win that category in three consecutive years, following in the footsteps of Jason Aldean and Brad Paisley.
Cody Johnson
It’s hard to believe that Cody Johnson has only won one regular ACM Award so far, and hasn’t won any of the “artist” categories!
His song “Dirt Cheap” won the Song of the Year award in 2025 (awarded to the songwriter(s), publisher(s), and artist(s)). Johnson also received the “special” ACM Spirit Award that same year.
This year, Johnson is nominated for four awards: Visual Media of the Year, Single of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year. A win for the latter two would give him his first victory in one of the coveted “Artist” categories.
BONUS: 5 Of The 7 Entertainer Of The Year Nominees
As a bonus fact, 5 of the 7 artists nominated for Entertainer of the Year have the chance to earn their first-ever win in the category. Those artists are Megan Moroney, Cody Johnson, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, and Jelly Roll.
Out of this year’s nominees, only Lainey Wilson and Chris Stapleton have won Entertainer of the Year before.
Watch the ACM Awards on May 17th to see who earns the trophy this year! Who are you rooting for?
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