Taylor Swift won the single of the year and song of the year awards at the 2026 ACM Awards. Brothers Osborne repeated their CMA Awards win as group of the year, duo of the year, and male artist of the year. Ella Langley won female artist of the year for the fourth year in a row. Cody Johnson won male artist of the year, entertainer of the year, and Luke Combs won new male artist of the year.
’s “Choosin’ Texas” won single of the year or song of the year at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards , which were presented at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday .
The superbly crafted, universally relatable song is one of the biggest country crossover hits in history. It would have been a shock if it hadn’t won.would repeat their CMA Awards win from Nov. 19 as group of the year, duo of the year and male artist of the year, respectively. Indeed, they all won here as well.
The only handover in the top categories was female artist of the year.won in that category at the 2025 CMA Awards for the fourth year in a row. Langley took the award at the ACM Awards. That doesn’t mean there weren’t some snubs and surprises among the results at the ACM Awards. It wouldn’t be an awards show without ’em.
Shania Twain hosted this year’s awards show, which was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The show streamed live via Prime Video for the fifth consecutive year. 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.
Cody Johnson’s win for male artist of the year was not a big surprise, but few figured he’d also take entertainer of the year. The competition was stiff – Lainey Wilson, who won the last two years, Chris Stapleton, who won in 2023, and four artists who were vying for their first wins in the category – Luke Combs , Morgan Wallen , Jelly Roll and Megan Moroney .
Johnson’s only previous ACM Award came two years ago when he won for song of the year as the artist who popularized “Dirt Cheap,” written by Josh Phillips. Johnson was nominated for new male artist of the year at both the 2020 and 2021 ceremonies but lost both times. Moroney was this year’s top nominee with nine nods but didn’t win a single award.
Moroney won new female artist of the year two years ago but hasn’t won again since. Moroney wasn’t present at the ceremony. As she posted on social media Sunday morning, she was out of the country, serving as the maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding. Wilson went 0-7 on the night. Stapleton went 0-6. Top went 0-5.
That’s what happens when one artist gobbles up so many awards. Stapleton is just one award shy of tying George Strait’s record as the male artist with the most ACM Awards . If he’d won just one of the six awards, he would have tied King George. That will have to wait for another year.
Most pundits figured the front-runners for music event of the year were “A Song To Sing” by Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton and “Trailblazer” by Reba McEntire, Lambert and Lainey Wilson. Instead, the award went to Riley Green and Ella Langley for the second year in a row for “Don’t Mind If I Do. ” They won last year for “you look like you love me.
” They are the first twosome to win in this category in back-to-back years since Faith Hill and Tim McGraw won in 1998 with “It’s Your Love” and again in 1999 with “Just To Hear You Say That You Love Me. ”McCollum received just one nomination this year, but it was a big one, album of the year. He wound up winning the award for his fifth studio album.
McCollum had won just two previous ACM Awards – new male artist of the year in 2022 and visual media of the year in 2024 for “Burn It Down. ”, which topped the all-genre Billboard 200 for 13 weeks, was passed over for album of the year. His previous studio album,his only win in the category to date, which is a meager showing for someone who is one of the best-selling album artists of this century.
Wallen is in good company, though. Garth Brooks, one of the best-selling album artists of all time, also has just one ACM Award for album of the year to his name. He won for. He was nominated, but lost, with five albums :Kelsea Ballerini was nominated for female artist of the year for the ninth time, an award she has yet to win.
But she’s in very good company: Ballerini joins 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. Murray has retired, but Ballerini still has a chance to win in this category in the future. These three artists lost new artist awards for the second year in a row.
Shaboozey and Adcock lost new male artist of the year to Tucker Wetmore . Dasha lost new female artist of the year to Avery Anna . The ACM Awards allows artists two chances in these categories, which means these three artists can’t compete again in these categories.
Academy Of Country Music Awards ACM Awards Taylor Swift Brothers Osborne Ella Langley Cody Johnson Luke Combs Music Awards Shania Twain MGM Grand Garden Arena Las Vegas Prime Video Dick Clark Productions Eldridge Industries Billboard Penske Media CMA Awards Cody Johnson Lainey Wilson Chris Stapleton Luke Combs Morgan Wallen Jelly Roll Megan Moroney New Male Artist Of The Year New Female Artist Of The Year Album Of The Year Visual Media Of The Year You Look Like You Love Me Don't Mind If I Do Trailblazer A Song To Sing Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton Reba Mcentire Lainey Wilson Ella Langley Faith Hill Tim Mcgraw It’S Your Love Just To Hear You Say That You Love Me Burn It Down Dirt Cheap Josh Phillips Kelsea Ballerini Anne Murray Shaboozey Adcock Tucker Wetmore Zach Top Avery Anna
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