Megan Moroney leads 2026 ACM nominations. See the full list of stars here

Women are leading the charge at the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards, with Megan Moroney topping this year's nominations list with nine. Close behind is Miranda Lambert with eight, marking her strongest showing since 2016 and further cementing her status as the most decorated artist in ACM history. Rising star Ella Langley and reigning entertainer of the year Lainey Wilson follow with seven nods each.

Chris Stapleton leads all male nominees with six, while breakout artist Zach Top earned five. Cody Johnson and Riley Green have a few nominations, alongside consistent contenders like Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen.

Here is the full list of the nominations released on April 9.

2026 ACM Nominations:

Entertainer of the year:

• Chris Stapleton
• Cody Johnson
• Jelly Roll
• Lainey Wilson
• Luke Combs
• Megan Moroney
• Morgan Wallen

Female artist of the year:

• Ella Langley
• Kelsea Ballerini
• Lainey Wilson
• Megan Moroney
• Miranda Lambert

Male artist of the year:

• Chris Stapleton
• Cody Johnson
• Luke Combs
• Riley Green
• 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

New female artist of the year:

• Avery Anna
• Caroline Jones
• Dasha
• Emily Ann Roberts
• Mackenzie Carpenter

New male artist of the year:

• Gavin Adcock
• Hudson Westbrook
• Shaboozey
• Tucker Wetmore
• Vincent Mason

Album of the year:

• Carter Faith, "Cherry Valley"
• Morgan Wallen, "I'm The Problem"
• Parker McCollum, "Parker McCollum"
• Riley Green, "Don't Mind If I Do (Deluxe)"
• Zach Top, "Ain't In It For My Health"

Song of the year:

• Ella Langley, "Choosin' Texas"
• Lainey Wilson, "Somewhere Over Laredo"
• Megan Moroney, "Am I Okay?"
• Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton, "A Song To Sing"
• Zach Top, "I Never Lie"

Single of the year:

• Cody Johnson, "The Fall"
• Ella Langley "Choosin' Texas"
• Lainey Wilson, "Somewhere Over Laredo"
• Megan Moroney, "6 Months Later"
• Zach Top, "I Never Lie"

Music event of the year:

• Megan Moroney & Kenny Chesney, "You Had To Be There"
• Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton, "A Song To Sing"
• Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert & Lainey Wilson, "Trailblazer"
• Riley Green & Ella Langley, "Don't Mind If I Do"
• Shaboozey & Jelly Roll, "Amen"

Visual media of the year:

• Cody Johnson, "The Fall"
• Lainey Wilson, "Somewhere Over Laredo"
• Megan Moroney, "6 Months Later"
• Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton, "A Song To Sing"
• Stephen Wilson Jr., "Cuckoo"

Songwriter of the year:

• Ashley Gorley
• Blake Pendergrass
• Charlie Handsome
• Chase McGill
• Jessie Jo Dillon

Artist-songwriter of the year:

• Ella Langley
• Luke Combs
• Megan Moroney
• Morgan Wallen
• Riley Green

How to Watch:

The 61st ACM Awards will stream live on May 17, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT on Prime Video. Fans can also watch via Twitch and the Amazon Music app.

Bryan West is a music reporter at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.