Country music’s awards season is officially underway, and the women are running the show. The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards announced its full nominee slate on April 9, and the four most-nominated artists are all female. Megan Moroney leads the pack with nine nominations, followed by Miranda Lambert with eight and Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson with seven each. The highest-nominated male artist, Chris Stapleton, came in fifth with six nods.
For Moroney, this marks a defining career moment. The Georgia native scored her first-ever Entertainer of the Year nomination, a category that has historically skewed heavily male. She’ll compete against Stapleton, Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, and Morgan Wallen for the top prize. Langley, meanwhile, earned Song of the Year and Single of the Year recognition for “Choosin’ Texas,” her crossover smash that has already logged five nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Wilson, the reigning Entertainer of the Year, is right back in the conversation with nods including another shot at defending her title.
Lambert, the most decorated artist in ACM history with 33 wins, is once again positioned to add to her legacy. The 61st ACM Awards will take place May 17 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, streaming live on Prime Video.
If the nominations are any signal, country music in 2026 belongs to the women.
