The ceremony is poised for a big shake-up this year
The 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards are poised for a significant shake-up, with a new host, a fresh venue, and a strong female presence among the nominees, marking a distinct shift for the annual event.
Country music icon Shania Twain will take the reins as host for the first time, succeeding Reba McEntire.
The ceremony is also relocating to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, departing from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, after a three-year tenure.
Adding to the fresh feel, women are leading the nominations this year.
The event is scheduled for 17 May at 8 p.m. EDT.
Here’s how to watch, who’s nominated and more.
How can I watch the Academy of Country Music Awards?
Fans eager to catch the action can stream the 2026 ACM Awards live on Prime Video, the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, and via the Amazon Music app.
Who is nominated?
Megan Moroney leads the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards with nine nominations.
She’s followed by Miranda Lambert, the most-decorated artist in ACM Awards history, with eight, as well as Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson with seven.
Chris Stapleton follows with six nominations, Zach Top with five and Cody Johnson with four.
In addition to Moroney, those competing for entertainer of the year are Wilson, Stapleton, Johnson, Luke Combs, Jelly Roll and Morgan Wallen.
In 2025, Wilson took home the top prize for a second year in a row.
In the album of the year category, Wallen’s I’m the Problem faces off against Top’s Ain’t In It For My Health, Riley Green’s Don’t Mind If I Do, Parker McCollum’s Parker McCollum and first-time nominee Carter Faith’s Cherry Valley.
Other first-time nominees include 49 Winchester, Avery Anna, Mackenzie Carpenter, Hudson Westbrook, Stephen Wilson Jr. and more.
What’s new this year?
Beyond the move to Las Vegas and Twain’s first-time taking a turn at hosting, it’s clear that women are ruling the nominations, with Moroney, Lambert, Langley and Lainey Wilson leading the pack.
But is it a sign that the country music business is making room for more female talent?
“I think it is so cool,” country singer Ashley McBryde said about women leading the nominations.
But the music industry pitting women against one another? She is not sure that will ever stop.
“But I think we’ve managed — me, Miranda (Lambert), Carly (Pearce), Kelsey (Ballerini), we’ve been trying to build a table, and we’ve been trying for years to make the table bigger, and now it is. And I’m looking forward to operating in the environment that we built.”
Additionally, unlike last year, there isn’t just one song dominating. Who could forget the year of Langley and Riley Green’s “You Look Like You Love Me,” which accounted for six of her eight nods last year?
This time around, in the single of the year category, Lambert and Stapleton’s “A Song to Sing” will go head-to-head with Moroney’s “Am I Okay?,” Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas,” Top’s “I Never Lie” and Wilson’s “Somewhere Over Laredo.” And that’s just scratching the surface.
Who will perform?
Performers will include Lambert, Langley, Top, Faith, Wilson, Johnson, Green, Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town, Blake Shelton, Dan + Shay, Jordan Davis, Kane Brown, The Red Clay Strays, Thomas Rhett, Avery Anna and Tucker Wetmore.
