The 61st annual Academy of Country Music Awards show took place Sunday night in Las Vegas. The show was hosted by Shania Twain, and streamed live on Amazon Prime. Cody Johnson was named Entertainer of the Year. Ella Langley was the top winner, with 7 awards, including Female Artist.
Following is the full list of winners in the 14 categories voted on by Academy members:
MAIN AWARDS:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Cody Johnson
FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Ella Langley
MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Cody Johnson
DUO OF THE YEAR
Brooks & Dunn
GROUP OF THE YEAR
The Red Clay Strays
NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Avery Anna
NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Tucker Wetmore
ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
Parker McCollum – Parker McCollum
Producer: Frank Liddell, Eric Masse
Publisher: Warner Chappell Music Nashville
SINGLE OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
Choosin’ Texas – Ella Langley
Producer: Miranda Lambert, Ben West
Record Company-Label: SAWGOD / Columbia Records
SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
Choosin’ Texas - Ella Langley
Songwriters: Ella Langley, Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Joybeth Taylor
Publishers: Bada Bing & Bada Langley Publishing; Little Louder Songs; Sony Music Publishing
VISUAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]
Cuckoo -Stephen Wilson Jr.
Producer: Tim Cofield
Director(s): Tim Cofield, Stephen Wilson Jr.
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Jessie Jo Dillon
ARTIST-SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Ella Langley
MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
Don’t Mind If I Do- Riley Green, Ella Langley
Producers: Dann Huff
Record Company-Label: Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment
Performance Highlights:
Reigning Entertainer of the Year and 16-time ACM Award recipient Lainey Wilson opened the show with a high-octane world premiere performance of her new single "Can't Sit Still.”
Last year’s New Male Artist of the Year and New Female Artist of the Year returned to the ACM Awards stage - Zach Top performed his upbeat track "Honky Tonk Till It Hurts” and Ella Langley performed her song "Be Her" from her sophomore album. The 2026 New Male Artist of the Year, Tucker Wetmore, was introduced by his mother alongside host Shania Twain, and went on to perform "Brunette” and 2026 New Female Artist of the Year, Avery Anna, performed her hit sequence "Bang Bang" / "Blood Runs Thicker."
Throughout the night, Country Music’s biggest names took the stage to perform. Miranda Lambert, the most decorated artist in ACM Awards history, delivered a showstopping performance of her new Country disco single "Crisco.” Seven-time ACM Award recipient Thomas Rhett teamed up with two-time ACM Awards recipient Jordan Davis to exclusively perform their first song together, "Ain't A Bad Life." Eight-time ACM Award-winning legendary group Little Big Town delivered a debut performance of their new song "Hey There Sunshine." Accompanied by a gospel choir, The Red Clay Strays performed a soulful rendition of their new track "Demons In Your Choir," making their ACM Awards performance debut. Parker McCollum teamed up with Lee Ann Womack for their first live performance of "Killin' Me" from McCollum’s self-titled album. Seven-time ACM Award recipient Kacey Musgraves made her ACM Awards performance debut, singing “Dry Spell,” a new single from her upcoming sixth studio album, Middle of Nowhere. Five-time ACM Awards winner and 2026 ACM Lifting Lives Country on the Green headliner, Riley Green, performed "Change My Mind," the hit single from his third studio album. Cody Johnson took the stage to perform his cover of "Travelin' Soldier." ACM Award winner Kane Brown performed his new Country-pop single “Woman.” First-time ACM Award nominee and Amazon Music Breakthrough Artist Carter Faith made her ACM Awards performance debut, singing "If I Had Never Lost My Mind."
Seven-time ACM Award recipients Dan + Shay, in collaboration with ACM Lifting Lives, the philanthropic partner of the Academy of Country Music, created a powerful moment spotlighting mental health as they performed their new single "Say So," a deeply personal track focused on suicide prevention in tribute to their late friend and mentor. Lauren Alaina introduced the performance, mentioning that when she first heard the song, she knew it was “going to save lives”. Dan + Shay’s powerful performance brought the audience to their feet with a standing ovation.
Six-time ACM Award recipient and former ACM Awards host Blake Shelton closed out the show with a powerful rendition of Kenny Rogers’ "The Gambler" in tribute to the Country Music legend.
