The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards will take place on May 17 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with Shania Twain hosting for the first time. The ceremony returns to Las Vegas after three years in Frisco, Texas, and will stream on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch.
Women dominate the nominations for the second consecutive year. Megan Moroney leads with nine nods, followed by Miranda Lambert with eight, and Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson with seven each. Chris Stapleton earned six nominations, Zach Top five, and Cody Johnson four.
Entertainer of the year nominees include Moroney, Wilson, Stapleton, Johnson, Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, and Morgan Wallen. Album of the year contenders are Wallen's I'm the Problem, Top's Ain't in It for My Health, Riley Green's Don't Mind If I Do, Parker McCollum's self-titled album, and Carter Faith's Cherry Valley.
Performers include Lambert, Langley, Top, Wilson, Johnson, Green, Faith, Avery Anna, Tucker Wetmore, McCollum, Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town, Blake Shelton, Dan + Shay, Jordan Davis, Kane Brown, The Red Clay Strays, Thomas Rhett, and Lee Ann Womack. Presenters include Ashley McBryde, Keith Urban, and former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Pre-ceremony awards were handed out: Jessie Jo Dillon won songwriter of the year for the third consecutive time, Stephen Wilson Jr. won visual media of the year for Cuckoo, and Avery Anna and Tucker Wetmore were named new female and new male artist of the year, respectively.
