The 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards delivered a night of surprises and standout moments, with breakout star Ella Langley dominating the early proceedings while Cody Johnson walked away with the evening's most prestigious prize, Entertainer of the Year.
Ella Langley's Remarkable Night
The 27-year-old singer secured five awards, beginning with the coveted Song of the Year for her crossover hit Choosin' Texas, presented by Michael Bublé. An emotional Langley expressed her gratitude, saying: "I'm not at a loss for words very often. Thank you to the fans. I don't know why you latched on to this song but thank you for doing it."
Less than an hour later, she returned to the stage to accept Single of the Year for the same smash hit. She then joined Riley Green to collect Music Event of the Year for their duet Don't Mind if I Do, before capping off her impressive run with a fourth on-stage trophy for Female Artist of the Year. With her voice cracking, she said: "I'm trying to get to say something but I can't. I would not be standing up here without the encouragement of so many women."
Cody Johnson's Top Honour
While Langley dominated the early awards, Cody Johnson took home the night's most prestigious prize. Earlier, he had been named Male Artist of the Year. In his acceptance speech for Entertainer of the Year, Johnson reflected on his craft: "They say that music is the sound of emotion. I get to convey that through this thing that God gave me called music." He dedicated his top award to Luke Combs.
Star-Studded Ceremony in Las Vegas
The 61st annual awards ceremony was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, a notable change from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, where it had been hosted for the past three years. The event promised and delivered a star-studded line-up. Lainey Wilson, a two-time former Entertainer of the Year, kicked off the show with her latest single, the anthemic Can't Sit Still.
Host Shania Twain made a grand entrance to her 1997 hit Man! I Feel Like a Woman!, congratulating Lainey Wilson on her recent wedding. Twain, hosting for the first time after taking over from Reba McEntire, reflected on her own career, noting her first ACM Award 30 years ago and her first top 10 hit at age 30. "What a time this is for country music!" she exclaimed, adding: "Make it loud for all our sheroes," in a clear nod to the women of country music.
The evening featured a rapid succession of performances, including Miranda Lambert with Crisco, Thomas Rhett and Jordan Davis performing Ain't A Bad Life, and Avery Anna's country-rock reimagining of Nancy Sinatra's Bang Bang. Riley Green delivered Change My Mind, Zach Top performed Honky Tonk Till It Hurts, Little Big Town sang Hey There Sunshine, and The Red Clay Strays offered Demons in Your Choir.
Pre-Show and Additional Awards
Pre-show accolades saw Langley also named Artist-Songwriter of the Year. Jessie Jo Dillon made history as the first artist to win Songwriter of the Year three times consecutively, while Stephen Wilson Jr. received Visual Media of the Year for Cuckoo. Avery Anna and Tucker Wetmore were recognised as New Female and New Male Artist of the Year, respectively.
Back on stage, Wetmore performed Brunette, Parker McCollum and Lee Ann Womack duetted on Killin' Me, and Kacey Musgraves brought her signature wit with Dry Spell, performing atop a washing machine. Carter Faith's If I Had Never Lost My Mind was a vocal highlight, followed by Johnson's Travelin' Soldier and Kane Brown's Woman.
Group of the Year went to The Red Clay Strays, and Duo of the Year was awarded to Brooks & Dunn, with Kix Brooks joking: "I don't know why y'all aren't getting sick of us, But we love y'all."
In a highly competitive category, Parker McCollum's self-titled album secured Album of the Year, triumphing over releases from Morgan Wallen, Zach Top, Riley Green, and first-time nominee Carter Faith.
Poignant Performances Close the Night
The night concluded with two poignant performances: Dan + Shay's Say So, dedicated to the late Warner Chappell president and CEO Ben Vaughn, and Blake Shelton's powerful rendition of The Gambler. Shelton's performance paid tribute to the recently deceased Don Schlitz, the storied country music songwriter behind the Kenny Rogers classic, a 1978 track that achieved both massive genre success and pop crossover appeal.
Full List of Winners
- Entertainer of the Year: Cody Johnson
- Female Artist of the Year: Ella Langley
- Male Artist of the Year: Cody Johnson
- Group of the Year: The Red Clay Strays
- Duo of the Year: Brooks & Dunn
- New Female Artist of the Year: Avery Anna
- New Male Artist of the Year: Tucker Wetmore
- Album of the Year: Parker McCollum, Parker McCollum
- Song of the Year: Choosin' Texas, Ella Langley
- Single of the Year: Choosin' Texas, Ella Langley
- Music Event of the Year: Don't Mind If I Do, Riley Green feat. Ella Langley
- Visual Media of the Year: Cuckoo, Stephen Wilson Jr.
- Songwriter of the Year: Jessie Jo Dillon
- Artist-Songwriter of the Year: Ella Langley
The 2026 ACM Awards were streamed on Prime Video, the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, and the Amazon Music app.
