Country music’s biggest night is shaping up to be an exciting one, with the Academy of Country Music unveiling the nominees for the 2025 ACM Awards—and there’s a major surprise at the top. Rising star Ella Langley leads the pack with an impressive nine nominations, proving she’s a force to be reckoned with in the industry.
Just behind Langley, Lainey Wilson, Cody Johnson, and Morgan Wallen each scored eight nods, while Chris Stapleton followed closely with six. Other top contenders include Post Malone and Riley Green with five nominations each, and Kelsea Ballerini with four.
The ACM’s top honor, Entertainer of the Year, features seven nominees, with reigning winner Lainey Wilson back to defend her title. She’ll be going up against Cody Johnson, Morgan Wallen, Chris Stapleton, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, and Jelly Roll. The only newcomer to the category is Ballerini, who replaces last year’s nominee Kane Brown.
The 60th annual ACM Awards will take place on May 8 in Frisco, Texas, with Reba McEntire returning as host. The show will stream live nationwide on Prime Video.
How the ACMs Count Their Nominations
The ACMs have a unique approach to tallying nominations. Unlike the Grammys or CMAs, which count nominations per category, the ACMs recognize artists for multiple roles. If an artist writes, produces, or directs a project they perform on, they can rack up multiple nominations for the same entry.
That’s why Langley, despite being nominated in six categories, has a total of nine nods—she co-wrote her hit song and co-directed its music video. Most top nominees benefited from this system, except for Cody Johnson, who earned all eight nominations strictly as an artist.
The Female Artist of the Year category is packed with powerhouse talent, with Langley facing off against Lainey Wilson, Kelsea Ballerini, Megan Moroney, and Kacey Musgraves.
Meanwhile, the Male Artist of the Year nominees closely mirror the Entertainer of the Year list—minus the women, of course. Competing for the award are Cody Johnson, Morgan Wallen, Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs, and Jelly Roll.
Despite Beyoncé’s success at the Grammys, where her country-leaning album “Cowboy Carter” won Best Country Album, the ACMs didn’t show her the same love. Neither the album nor its hit single “Texas Hold ‘Em” earned nominations, highlighting the ACMs’ traditionalist leanings when it comes to country radio play.
Also missing from the nominee list? Country veterans Miranda Lambert and Kane Brown, both past Entertainer of the Year contenders. Other snubs include Lady A, Ashley McBryde, and Zach Bryan, who received three nominations last year but was completely shut out in 2025. Even Luke Combs, last year’s most-nominated artist, saw a dip—landing only three nods after leading with eight in 2024.
With a mix of fresh faces, repeat nominees, and surprising snubs, the 2025 ACM Awards are bound to be one of the most talked-about events in country music this year. Who will take home the trophies? We’ll find out on May 8!
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
• Kelsea Ballerini
• Luke Combs
• Cody Johnson
• Jelly Roll
• Chris Stapleton
• Morgan Wallen
• Lainey Wilson
FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
• Kelsea Ballerini
• Ella Langley
• Megan Moroney
• Kacey Musgraves
• Lainey Wilson
MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
• Luke Combs
• Cody Johnson
• Jelly Roll
• Chris Stapleton
• Morgan Wallen
DUO OF THE YEAR
• Brooks & Dunn
• Brothers Osborne
• Dan + Shay
• Muscadine Bloodline
• The War And Treaty
GROUP OF THE YEAR
• Flatland Cavalry
• Little Big Town
• Old Dominion
• Rascal Flatts
• The Red Clay Strays
NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
• Kassi Ashton
• Ashley Cooke
• Dasha
• Ella Langley
• Jessie Murph
NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
• Gavin Adcock
• Shaboozey
• Zach Top
• Tucker Wetmore
• Bailey Zimmerman
NEW DUO OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
• Restless Road
• The Red Clay Strays
• Treaty Oak Revival
ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
• “Am I Okay? (I’ll Be Fine)” – Megan Moroney
Producer: Kristian Bush
Record Company-Label: Columbia Records / Sony Music Nashville
• “Beautifully Broken” – Jelly Roll
Producers: BazeXX, Brock Berryhill, Zach Crowell, Devin Dawson, Charlie Handsome, Ben Johnson, mgk, The Monsters & Strangerz, Austin Nivarel, SlimXX, Ryan Tedder, Isaiah Tejada, Alysa Vanderheym
Record Company-Label: BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville / Republic Records
• “Cold Beer & Country Music” – Zach Top
Producer: Carson Chamberlain
Record Company-Label: Leo33
• “F-1 Trillion” – Post Malone
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
Record Company-Label: Mercury Records / Republic Records
• “Whirlwind” – Lainey Wilson
Producer: Jay Joyce
Record Company-Label: BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville
SINGLE OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
• “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” – Shaboozey
Producers: Sean Cook, Nevin Sastry
Record Company-Label: American Dogwood / EMPIRE
• “Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson
Producer: Trent Willmon
Record Company-Label: CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville
• “I Had Some Help” – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
Record Company-Label: Mercury Records / Republic Records
• “White Horse” – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton, Morgane Stapleton
Record Company-Label: Mercury Nashville
• “You Look Like You Love Me” – Ella Langley, Riley Green
Producer: Will Bundy
Record Company-Label: SAWGOD / Columbia Records
SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
• “4x4xU” – Lainey Wilson
Songwriters: Jon Decious, Aaron Raitiere, Lainey Wilson
Publishers: Louisiana Lady; One Tooth Productions; Reservoir 416; Songs of One Riot Music; Sony/ATV Accent
• “The Architect” – Kacey Musgraves
Songwriters: Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves, Josh Osborne
Publishers: Songs for Indy and Owl; Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing
• “Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson
Songwriter: Josh Phillips
Publishers: Warner-Tamerlane Publishing; Write or Die Music; Write the Lightning Publishing
• “I Had Some Help” – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen
Songwriters: Louis Bell, Ashley Gorley, Hoskins, Austin Post, Ernest Keith Smith, Morgan Wallen, Chandler Paul Walters, Ryan Vojtesak
Publishers: Bell Ear Publishing; Master of my Domain Music; Poppy’s Picks; Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing; Universal Music Corporation
• “You look like you love me” – Ella Langley, Riley Green
Songwriters: Riley Green, Ella Langley, Aaron Raitiere
Publishers: Back 40 Publishing International; Langley Publishing; One Tooth Productions; Sony/ATV Tree; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp
MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
• Cowboys Cry Too – Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan
Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan, Alysa Vanderheym
Record Company-Label: Black River Entertainment
• I Had Some Help – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
Record Company-Label: Mercury Records / Republic Records
• I’m Gonna Love You – Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood
Producer: Trent Willmon
Record Company-Label: CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville
• we don’t fight anymore – Carly Pearce, Chris Stapleton
Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Carly Pearce
Record Company-Label: Big Machine Records
• you look like you love me – Ella Langley, Riley Green
Producer: Will Bundy
Record Company-Label: SAWGOD / Columbia Records
VISUAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]
• 4x4xU – Lainey Wilson
Producer: Jennifer Ansell
Director: Dano Cerny
• Dirt Cheap – Cody Johnson
Producer: Dustin Haney
Director: Dustin Haney
• I’m Gonna Love You – Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood
Producers: Christen Pinkston, Wesley Stebbins-Perry
Director: Dustin Haney
• Think I’m In Love With You – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Wes Edwards, Angie Lorenz, Jamie Stratakis
Director: Running Bear (Stephen Kinigopoulos, Alexa Stone)
• you look like you love me – Ella Langley, Riley Green
Producer: Whale Tale Music
Directors: Ella Langley, John Park, Wales Toney
ARTIST-SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
• Luke Combs
• ERNEST
• HARDY
• Morgan Wallen
• Lainey Wilson
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
• Jessi Alexander
• Jessie Jo Dillon
• Ashley Gorley
• Chase McGill
• Josh Osborne
