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ACM Reveals Studio Recording & Industry Awards Nominations For 61st ACM Awards

April 13, 2026/by Lorie Hollabaugh

The Academy of Country Music has announced the Studio Recording Awards and Industry Awards nominations for the upcoming 61st Academy of Country Music Awards.

The winners will be announced in the coming weeks and trophies will be presented to recipients at the 19th Academy of Country Music Honors event, held annually in August in Nashville. More details including additional honorees for this year’s show will be announced in the coming months.

Studio Recording Award Nominees:

BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Eli Beaird
Tony Lucido
Steve Mackey
Mike Rinne
Jimmie Lee Sloas

DRUMMER OF THE YEAR:
Fred Eltringham
Evan Hutchings
Chris McHugh
Nir Z
Jerry Roe

ACOUSTIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Kris Donegan
Todd Lombardo
Devin Malone
Bryan Sutton
Ilya Toshinskiy

PIANO/KEYBOARD PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Dave Cohen
David Dorn
Charlie Judge
Billy Justineau
Gordon Mote

SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Eleonore Denig
Stuart Duncan
Mike Johnson
Scotty Sanders
Justin Schipper

ELECTRIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Kris Donegan
Nathan Keeterle
Rob McNelley
Sol Philcox-Littlefield
Derek Wells

AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR:
Dave Clauss
Jim Cooley
Eric Masse
Buckley Miller
Justin Niebank

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR:
Will Bundy
Carson Chamberlain
Dann Huff
Chris LaCorte
Ben West

Industry Award Nominees:

CASINO OF THE YEAR – THEATER:
Choctaw Grand Theater – Durant, OK
Golden Nugget Lake Charles – Lake Charles, LA
Hard Rock Live (in Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood) – Davie, FL
Resorts World Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV
The Venue at Thunder Valley at Thunder Valley Casino – Lincoln, CA

CASINO OF THE YEAR – ARENA:
BECU Live at Northern Quest Casino – Airway Heights, WA
Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena – Atlantic City, NJ
Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, CT
Soaring Eagle – Mount Pleasant, MI
Stir Concert Cove – Council Bluffs, IA

FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR:
C2C: Country to Country Festival – London, England
CMC Rocks – Ipswich, Queensland
Stagecoach – Indio, CA
Tortuga Music Festival – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Two Step In – Georgetown, TX

FAIR/RODEO OF THE YEAR:
Calgary Stampede – Calgary, Alberta
California Mid-State Fair – Paso Robles, CA
Cheyenne Frontier Days – Cheyenne, WY
Florida Strawberry Festival – Plant City, FL
San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo – San Antonio, TX

CLUB OF THE YEAR:
Billy Bob’s Texas – Fort Worth, TX
Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville, TN
Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, OK
Joe’s Live – Rosemont, IL
The Pinnacle – Nashville, TN

THEATER OF THE YEAR:
Blue Gate Theatre – Shipshewana, IN
Grand Ole Opry House – Nashville, TN
State Theatre – Portland, ME
The Franklin Theatre – Franklin, TN
Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN

OUTDOOR VENUE OF THE YEAR:
CMAC – Canandaigua, NY
Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre – Denver, CO
Floores Country Store – Helotes, TX
The Orion Amphitheater – Huntsville, AL
Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
Walmart AMP (Arkansas Music Pavilion) – Rogers, AR

ARENA OF THE YEAR:
BOK Center – Tulsa, OK
Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
Dickies Arena – Ft. Worth, TX
Paycom Center – Oklahoma City, OK
T-Mobile Center – Kansas City, MO

DON ROMEO TALENT BUYER OF THE YEAR:
Andrew Fortin – Neste Live!
Susan Heymann – Frontier Touring
Stacy Vee – Goldenvoice
Ed Warm – Joe’s Concerts
Del Williams – Danny Wimmer Presents

PROMOTER OF THE YEAR:
Patrick McDill – Live Nation
Brian O’Connell – Live Nation
Bob Roux – Live Nation
Rich Schaefer – AEG Presents
Adam Weiser – AEG Presents

  • Author
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Lorie Hollabaugh
Lorie Hollabaugh
Hollabaugh, a staff writer at MusicRow magazine, has over 20 years of music business experience and has written for publications including American Profile, CMA Close Up, Nashville Arts And Entertainment, The Boot and Country Weekly. She has a Broadcast Journalism and Speech Communication degree from Texas Christian University, (go Horned Frogs), and welcomes your feedback or story ideas at lhollabaugh@musicrow.com.
Lorie Hollabaugh
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https://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/ACM-Awards-logo.png 1080 1920 Lorie Hollabaugh https://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MusicRow-header-logo-Mar19B.png Lorie Hollabaugh2026-04-13 11:01:322026-04-13 11:01:32ACM Reveals Studio Recording & Industry Awards Nominations For 61st ACM Awards

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