BREAKING: MusicRow Reveals Nominees For 38th Annual MusicRow Awards

MusicRow Magazine is proud to reveal the nominees for the 2026 MusicRow Awards, presented by City National Bank. Determined by MusicRow subscribers, this year’s winners will be revealed on all online MusicRow platforms on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

MusicRow subscribers will receive their ballots via email on Wednesday, August 5. The Ballot Voting Period runs through Friday, Aug. 14 at 5 p.m. To become a MusicRow subscriber and become eligible to vote, sign up here.

Click here to view the digital “Nominator” newsletter for a complete list of all nominees.

 

There are 16 subscriber-voted categories, including:
1. Producer of the Year
2. Studio of the Year
3. Label Group of the Year
4. Talent Agency of the Year
5. Publishing Company of the Year
6. Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year
7. Breakthrough Artist-Writer of the Year
8. Male Songwriter of the Year
9. Female Songwriter of the Year
10. Song of the Year
11. Discovery Artist of the Year
12. Breakthrough Artist of the Year
13. Female Artist of the Year
14. Male Artist of the Year
15. Group/Duo Artist of the Year
16. Entertainer of the Year

Now in its 38th year, the MusicRow Awards are Nashville’s longest running music industry trade publication honors and celebrate the achievements of songwriters, artists, producers and more.

The final nominees revealed in this announcement are determined by a committee. For the categories of Breakthrough Songwriter and Breakthrough Artist-Writer, outside nominations are also considered. For the Male and Female Songwriter of the Year categories, nominees are based on data from MusicRow’s Top Songwriter Chart.

All nominations are based on projects that were active between the period of June 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026. Continuing MusicRow’s tradition of recognizing talent behind the scenes, the Top 10 Album All-Star Musician Awards will be presented in conjunction with the MusicRow Awards. These honors salute Nashville’s most in-demand studio players who performed on the most albums reaching the Top 10 of Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart during the eligibility period.