Keep an eye out for some history to be made on Sunday.
With the 61st annual ACM Awards airing live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, the buzz surrounding the show keeps growing with each passing day. Like the CMAs last year, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney and Lainey Wilson are leading the way once again. Additionally, Zach Top, Morgan Wallen, Cody Johnson and Chris Stapleton are also among the night’s top-nominated artists.
So far, we’ve already seen the Academy crown multiple winners. Both Tucker Wetmore and Avery Anna took home New Male and Female Artist to kick things off late last month. The red-hot Stephen Wilson Jr. took home his first ACM, winning Visual Media of the Year for “Cuckoo.” Finally, Jessie Jo Dillon made history, winning Songwriter of the Year for the third straight year and becoming the first to win the award three times.
Despite quite a few winners already being revealed, there’s still plenty of awards up for grabs across the major categories. In particular, Zach Top is riding the well-deserved buzz gained at both the CMA Awards and Grammys recently, picking up five nominations for Male Artist of the Year (his first), Album of the Year (Ain’t In It For My Health) and Single and Song of the Year (“I Never Lie”).
Ella Langley is also gearing up for a huge night, thanks to the success of her record-breaking hit, “Choosin’ Texas,” getting seven nominations. These include her first-ever Female Artist of the Year nod as well as a Single and Song of the Year nomination for “Choosin’ Texas,” and an Artist-Songwriter nod.
A familiar cast of characters (for the most part) occupy the Entertainer of the Year nominees, with Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Megan Moroney, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen and Lainey Wilson all receiving nods in the jam-packed category.
Of course, given the history of the ACM Awards, there are plenty of different notable storylines and potential records to be broken by various artists throughout the night. Notably, Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs and Lainey Wilson have the opportunity to set, break or extend some major ACM records thanks to the data collected by Vegas Insider.
Here are five of the most notable records that can be broken in Vegas this Sunday.
1. Chris Stapleton Passes George Strait
Unsurprisingly, the King himself, George Strait, has remained the highest-decorated male artist in the history of the ACM Awards with 24. Thanks to his generational run over the past decade, however, Chris Stapleton has quickly closed the gap in the past few years. As it stands today, Stapleton has 21 awards with an additional five nominations this year — including Entertainer, Male Artist, Song, Music Event and Visual Media of the Year (“Song to Sing”).
He’s already lost Visual Media of the Year to Stephen Wilson Jr.’s “Cuckoo.” With that being said, if “Song to Sing” receives a lot of love on Sunday and he wins his third Male Vocalist trophy in four years, he can pass Strait and bring his career total up to 25.
2. Luke Combs Notches The “Triple Crown”
The ACM “Triple Crown,” which is an award given to artists who have notched New Male/Female Artist, Male/Female Artist and Entertainer of the Year at some point in their career, is incredibly rare. Throughout its history, only 11 artists have ever done it, including the likes of Merle Haggard, Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Carrie Underwood and Chris Stapleton.
So far, Luke Combs has won New Male Artist in 2019 and Male Vocalist of the Year in 2020, meaning he just needs to grab the highly-coveted Entertainer of the Year this year to obtain it. Given the fact that he’s currently 0/7 in the past decade, it’s safe to say the “Hurricane” singer is past due for one. With so much momentum following the release of The Way I Am and his My Kinda Saturday Night Tour, I could see Combs cementing himself in country music history on Sunday.
3. Chris Stapleton Ties Merle Haggard
As stated previously, Chris Stapleton has been on one hell of a run the past decade. Since his debut in 2015, the “White Horse” singer has already won five Male Artist of the Year trophies. Amazingly, he’s already surpassed the likes of George Strait, Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, George Jones and more. As it stands, he’s currently in second place behind Merle Haggard, who has six.
Given how well Stapleton has fared at the ACMs recently, it seems likely he can tie Haggard this year.
4. Miranda Lambert Extends Her Song of the Year Record
As the most awarded artist in the history of the ACMs with a staggering 38 awards, Miranda Lambert holds multiple records. One of the most notable, however, is the number of Song of the Year trophies she’s garnered over the years. To date, she’s won seven, six as a songwriter and artist for “Tin Man” (2018), “Automatic” (2015)” and “Over You” (2013) as well as one as an artist for “The House That Built Me” (2011).
Being an artist and songwriter on “Song to Sing” with Chris Stapleton and a co-writer on Ella Langley’s mega-hit, “Choosin’ Texas,” Lambert has a good chance to extend her lead in some capacity, especially with “Choosin’ Texas” heavily favored to bring home the trophy.
5. Lainey Wilson Joins Elite Company With Third-Straight Entertainer of the Year Win
It’s no secret at this point that Lainey Wilson is an award show darling. Bringing home three straight Female Artist of the Year and two straight Entertainer of the Year trophies here at the ACMs, as well as four straight Female Artist of the Year and two EOTY wins in the past three years at the CMAs, she’s simply been dominant.
If Wilson brings home her third-straight Entertainer of the Year on Sunday, she’ll become the first woman to win in three consecutive years. Even more incredibly, she’ll become just the sixth artist ever to notch the three-peat, joining only Alabama, Hank Williams Jr., Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney and Jason Aldean.
You can view the full list of nominees below.
2026 ACM Awards Nominees
Entertainer of the Year
Luke Combs
Jelly Roll
Cody Johnson
Megan Moroney
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Lainey Wilson
Female Artist of the Year
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Ella Langley
Megan Moroney
Lainey Wilson
Male Artist of the Year
Luke Combs
Riley Green
Cody Johnson
Chris Stapleton
Zach Top
Group of the Year
49 Winchester
Flatland Cavalry
Old Dominion
Rascal Flatts
The Red Clay Strays
Duo of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Muscadine Bloodline
Thelma & James
Album of the Year
[Awarded to artist(s)/producer(s)/record Company–label(s)]
Ain’t In It For My Health – Zach Top; Producer: Carson Chamberlain; Record Company-Label: Leo33
Cherry Valley – Carter Faith; Producer: Tofer Brown; Record Company-Label: Gatsby Records / MCA
Don’t Mind If I Do (Deluxe) – Riley Green; Producers: Dann Huff, Michael Knox; Record Company-Label: Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment
I’m The Problem – Morgan Wallen; Producers: Joey Moi, Charlie Handsome, Jacob Durrett; Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records
Parker McCollum – Parker McCollum; Producers: Frank Liddell, Eric Masse; Record Company-Label: MCA
Song of the Year
“A Song To Sing” – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton; Songwriters: Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Jenee Fleenor, Jesse Frasure
“Am I Okay?” – Megan Moroney; Songwriters: Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, Jessie Jo Dillon
“Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley; Songwriters: Ella Langley, Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Joybeth Taylor
“I Never Lie” – Zach Top; Songwriters: Zach Top, Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols
“Somewhere Over Laredo – Lainey Wilson; Songwriters: Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson, Andy Albert, Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg
Single of the Year
“6 Months Later” – Megan Moroney
“Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley
“I Never Lie” – Zach Top
“Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey Wilson
“The Fall” – Cody Johnson
Visual Media of the Year
“6 Months Later” – Megan Moroney
“A Song To Sing” – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton
“Cuckoo” -Stephen Wilson, Jr. (WINNER)
“Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey Wilson
“The Fall” – Cody Johnson
Music Event of the Year
“A Song To Sing” – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton
“Amen” – Shaboozey & Jelly Roll
“Don’t Mind If I Do” – Riley Green feat. Ella Langley
“Trailblazer” – Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson
“You Had To Be There” – Megan Moroney & Kenny Chesney
Songwriter of the Year
Jessie Jo Dillon (WINNER)
Ashley Gorley
Charlie Handsome
Chase McGill
Blake Pendergrass
Artist-Songwriter of the Year
Luke Combs
Riley Green
Ella Langley
Megan Moroney
Morgan Wallen
New Male Artist of the Year
Gavin Adcock
Vincent Mason
Shaboozey
Hudson Westbrook
Tucker Wetmore (WINNER)
New Female Artist of the Year
Avery Anna (WINNER)
Mackenzie Carpenter
Dasha
Caroline Jones
Emily Ann Roberts
