Women Dominate 2026 ACM Awards: Here's Who Could Make History

Country music’s biggest night is about to crown some serious winners—and for the second year running, women are leading the charge.

When the ACM Awards take place on Sunday, May 17 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the stage will be set for some genuinely historic moments. Megan Moroney arrives as the most-nominated artist with nine nods, trailed by Miranda Lambert with eight, and both Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson with seven apiece. It’s a remarkable shift in a genre that’s spent decades playing catch-up on gender equity. Last year, Langley held the top spot; this year, Moroney’s doing the honors. That’s not a coincidence—it’s a pattern.

The Entertainer of the Year race is where things get really interesting. Lainey Wilson and Megan Moroney are up against Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton, Jelly Roll, and Morgan Wallen. If Luke Combs wins, he’ll complete the ACM’s triple crown, having already claimed New Male Artist of the Year and Male Artist of the Year. But here’s the storyline that could make May 17 unforgettable: if Lainey Wilson takes it, she’d join Carrie Underwood as only the second woman ever to win Entertainer of the Year three times—and she’d be the first woman to do it three consecutive years. That’s not just a trophy moment. That’s legacy territory.

The early wins have already rolled in. Tucker Wetmore earned New Male Artist of the Year, Avery Anna captured New Female Artist of the Year, and Jessie Jo Dillon took home Songwriter of the Year. The music video for Stephen Wilson Jr.’s“Cuckoo”won Visual Media of the Year. But these appetizers are just setting the table for the main event.

Shania Twain will host the ceremony, which will stream live via Prime Video for the fifth consecutive year. So whether you’re catching it in real time or tuning in later, you’re in for a night where the women of country music could very well steal the show—again.

The question isn’t whether country’s leading ladies deserve the recognition. They clearly do. The real question is: how much longer does Nashville’s infrastructure take to catch up to what the music’s been telling us all along?