The Academy of Country Music Awards nominations for 2023 are led by two of the newer artists in the genre who have crossed the threshold into becoming stars, Hardy, who has seven nods, and Lainey Wilson, who has six.
Following close behind with five nominations each were Miranda Lambert, Luke Combs, Kane Brown and Cole Swindell. Lambert is the most veteran of this crop, having won a record number of ACM Awards over the past two decades.
Of the nominations they picked up, Hardy and Wilson share a nod in three categories, as the duet they recorded, the domestic violence-themed “Wait in the Truck,” is in the running for song of the year, visual media of the year and event of the year.
Wilson is actually nominated in more categories than any other artist, ahead of even Hardy, despite officially trailing him in her overall haul. The discrepancy comes in because the ACM Awards, unlike other music awards shows, allow artists to claim separate trophies for producing, writing and singing a recording, if applicable, and so Hardy picked up dual nods in a couple of categories for “Wait in the Truck” as a co-writer and co-producer.
As is often the case at the two most longstanding country awards shows, the ACMs and the CMAs, the top nominees claimed that honor despite the fact that neither of them got picked to contend for the top prize, entertainer of the year. That trophy is usually reserved for artists with more years under their belt buckle.
This year’s entertainer of the year contenders are Lambert, Brown, Combs, Jason Aldean, Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood and Morgan Wallen. Both Brown and Wallen are up for this top prize for the first time. The only artist who was nominated for it in 2022 who does not return to contend for it again in this crop is Eric Church. Aldean got his nod for entertainer for the first time in four years. (The number of nominees for that award expanding from five to seven is not the result of a tie: the Academy announced in December that its board of directors had approved upping the number of final nominees in that category alone.)
The Academy noted in a press release that women are accounted for as nominees in all the major categories — a point of constant interest, given the vast underrepresentation of woman on the country radio charts year after year. The org also pointed out that women actually dominate the album of the year category, with much-celebrated albums by Wilson, Lambert and Ashley McBryde being up against releases by Combs and Jon Pardi.
For anyone looking for a “snub,” some of Zach Bryan’s fans may protest that the throughly hot artist is up only for one award, new male artist of the year. That is more of a nominations haul than he got for last November’s CMA Awards, where he was up for nothing, a shutout that caused both the artist and his millions of fans to slam the organization. The fact that Bryan’s songs are not being promoted to country radio, and that the outspoken artist has held himself at more than arm’s length from Nashville, may account for his being a new country superstar without awards portfolio.
If you’re wondering how songs as massive and acclaimed as “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” and “You Should Probably Leave” got only one nomination apiece, a refresher look at last year’s nominations provides an explanation: both songs split their nods over two years. The Carly Pearce/Ashley McBryde duet “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” is in contention for single of the year, after being up for song of the year, event of the year and music video of the year in 2022. Stapleton’s “You Should Probably Leave” is nominated for song of the year after being fielded last year in the single of the year category. The Academy has eligibility rules that allow a song to be nominated in a subsequent period than the initial one if it peaks in the radio top 20 during the next year of eligibility… and wasn’t previously recognized there. In any case, it’s an indication of both tracks having long tails.
This year marks the second consecutive time that the ACM Awards will be seen live exclusively via a livestream on Prime Video, with no traditional broadcast component. One beneficiary of its streaming-only status is that it will be live in all time zones, with the west coast not having to wait for a tape delay to air in prime time. It can be seen May 11 at 8 p.m. PT, 7 CT and 5 PT. Starting the next day, it can be streamed on demand for free on Amazon Freevee.
The 2023 webcast will mark the second time the ACMs have aired from the Lone Star state, with a base at the Ford Center at the Star in Dallas-adjacent Frisco, Texas. The last time the show went down in Texas was at AT&T Stadium in 2015, for the 50th annual edition, which broke a Guinness record for being the most-attended awards show ever. (The ACMs’ move back to Texas is not to be confused with a similar move the CMT Music Awards took to Austin for a broadcast that took place earlier this month.)
Here are the nominees for the 2023 ACM Awards. (It includes, on the back end, specialized categories in studio player and music industry divisions that will not be awarded until a separate ceremony Aug. 23 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.)
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR- Jason Aldean
- Kane Brown
- Luke Combs
- Miranda Lambert
- Chris Stapleton
- Carrie Underwood
- Morgan Wallen
FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Miranda Lambert
- Ashley McBryde
- Carly Pearce
- Lainey Wilson
MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Kane Brown
- Luke Combs
- Jordan Davis
- Chris Stapleton
- Morgan Wallen
DUO OF THE YEAR
- Brooks & Dunn
- Brothers Osborne
- Dan + Shay
- Maddie & Tae
- The War and Treaty
GROUP OF THE YEAR
- Lady A
- Little Big Town
- Midland
- Old Dominion
- Zac Brown Band
NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Priscilla Block
- Megan Moroney
- Caitlyn Smith
- Morgan Wade
- Hailey Whitters
NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Zach Bryan
- Jackson Dean
- Ernest
- Dylan Scott
- Nate Smith
- Bailey Zimmerman
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
- Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville, Ashley McBryde
- Bell Bottom Country, Lainey Wilson
- Growin’ Up, Luke Combs
- Mr. Saturday Night, Jon Pardi
- Palomino, Miranda Lambert
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
- “Heart Like a Truck,” Lainey Wilson
- “Never Wanted to Be That Girl,” Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde
- “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” Cole Swindell
- “Thank God,” Kane Brown with Katelyn Brown
- “‘Til You Can’t,” Cody Johnson
SONG OF THE YEAR
- “Sand In My Boots,” writers: Ashley Gorley, Josh Osborne and Michael Hardy; artist: Morgan Wallen
- “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” writers: Ashley Gorley, Cole Swindell, Jesse Frasure, Mark D. Sanders, Thomas Rhett and Tim Nichols; artist: Swindell)
- “‘Til You Can’t,” writers: Ben Stennis, Matt Rogers; artist: Cody Johnson
- “Wait in the Truck,” writers: Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt, Michael Hardy, Renee Blair; artist: Hardy featuring Lainey Wilson
- “You Should Probably Leave,” writers: Ashley Gorley, Chris DuBois, Chris Stapleton (artist: Stapleton)
VISUAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR
- “Heartfirst,” Kelsea Ballerini
- “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” Cole Swindell
- “Thank God,” Kane Brown with Katelyn Brown
- “‘Til You Can’t,” Cody Johnson
- “Wait in the Truck,” Hardy featuring Lainey Wilson
- “What He Didn’t Do,” Carly Pearce
MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR
- “At The End of a Bar,” Chris Young with Mitchell Tenpenny
- “She Had Me at Heads Carolina [Remix],” Cole Swindell and Jo Dee Messina
- “Thank God,” Kane Brown with Katelyn Brown
- “Thinking ‘Bout You,” Dustin Lynch featuring MacKenzie Porter
- “Wait in the Truck,” Hardy featuring Lainey Wilson
SonGWRITER OF THE YEAR
- Nicolle Galyon
- Ashley Gorley
- Chase McGill
- Josh Osborne
- Hunter Phelps
ARTIST-SonGWRITER OF THE YEAR
- Luke Combs
- Ernest
- Hardy
- Miranda Lambert
- Morgan Wallen
“The 2023 Studio Recording Awards and Industry Awards will be presented to recipients at the 16th Academy of Country Music Honors, a special event held annually in August at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. This year’s show will be held August 23, with more details to be announced in the coming months,” said the Academy.
STUDIO RECORDING AWARDS:
BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Mark Hill
- Tony Lucido
- Steve Mackey
- Lex Price
- Craig Young
DRUMMER OF THE YEAR
- Fred Eltringham
- Miles McPherson
- Jerry Roe
- Aaron Sterling
- Nir Z
ACOUSTIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Tim Galloway
- Todd Lombardo
- Danny Rader
- Bryan Sutton
- Ilya Toshinskiy
PIANO/KEYBOARDS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Jim “Moose” Brown
- Dave Cohen
- Charles Judge
- Billy Justineau
- Alex Wright
SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Dan Dugmore
- Stuart Duncan
- Jenee Fleenor
- Josh Matheny
- Justin Schipper
ELECTRIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Kris Donegan
- Kenny Greenberg
- Rob McNelley
- Sol Philcox-Littlefield
- Derek Wells
AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
- Drew Bollman
- Josh Ditty
- Gena Johnson
- Justin Niebank
- F. Reid Shippen
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
- Buddy Cannon
- Luke Dick
- Jay Joyce
- Joey Moi
- Jon Randall
- Derek Wells
INDUSTRY AWARDS:
CASINO OF THE YEAR – THEATER
- Deadwood Mountain Grand – Deadwood, SD
- Golden Nugget – Lake Charles, LA
- Resorts World Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV
- Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Hollywood, FL
- Soaring Eagle – Mount Pleasant, MI
CASINO OF THE YEAR – ARENA
- Fallsview Casino Resort – Niagara Falls, ON
- Harrah’s – Council Bluffs, IA
- Harveys Lake Tahoe – Stateline, NV
- Mystic Lake Casino Showroom – Prior Lake, MN
- Northern Quest Resort & Casino – Airway Heights, WA
- Turning Stone Resort Casino – Verona, NY
FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR
- C2C: Country to Country – UK
- Carolina Country Music Fest – Myrtle Beach, SC
- Country Concert – Fort Loramie, OH
- Country Fest – Cadott, WI
- Country Thunder – Bristol, TN
- Stagecoach Festival – Indio, CA
- Tortuga Music Festival – Fort Lauderdale, FL
FAIR/RODEO OF THE YEAR
- Auburn Rodeo – Opelika, AL
- Cheyenne Frontier Days – Cheyenne, WY
- Florida Strawberry Festival – Plant City, FL
- Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo – Houston, TX
- Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, IA
CLUB OF THE YEAR
- Billy Bob’s Texas – Fort Worth, TX
- Coyote Joe’s – Charlotte, NC
- Grizzly Rose – Denver, CO
- Gruene Hall – New Braunfels, TX
- Joe’s on Weed St. – Chicago, IL
THEATER OF THE YEAR
- Crystal Grand Music Theatre – Wisconsin Dells, WI
- Florida Theatre – Jacksonville, FL
- Grand Ole Opry House – Nashville, TN
- Orpheum Theater – Omaha, NE
- Stiefel Theatre – Salina, KS
OUTDOOR VENUE OF THE YEAR
- Bank of NH Pavilion – Gilford, NH
- FirstBank Amphitheater – Franklin, TN
- Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
- Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
- St. Augustine Amphitheatre – St. Augustine, FL
- The Wharf Amphitheater – Orange Beach, AL
ARENA OF THE YEAR
- Denny Sanford PREMIER Center – Sioux Falls, SD
- Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, TX
- Hertz Arena – Estero, FL
- Moody Center – Austin, TX
- Simmons Bank Arena – Little Rock, AR
- Thompson-Boling Arena – Knoxville, TN
DON ROMEO TALENT BUYER OF THE YEAR
- Ron Pateras
- Pat Powelson
- Michelle Romeo
- Stacy Vee
- Troy Vollhoffer
PROMOTER OF THE YEAR
- Patrick McDill
- Aaron Spalding
- Ed Warm
- Adam Weiser
- Jay Wilson
