ACM Awards Nominations Led by Newer Stars Hardy and Lainey Wilson

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, the number of nominees for entertainer of the year was expanded from the traditional five to seven, presumably deliberately and not as the result of a tie. Those in contention for entertainer in 2023 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 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 lack of representation, that may appear in only one nomination being given to one of the top country stars of the moment, Zach Bryan, who is up only for 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 since the beginning, may account for his being a new country superstar without awards portfolio.

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 zone, 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 first 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. Last year, the show’s first since the Amazon transition was made, it took place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. (The ACMs’ move 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 is the full list for 2023 nominees for the 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

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

DUO OF THE YEAR

GROUP OF THE YEAR

NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

Producer: John Osborne

Warner Music Nashville

Producer: Jay Joyce

Broken Bow Records

Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton

Columbia Records

Producers: Jon Pardi, Bart Butler, Ryan Gore

Capitol Records Nashville

Producers: Jon Randall, Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Mikey Reaves

Vanner Records/RCA Records Nashville

SINGLE OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

Producer: Jay Joyce

Broken Bow Records

Producers: Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally

Big Machine Records/Warner Music Nashville

Producer: Zach Crowell

Warner Music Nashville

Producer: Dann Huff

RCA Nashville

Producer: Trent Willmon

Warner Music Nashville/CoJo Music

SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]

Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Josh Osborne, Michael Hardy

Publishers: Relative Music Group; Sony/ATV Accent; Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing; Sony/ATV Tree Publishing

Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Cole Swindell, Jesse Frasure, Mark D. Sanders, Thomas Rhett, Tim Nichols

Publishers: Ashley Gorley Publishing Designee; Be A Light Publishing; Colden Rainey Music; EMI Blackwood Music Inc; Songs Of Roc Nation Music; Sony Tree Publishing; Telemitry Rhythm House Music; Universal Music Corp; WC Music Corp; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp

Songwriters: Ben Stennis, Matt Rogers

Publishers: Anthem Canalco Publishing; Dead Aim Music; The Stennis Mightier Music

Songwriters: Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt, Michael Hardy, Renee Blair

Publishers: Humerus Publishing Global; Nontypical Music; Pile of Schmidt Songs; Rednecker Music; Relative Music Group; Round Hill Verses Publishing; Sony/ATV Accent; Sony/ATV Tree Publishing; The Money Tree Vibez; WC Music Corp; Who Wants to Buy My Publishing

Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Chris DuBois, Chris Stapleton

Publishers: One77 Songs; Sea Gayle Music; Songs of Southside Independent Music Publishing; Spirit Two Nashville; WC Music Corp

VISUAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]

Producers: Christen Pinkston & Wesley Stebbins-Perry

Director: P Tracy

Producer: Troy Jackson

Director: Spidey Smith

Producer: Luke Arreguin

Director: Alex Alvga

Producer: Maddy Hayes

Director: Dustin Haney

Producer: Inkwell Productions

Director: Justin Clough

Producer: Ryan Byrd

Director: Alexa Campbell

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

ARTIST-SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

Producers: Chris DeStefano, Chris Young

RCA Nashville

Producer: Zach Crowell

Warner Music Nashville

Producer: Dann Huff

RCA Nashville

Producer: Zach Crowell

Broken Bow Records

Producers: Derek Wells, Hardy, Joey Moi, Jordan Schmidt

Big Loud Records

“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

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