Maybe there are unspoken rules to the Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards. After all, one might wonder how Ella Langley could win all the awards in the categories that she was nominated for (seven in total), but not be nominated for Entertainer of the Year. She was, by definition and based on the awards show, that.
Instead, that award went to Cody Johnson, a fine musician, but even he didn't have the night that Langley had. Nor the year. Langley should have won the most prestigious award, but she couldn't. How she got left off the ballot for that is unknown (and confusing).
Otherwise, the awards show went off fairly well. Shania Twain hosted the event, which took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, after Reba McEntire had hosted the show for the last two years at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
Ella Langley didn't get nominated for the one Academy of Country Music award she deserved
No offense to Frisco, but many of the people involved likely preferred Vegas, for no other reason other than it is a growing hub of residencies, and some of the performers who were at the show might go looking for future locales to set up shop.
One thing is for sure, though. The duos currently making songs and albums in country music appear to have fallen off. Few new ones appear to be worthy of being nominated for awards. Has the era of elite duos gone away?
Winners from the 2026 Academy of Country Music awards:
- Entertainer of the Year - Cody Johnson
- Female Artist of the Year - Ella Langley
- Male Artist of the Year - Cody Johnson
- Group of the Year - The Red Clay Strays
- Duo of the Year - Brooks & Dunn
- Album of the Year - Parker McCollum – Parker McCollum; Producers: Frank Liddell, Eric Masse; Record Company-Label: MCA
- Song of the Year - “Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley; Songwriters: Ella Langley, Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Joybeth Taylor; Publishers: Bada Bing & Bada Langley Publishing; Little Louder Songs; Sony Music Publishing
- Single of the Year - “Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley; Producers: Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert, Ben West; Record Company-Label: SAWGOD / Columbia Records
- Visual Media of the Year - “Cuckoo” -Stephen Wilson, Jr.; Producer: Tim Cofield; Director: Tim Cofield
- Music Event of the Year - “Don’t Mind If I Do” – Riley Green feat. Ella Langley; Producer: Dann Huff; Record Company-Label: Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment
- Songwriter of the Year - Jessie Jo Dillon
- Artist-Songwriter of the Year - Ella Langley
- New Male Artist of the Year - Tucker Wetmore
- New Female Artist of the Year - Avery Anna
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