STUDIO RECORDING AND INDUSTRY AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 61ST ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™
STUDIO RECORDING AND INDUSTRY AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 61ST ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™
All ACM Studio Recording and Industry Awards winners will be celebrated at the 19th Academy of Country Music® Honors™, in Nashville on August 19th
Media and Social Assets - SRA Winners HERE; Industry Winners HERE; Announcement Videos HERE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — June 30, 2026 — Today, the Academy of Country Music® announced the winners of the ACM Studio Recording Awards and Industry Awards for the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards™. All ACM Studio Recording and Industry Awards winners, along with the previously announced Special Award recipients, will receive their trophies at the 19th ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC® HONORS™ on Wednesday, August 19th at The Pinnacle, Nashville’s renowned state-of-the-art live music venue. Previously announced Special Award recipients for the “Country Music Industry’s Favorite Night” will include Bill Anderson, Brett James, C2C: Country to Country, The Carter Family, Eric Church, Kacey Musgraves, Paramount + Hit Television Series: “Landman”, Leslie Fram, Mike Curb and Scott Zolke.
Public on-sale tickets for ACM Honors™ are available today now through AXS. Please see the official AXS ticket link HERE. For exclusive Industry VIP Tables please email [email protected].
Among the winners of the Studio Recording Awards, first-time category winners include Bryan Sutton (Acoustic Guitar Player of the Year), who earns his fourth ACM Studio Recording Award overall after previously winning three awards for Specialty Player of the Year. In addition, Justin Niebank earns his tenth win as Audio Engineer of the Year, Dann Huff takes home his sixth Producer of the Year award after previously winning Guitar Player of the Year, Stuart Duncan earns his second Specialty Instrument(s) Player of the Year honor in addition to his eight wins as Fiddle Player of the Year, Rob McNelley wins Electric Guitar Player of the Year for the second time after previously earning three awards for Guitar Player of the Year, Gordon Mote claims his fourth Piano/Keyboards Player of the Year award, while Jimmie Lee Sloas, Fred Eltringham, and Jerry Roe earn their sixth, second, and second wins, respectively, in their categories.
Among the winners of the Industry Awards, first-time winners include The Pinnacle (Club of the Year) and Cheyenne Frontier Days (Fair/Rodeo of the Year). Returning winners include Choctaw Grand Theater, earning its second Casino of the Year - Theater honor; Stagecoach, winning Festival of the Year for the second time; Red Rocks Amphitheatre, earning its fourth Outdoor Venue of the Year award in addition to two wins in other categories; Bridgestone Arena, claiming Arena of the Year award for the third time alongside four in other categories; Mohegan Sun Arena, earning its third Casino of the Year - Arena award alongside six ACM Industry Awards in other categories; Adam Weiser, earning his second Promoter of the Year award; Ed Warm, taking home his second Don Romeo Talent Buyer of the Year award in addition to five ACM Industry Awards in other categories; and the Ryman Auditorium, earning its third Theater of the Year award alongside six ACM Industry Awards in other categories.
Below is a complete list of the winners of the Industry Awards and Studio Recording Awards from the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards™:
STUDIO RECORDING AWARD WINNERS:
BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jimmie Lee Sloas
DRUMMER OF THE YEAR: Fred Eltringham
DRUMMER OF THE YEAR: Jerry Roe
ACOUSTIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Bryan Sutton
PIANO/KEYBOARD PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Gordon Mote
SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Stuart Duncan
ELECTRIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Rob McNelley
AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR: Justin Niebank
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR: Dann Huff
INDUSTRY AWARD WINNERS:
CASINO OF THE YEAR - THEATER: Choctaw Grand Theater
CASINO OF THE YEAR - ARENA: Mohegan Sun Arena
FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR: Stagecoach
FAIR/RODEO OF THE YEAR: Cheyenne Frontier Days
CLUB OF THE YEAR: The Pinnacle
THEATER OF THE YEAR: The Ryman
OUTDOOR VENUE OF THE YEAR: Red Rocks Amphitheatre
ARENA OF THE YEAR: Bridgestone Arena
DON ROMEO TALENT BUYER OF THE YEAR: Ed Warm
PROMOTER OF THE YEAR: Adam Weiser
The ACM Studio Recording Awards recognizes artists, musicians, producers and engineers that have played a role in a commercially released single or album that not only achieves Top 20 chart position during the eligibility period, but is recognized for elevating and capturing the essence of the creator’s artistic vision and performance. Nominees are selected by a professional panel of judges approved by ACM officers before being voted on by ACM members within the Artist-Entertainer/Musician-Bandleader-Instrumentalist categories and the Producer-Engineer-Studio Manager categories.
The ACM Industry Awards recognizes venues, talent buyers and promoters who have demonstrated support and commitment to Country Music through buying and promoting a fixed number of Country Music concerts and driving interest in ticket sales. Nominees are selected by a professional panel of judges approved by the ACM Officers before being voted on by ACM members classified in the Artist/Musician/Producer/Engineer, Venue, Manager, Talent Agent, Talent Buyer/Promoter categories.
For more information on voting criteria and eligibility, visit here. To search the Academy’s database and view the full list of previous winners for each category, visit here.
For more information on the ACM Awards and all ACM events, visit www.ACMcountry.com. You can like the Academy of Country Music on Facebook or follow on X at @ACMawards and Instagram @ACMawards for more immediate updates.