Saddle up, country music fans! The 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards are finally here. Tonight, the genre’s biggest and brightest stars will gather at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in their finest red carpet looks to celebrate a standout year in country music.
Topping this year’s nominees is Megan Moroney, who is up for a total of nine awards, including her first-ever nominations for Artist-Songwriter of the Year and the coveted Entertainer of the Year.
Following close behind is Miranda Lambert, the most decorated artist in ACM Awards history. Lambert, whose recent duet with rumored frenemy Kacey Musgraves made headlines last month, is in the running for eight nominations, including Female Artist of the Year.
Also topping this year’s nominees are Ella Langley — the new queen of modern country, who has broken records set by Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift — and Lainey Wilson, the reigning ACM Awards Entertainer of the Year.
Fans can look forward to a star-studded slate of performers that includes several of the award show’s nominated singer-songwriters, such as Lambert, Langley and Wilson. Musgraves will also bring music from her freshly released LP, Middle of Nowhere, to the MGM Grand Garden Arena for a highly anticipated performance.
Emceed by none other than Shania Twain, the awards show will also feature an impressive roster of presenters that includes ACM Award winners Ashley McBryde, Shaboozey and Keith Urban.
The show kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. ET and will stream live on Prime Video and Twitch. Follow along for Yahoo’s live coverage below, from red carpet arrivals to the biggest moments from the show and, of course, all of the night’s winners.
Neia Balao
Taylor Swift attends the 2006 ACM Awards.
(Denise Truscello via Getty Images)
How about a stroll down memory lane? It’s hard to believe that the 2006 Academy of Country Music Awards were already two decades ago. The red carpet set the stage for standout arrivals and first-time appearances from stars like Taylor Swift, who wore a boho-chic BCBG dress with dark brown cowboy boots. Swift, who was just 16 years old at the time, hadn’t even released her debut album yet!
The “Ophelia” pop star would go on to earn her first ACM nomination a year later in 2007 for Top New Female Vocalist. Swift has eight ACM Awards to her name, including Album of the Year for Fearless.
Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus at the 2006 ACM Awards.
(Denise Truscello via Getty Images)
Who could forget when a Hannah Montana-era Miley Cyrus attended the coveted country occasion? Cyrus was only 13 when she attended the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2006 alongside her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, in a beaded, lilac midi dress. How cute! Three years later, in 2009, Cyrus attended the ACM Awards once again, this time to perform her beloved ballad “The Climb.”
Kelly Clarkson at the 2006 ACM Awards.
(Mark Mainz via Getty Images)
Also in attendance at the 2006 ACM Awards was “Behind These Hazel Eyes” singer Kelly Clarkson, who made a bold statement in a plunging, pleated, fiery orange gown. Over the course of her career, Clarkson has received five ACM Award nominations. She won two in 2012.
