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AMA Awards 2026
Date: May 25th, 2026
Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas
Host: Queen Latifah
Leading Nominee: Taylor Swift (8)
Performers: TBC
Tickets: Here
The American Music Awards is back for its 52nd show on Memorial Day Weekend, airing live on Monday, 25th May from MGM Grand, Las Vegas, hosted by Queen Latifah. It is the country’s biggest fan voted show - and the nominations have just been announced.
The awards span all genres, but we’re proud to see the increasing recognition of country artists in the all-genre categories. This year, Morgan Wallen, awarded Billboard Artist of the Year in 2025, has been nominated for AMA Artist of the Year, while Ella Langley sits comfortably among the New Artist of the Year nominees. Album of the Year is up for grabs for Wallen, too, courtesy of I’m The Problem, which held 12 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
With six weeks at the pinnacle of the Billboard Hot 100 (and counting), Langley was a shoe in for a Song of the Year nomination, so it’s only right that ‘Choosin’ Texas’ is up there alongside Wallen’s ‘I’m The Problem’. Kind of cute, too, that the pair are at the top of these categories for country music, given how their friendship blossoming and Langley is going out to support Wallen on tour for the third time.
Collaboration of the year has kind of been dominated by country crossovers, further establishing the genre’s open door policy for fans and artists to explore (respectfully, of course). Out of the five nominations in the category, country music can be counted in three of them; BigXthaPlug, Bailey Zimmerman with ‘All The Way’, Morgan Wallen, Tate McRae with ‘What I Want’ and Shaboozey, Jelly Roll with ‘Amen’.
What’s absolutely criminal, however, is the lack of acknowledgement for Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem Tour. The tour had record breaking shows and established Wallen as one of the best-selling artists of all time - third only to Taylor Swift and Drake. Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter Tour is the only country tour nominated here.
Megan Moroney has been honoured with a well-deserved Breakout Tour nomination for her iconic ‘Am I Okay? Tour’, while Ella Langley and Noah Kahan receive prestigious Song of the Summer nods for ‘Choosin’ Texas’ and ‘The Great Divide’.
The country specific categories contain the usual suspects, with few real surprises. Interestingly, Chris Stapleton has not received a nomination across any AMA categories this year. A strong ACM and CMA favourite, Stapleton hasn’t received any AMA recognition since 2022.
Sam Barber has joined the chat this year, with two nominations - Breakthrough Country Artist and Best Country Album for ‘Restless Mind’. A refreshing addition to what can often be a predictable lineup.
How to Vote
There are two ways to vote for your favourites in the 2026 AMAs:
- Visit VoteAMAS.com and follow the instructions
- Use the information below to cast your vote over on Instagram on the specific voting posts pinned to the top of the AMA Instagram page.
To vote, comment with ONE voting hashtag (swipe to see valid hashtag list). Each comment = 1 vote. It's only one voting hashtag per comment, and comments with more than one voting hashtag will not be counted. Please note Your IG profile must be public for your vote to count, and you can vote up to 30 times per category, per day.
Keep an eye out for Turbo Voting Days, which mean double the votes, i.e. each comment counts as 2 votes. The Turbo Days are currently planned for April 21st, April 28th and May 5th. For a couple of categories - Social Song of the Year and Tour of the Year - there is Turbo Voting on two additional dates, May 12th and May 25th. Voting closes Friday, May 8 at 11:59:59am PT, except for Social Song of the Year and Tour of the Year, which has a slightly longer voting period than the rest.
How to Watch
- CBS TV
- Paramount Plus Live Stream
Performers
TBC
Country Nominees
Artist of the Year
Morgan Wallen
New Artist of the Year
Ella Langley
Album of the Year
Morgan Wallen - I’m The Problem
Song of the Year
Ella Langley - Choosin’ Texas
Collaboration of the Year
BigXthaPlug, Bailey Zimmerman - ‘All The Way’
Morgan Wallen, Tate McRae - ‘What I Want’
Shaboozey, Jelly Roll - ‘Amen’
Tour of the Year
Beyoncé - Cowboy Carter Tour
Breakout Tour
Megan Moroney - Am I Okay? Tour
Song of the Summer
Ella Langley - ‘Choosin’ Texas’
Noah Kahan - ‘The Great Divide’
Best Male Country Artist
Jelly Roll
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen
Riley Green
Shaboozey
Best Female Country Artist
Ella Langley
Kelsea Ballerini
Lainey Wilson
Megan Moroney
Miranda Lambert
Best Country Duo or Group
Brooks & Dunn
Old Dominion
Rascal Flatts
Treaty Oak Revival
Zac Brown Band
Breakthrough Country Artist
Sam Barber
Tucker Wetmore
Zach Top
Best Country Song
BigXthaPlug, Bailey Zimmerman - ‘All The Way’
Ella Langley - ‘Choosin’ Texas’
Morgan Wallen - ‘Just In Case’
Russell Dickerson - ‘Happen To Me’
Shaboozey - ‘Good News’
Best Country Album
BigXthaPlug - I Hope You’re Happy
Megan Morony - Cloud 9
Morgan Wallen - i’m THe Problem
Sam Barber - Restless Mind
Tucker Wetmore - What Not To
Best Americana/Folk Artist
Lord Huron
The Lumineers
Mumford & Sons
Noah Kahan
Tyler Childers
For more on the AMA Awards, see below:
