60th Academy of Country Music Awards

60th Academy of Country Music Awards
Date	May 8, 2025
Location	Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, Texas
Hosted by	Reba McEntire
Most wins	Ella Langley (5)
Most nominations	Ella Langley (7)
Television/radio coverage
Network	Prime Video
←  59th  · ACM

Alan Jackson, inaugural and eponymous recipient of the Alan Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award.

The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards were held on May 8, 2025, at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Reba McEntire returned as host. ^[1]

Background

On November 2, 2023, the Academy of Country Music announced that it would renew its partnership with Prime Video through 2025. ^{[2] [3]} Reba McEntire will host the ceremony for the eighteenth time. In press releases, ACM says "the monumental show will celebrate six decades of Country Music and feature unforgettable performances by the genre's most legendary and multi-award-winning stars". ^[4] Radio and TV Personality Bobby Bones will conduct candid Interviews with artists throughout the show.

First time nominee, Ella Langley, led with seven nominations, including one as a director of her music video. Cody Johnson, Morgan Wallen, and Lainey Wilson followed closely behind with six nominations each. Langley took home the most awards of the evening with five, two as both an artist of her music video and as a director.

Triple Crown Award

On May 5, ACM announced that country superstar, Keith Urban, will be honored with the ACM Triple Crown Award. The honor distinguishes the achievement of an artist, duo or group upon receiving a New Artist award, Male/Female Artist (or Duo/Group) award, and Entertainer of the Year awards. ^[5]

Alan Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award

During the ceremony, Reba McEntire surprised the audience with announcement of the inaugural Alan Jackson Lifetime Achievement award. Along with a special performance by the awards namesake and inaugural honoree, multi-ACM award winner, Alan Jackson. The award will continue to recognize an iconic artist, duo, or group that has achieved both national and international prominence and stature through concert performances, philanthropy, record sales, streaming numbers, and public representation.

Winners & Nominees

The nominees will be revealed on Thursday, March 27. The eligibility period for submissions for the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards is January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024.

Entertainer of the Year	Album of the Year
Lainey Wilson Kelsea Ballerini Luke Combs Cody Johnson Jelly Roll Chris Stapleton Morgan Wallen	Whirlwind — Lainey Wilson Am I Okay? — Megan Moroney Beautifully Broken — Jelly Roll Cold Beer & Country Music — Zach Top F-1 Trillion — Post Malone
Female Artist of the Year	Male Artist of the Year
Lainey Wilson Kelsea Ballerini Ella Langley Megan Moroney Kacey Musgraves	Chris Stapleton Luke Combs Cody Johnson Jelly Roll Morgan Wallen
Group of the Year	Duo of the Year
Old Dominion Flatland Cavalry Little Big Town Rascal Flatts The Red Clay Strays	Brooks & Dunn Brothers Osborne Dan + Shay Muscadine Bloodline The War and Treaty
Single of the Year	Song of the Year
"You Look Like You Love Me" — Ella Langley (feat. Riley Green) "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" — Shaboozey "Dirt Cheap" — Cody Johnson "I Had Some Help" — Post Malone (feat. Morgan Wallen) "White Horse" — Chris Stapleton	"Dirt Cheap" — Josh Phillips "4x4xU" — Aaron Raitiere, Jon Decious, Lainey Wilson "The Architect" — Josh Osborne, Kacey Musgraves, Shane McAnally "I Had Some Help" — Ashley Gorley, Chandler Paul Walters, Ernest, Jonathan Hoskins, Louis Bell, Morgan Wallen, Ryan Vojtesak, Post Malone "You Look Like You Love Me" — Aaron Raitiere, Ella Langley, Riley Green
New Female Artist of the Year	New Male Artist of the Year
Ella Langley Kassi Ashton Ashley Cooke Dasha Jessie Murph	Zach Top Gavin Adcock Shaboozey Tucker Wetmore Bailey Zimmerman
New Duo/Group of the Year	Artist-Songwriter of the Year
The Red Clay Strays Restless Road Treaty Oak Revival	Lainey Wilson Luke Combs Ernest Hardy Morgan Wallen
Songwriter of the Year	Visual Media of the Year
Jessie Jo Dillon Jessi Alexander Ashley Gorley Chase McGill Josh Osborne	"You Look Like You Love Me" — Ella Langley (feat. Riley Green); Dir. Wales Toney, John Park, Ella Langley "4x4xU" — Lainey Wilson; Dir. Dano Cerny "Dirt Cheap" — Cody Johnson; Dir. Dustin Haney "I'm Gonna Love You" — Cody Johnson (feat. Carrie Underwood); Dir. Dustin Haney "Think I'm in Love with You" — Chris Stapleton; Dir. Stephen Kinigopoulos, Alexa Stone
Music Event of the Year
"You Look Like You Love Me" — Ella Langley (feat. Riley Green) "Cowboys Cry Too" — Kelsea Ballerini (feat. Noah Kahan) "I Had Some Help" — Post Malone (feat. Morgan Wallen) "I'm Gonna Love You" — Cody Johnson (feat. Carrie Underwood) "We Don't Fight Anymore" — Carly Pearce (feat. Chris Stapleton)

Special awards

Alan Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award	Triple Crown Award
Alan Jackson	Keith Urban

Performers

^{[6] [7] [8]}

Performer(s)	Song
Reba McEntire Clint Black Wynonna Judd LeAnn Rimes Little Big Town Dan + Shay	Songs of the Decades Medley "Okie From Muskogee" "Rhinestone Cowboy" "Why Not Me" "Blue" "Girl Crush" "Tequila"
Eric Church	"Hands of Time"
Miranda Lambert Ella Langley	"Run" "Kerosene"
Zach Top	"Use Me"
Blake Shelton	"Texas"
Lainey Wilson	"Whirlwind"
Kelsea Ballerini	"Baggage"
Chris Stapleton	"It Takes a Woman"
Ella Langley	"Weren't for the Wind"
Alan Jackson	Alan Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award "Remember When"
Jelly Roll Shaboozey	"Heart of Stone" "Amen"
Megan Moroney Chris Stapleton Brothers Osborne Keith Urban	Honoring Triple Crown Award winner Keith Urban "Stupid Boy" "Blue Ain't Your Color" "Where the Blacktop Ends"
Cody Johnson Brooks & Dunn	"The Fall" "Red Dirt Road"
Reba McEntire Miranda Lambert Lainey Wilson	"Trailblazer"
Rascal Flatts Backstreet Boys	"What Hurts the Most" "I Dare You" "Larger than Life" "Life Is a Highway"

Presenters

• Lionel Richie – presented Song of the Year
• Riley Green – introduced New Male Artist of the Year, Zach Top
• The Oak Ridge Boys – presented Group of the Year
• Clint Black – presented Male Artist of the Year
• Kristian Bush of Sugarland – presented Duo of the Year
• Gabby Barrett – introduced New Female Artist of the Year, Ella Langley
• Reba McEntire – presented Single of the Year and the Alan Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award to Alan Jackson
• Carly Pearce – recognized ACM Lifting Lives and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital
• Martina McBride, Gretchen Wilson, Sara Evans, Crystal Gayle, and Wynonna Judd – presented Female Artist of the Year
• Ernest – introduced Jelly Roll and Shaboozey
• Amber Anderson and Kelly Sutton – recognized Dasha as Amazon Music's 'Breakthrough Artist'
• Little Big Town – presented Album of the Year
• Jordan Davis and Chase Elliott – introduced Cody Johnson
• Lee Ann Womack and Parker McCollum – presented Musical Event of the Year
• Rita Wilson – introduced Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert and Lainey Wilson
• Blake Shelton – presented Entertainer of the Year

Milestones

• Ella Langley earns the most nominations of any artist in their first year of being nominated with seven total. Langley also holds the record for most wins for any artist in their first year of being nominated with five.
• Kelsea Ballerini earns her first nomination for Entertainer of the Year.
• Lainey Wilson's win for Entertainer of the Year marks her second year in a row winning the award, making her the third woman to win the award back-to-back (Taylor Swift in 2011 and 2012, Carrie Underwood in 2009 and 2010). With her additional wins for Female Artist of the Year and Album of the Year, Wilson became the second woman in history to win all three awards in the same ceremony, following Loretta Lynn who did the same in 1976.
• Brooks & Dunn win Duo of the Year for the first time since 2009. Increasing their win count to a record seventeenth win in the category; increasing their own record and bringing their ACM Award count to thirty-one.

References

1. Dunn, Jack (July 16, 2024). "Reba McEntire to Host 60th Academy of Country Music Awards for Amazon Prime Video in May". Variety . Retrieved March 26, 2025.
2. Vlessing, Etan (November 2, 2023). "ACM Awards Renews Prime Video Deal Through 2025". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved February 19, 2024.
3. Pedersen, Erik (November 2, 2023). "Academy of Country Music Awards & Prime Video Extend TV Deal". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 19, 2024.
4. "Blake Shelton, Eric Church, and Lainey Wilson Kick-Off Performance Rollout for Milestone 60th Academy of Country Music Awards". Academy of Country Music Awards . March 24, 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
5. "KEITH URBAN TO BE HONORED WITH ACM TRIPLE CROWN AWARD AT THE 60TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS". www.acmcountry.com. May 5, 2025. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
6. Willman, Chris (March 24, 2025). "Lainey Wilson, Blake Shelton, Eric Church Set as Performers for May's ACM Awards Show". Variety . Retrieved March 26, 2025.
7. "ALAN JACKSON, BROOKS & DUNN, CHRIS STAPLETON, CLINT BLACK, CODY JOHNSON, KELSEA BALLERINI, LEANN RIMES, MIRANDA LAMBERT, RASCAL FLATTS, AND WYNONNA JUDD TO PERFORM AT THE 60TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS". www.acmcountry.com. April 24, 2025. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
8. "SPECIAL PERFORMANCES AND CAN'T MISS COLLABORATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 60TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS". www.acmcountry.com. May 1, 2025. Retrieved May 2, 2025.