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Heading into Thursday night’s (May 8) 2025 ACM Awards, country rookie Ella Langley led the nominations pack with eight nods, and she picked up a whopping five prizes, for an impressive breakout night. Right behind her was Lainey Wilson, who nabbed four awards, including the coveted title of entertainer of the year.
Who else emerged from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, a winner? Find Billboard‘s full list of 2025 ACM Awards winners below:
Main Awards
Entertainer of the Year
Kelsea Ballerini
Luke Combs
Cody Johnson
Jelly Roll
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
WINNER: Lainey Wilson
Female Artist of the Year
Kelsea Ballerini
Ella Langley
Megan Moroney
Kacey Musgraves
WINNER: Lainey Wilson
Male Artist of the Year
Luke Combs
Cody Johnson
Jelly Roll
WINNER: Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Duo of the Year
WINNER: Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Muscadine Bloodline
The War and Treaty
Group of the Year
Flatland Cavalry
Little Big Town
WINNER: Old Dominion
Rascal Flatts
The Red Clay Strays
New Female Artist of the Year
Kassi Ashton
Ashley Cooke
Dasha
WINNER: Ella Langley
Jessie Murph
New Male Artist of the Year
Gavin Adcock
Shaboozey
WINNER: Zach Top
Tucker Wetmore
Bailey Zimmerman
New Duo or Group of the Year
Restless Road
WINNER: The Red Clay Strays
Treaty Oak Revival
Album of the Year
Awarded to artist(s)/producer(s)/record company–label(s)
Am I Okay? (I’ll Be Fine) – Megan Moroney; producer: Kristian Bush; Columbia Records / Sony Music Nashville
Beautifully Broken – Jelly Roll; producers: BazeXX, Brock Berryhill, Zach Crowell, Devin Dawson, Charlie Handsome, Ben Johnson, mgk, The Monsters & Strangerz, Austin Nivarel, SlimXX, Ryan Tedder, Isaiah Tejada, Alysa Vanderheym; BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville / Republic Records
Cold Beer & Country Music – Zach Top; producer: Carson Chamberlain; Leo33
F-1 Trillion – Post Malone; producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins; Mercury Records / Republic Records
WINNER: Whirlwind – Lainey Wilson; producer: Jay Joyce; BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville
Single of the Year
Awarded to artist(s)/producer(s)/record company–label(s)
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” – Shaboozey; producers: Sean Cook, Nevin Sastry; American Dogwood / EMPIRE
“Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson; producer: Trent Willmon; CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville
“I Had Some Help” – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen; producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins; Mercury Records / Republic Records
“White Horse” – Chris Stapleton; producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton, Morgane Stapleton; Mercury Nashville
WINNER: “you look like you love me” – Ella Langley, Riley Green; producer: Will Bundy; SAWGOD / Columbia Records
Song of the Year
Awarded to songwriter(s)/publisher(s)/artist(s)
“4x4xU” – Lainey Wilson; songwriters: Jon Decious, Aaron Raitiere, Lainey Wilson; publishers: Louisiana Lady; One Tooth Productions; Reservoir 416; Songs of One Riot Music; Sony/ATV Accent
“The Architect” – Kacey Musgraves; songwriters: Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves, Josh Osborne; publishers: Songs for Indy and Owl; Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing
WINNER: “Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson; songwriter: Josh Phillips; publishers: Warner-Tamerlane Publishing; Write or Die Music; Write the Lightning Publishing
“I Had Some Help” – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen; songwriters: Louis Bell, Ashley Gorley, Hoskins, Austin Post, Ernest Keith Smith, Morgan Wallen, Chandler Paul Walters, Ryan Vojtesak; publishers: Bell Ear Publishing; Master of my Domain Music; Poppy’s Picks; Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing; Universal Music Corporation
“you look like you love me” – Ella Langley, Riley Green; songwriters: Riley Green, Ella Langley, Aaron Raitiere; publishers: Back 40 Publishing International; Langley Publishing; One Tooth Productions; Sony/ATV Tree; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp
Music Event of the Year
Awarded to artist(s)/producer(s)/record company–label(s)
“Cowboys Cry Too” – Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan; producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan, Alysa Vanderheym; Black River Entertainment
“I Had Some Help” – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen; producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins; Mercury Records / Republic Records
“I’m Gonna Love You” – Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood; producer: Trent Willmon; CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville
“we don’t fight anymore” – Carly Pearce, Chris Stapleton; producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Carly Pearce; Big Machine Records
WINNER: “You look like you love me” – Ella Langley, Riley Green; producer: Will Bundy; SAWGOD / Columbia Records
Visual Media of the Year
Awarded to producer(s)/director(s)/artist(s)
“4x4xU” – Lainey Wilson; producer: Jennifer Ansell; director: Dano Cerny
“Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson; producer: Dustin Haney; director: Dustin Haney
“I’m Gonna Love You” – Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood; producers: Christen Pinkston, Wesley Stebbins-Perry; director: Dustin Haney
“Think I’m In Love With You” – Chris Stapleton; producers: Wes Edwards, Angie Lorenz, Jamie Stratakis; director: Running Bear (Stephen Kinigopoulos, Alexa Stone)
WINNER: “you look like you love me” – Ella Langley, Riley Green; producer: Alex Pescosta; directors: Ella Langley, John Park, Wales Toney
Artist-Songwriter of the Year
Luke Combs
ERNEST
HARDY
Morgan Wallen
WINNER: Lainey Wilson
Songwriter of the Year
Jessi Alexander
WINNER: Jessie Jo Dillon
Ashley Gorley
Chase McGill
Josh Osborne
The winners in the following two classifications, Studio Recording Awards and Industry Awards, should be announced at a later time. We’ll update this post when those winners are announced.
Studio Recording Awards
Producer of the Year
Dave Cobb
Ian Fitchuk
Charlie Handsome
Jon Randall
Alysa Vanderheym
Audio Engineer of the Year
Brandon Bell
Drew Bollman
Josh Ditty
Buckley Miller
F. Reid Shippen
Bass Player of the Year
J.T. Cure
Mark Hill
Rachel Loy
Tony Lucido
Craig Young
Drummer of the Year
Fred Eltringham
Tommy Harden
Evan Hutchings
Aaron Sterling
Nir Z
Acoustic Guitar Player of the Year
Tim Galloway
Todd Lombardo
Mac McAnally
Bryan Sutton
Ilya Toshinskiy
Piano/Keyboards Player of the Year
Dave Cohen
Ian Fitchuk
Billy Justineau
Gordon Mote
Alex Wright
Specialty Instrument Player of the Year
Dan Dugmore
Jenee Fleenor
Josh Matheny
Justin Schipper
Kristin Wilkinson
Electric Guitar Player of the Year
Kris Donegan
Jedd Hughes
Brent Mason
Sol Philcox-Littlefield
Derek Wells
Industry Awards
Casino of the Year – Theater
Deadwood Mountain Grand – Deadwood, S.D.
Foxwoods Resort Casino – Mashantucket, Conn.
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort – Cherokee, N.C.
The Theater at Virgin Hotels – Las Vegas, Nev.
Yaamava’ Theater – Highland, Calif.
Casino of the Year – Arena
Golden Nugget Lake Charles – Lake Charles, La.
Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena – Atlantic City, N.J.
Harveys Lake Tahoe – Stateline, Nev.
Mystic Lake Casino Showroom – Prior Lake, Minn.
Turning Stone Resort Casino – Verona, N.Y.
Festival of the Year
C2C Country to Country – London
CMC Rocks – Ipswich, Queensland
Stagecoach Festival – Indio, Calif.
Two Step Inn – Georgetown, Tex.
Windy City Smokeout – Chicago
Fair/Rodeo of the Year
Calgary Stampede – Calgary, Alberta
California Mid-State Fair – Paso Robles, Calif.
Cheyenne Frontier Days – Cheyenne, Wy.
Minnesota State Fair – Falcon Heights, Minn.
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo – Houston
Club of the Year
Billy Bob’s Texas – Fort Worth, Tex.
Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville
Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, Okla.
Georgia Theatre – Athens, Ga.
Joe’s on Weed St. – Chicago
Theater of the Year
The Caverns – Pelham, Tenn.
MGM Music Hall at Fenway – Boston
The Met Philadelphia – Philadelphia
The Rave/Eagles Club – Milwaukee, Wisc.
Tennessee Theatre – Knoxville, Tenn.
Outdoor Venue of the Year
BankNH Pavilion – Gilford, N.H.
CMAC – Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center – Canandaigua, N.Y.
Saint Augustine Amphitheatre – St. Augustine, Fla.
The Wharf Amphitheater – Orange Beach, Ala.
Whitewater Amphitheater – New Braunfels, Tex.
Arena of the Year
Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, Tex.
Moody Center – Austin, Tex.
TD Garden – Boston
Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center – Knoxville, Tenn.
Van Andel Arena – Grand Rapids, Mich.
Don Romeo Talent Buyer of the Year
Deana Baker
Bobby Clay
Gil Cunningham
Weston Hebert
Stacy Vee
Taylor Williamson
Promoter of the Year
Brent Fedrizzi
Alex Maxwell
Patrick McDill
Anna-Sophie Mertens
Rich Schaefer
Aaron Spalding
It was her night once again. Lainey Wilson took home the top prize at the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards — the title of entertainer of the year — for a second year in a row. And that was after she cleaned house, taking home trophies for both female artist and album of the year.
“I really do have the best fans in the world,” she said in her final acceptance speech, admitting to experiencing impostor syndrome. “I dreamed about entertaining. ... Country music has given me more than I deserve.”
Beyond Wilson’s dominance, the 2025 ACM Awards were packed with celebration. Earlier, first-time and leading nominee Ella Langley’s duet with Riley Green, the ubiquitous “You Look Like You Love Me,” was named single and music event of the year.
Both Langley and Green used their first acceptance speech to shout out classic country songs with talking in them that inspired their modern hit.
A revisitation of the past might have been a theme Thursday night, evidenced right at the top of the ceremony: a 14-minute medley of six decades of country classics, performed by giants of the genre.
Host Reba McEntire launched into Merle Haggard’s “Okie from Muskogee,” followed by Clint Black with Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” and Wynonna Judd with The Judds’ “Why Not Me.” LeAnn Rimes returned to the ACM Awards stage for her 1997 ballad “Blue.” Little Big Town tackled their 2014 track “Girl Crush,” and Dan + Shay delivered their “Tequila.”
It was an exciting way to kick off the ACM Awards, live from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, just north of Dallas.
And it was a show highlight, rivaled only by the introduction of the ACM Alan Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award, the inaugural trophy given to its namesake, Jackson, after he performed “Remember When.”
In his acceptance speech, he joked that a fan named a dog after him. Having an award named after him? That isn’t half bad, either.
The first trophy of the night, the coveted song of the year, was awarded to Cody Johnson for his radio hit “Dirt Cheap.”
Performances followed, fast and furious. McEntire, Wilson, and Miranda Lambert teamed up for the world premiere of their new single “Trailblazer,” celebrating women in country music.
Eric Church performed his brand-new single “Hands of Time,” succeeded by the most awarded artist in the history of the award show, Lambert with “Run.” She was then joined by Langley to duet “Kerosene” from Lambert’s 2005 debut album of the same name.
Zach Top stripped things down for “Use Me.” Blake Shelton channeled the great George Strait for his new single “Texas,” followed by Wilson with “Whirlwind.” Kelsea Ballerini performed atop her “Baggage.” Johnson rocked “The Fall” before performing “Red Dirt Road” with Brooks & Dunn. Chris Stapleton and his wife, Morgane, harmonized on “It Takes a Woman.”
Jelly Roll and Shaboozey joined forces for their collaboration, “Amen.”
“It’s Shaboozey’s birthday,” Jelly Roll said. “We wanna thank y’all and we wanna thank God.”
Backstreet Boys and Rascal Flatts closed the show.
The Oak Ridge Boys gave the group of the year award to Old Dominion. It was a moving gesture; in 2024 the Oak Ridge Boys’ Joe Bonsall, a Grammy award winner and celebrated tenor, died from complications of the neuromuscular disorder Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
Another tearjerker: McEntire leading the audience in a sing-along of the late Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee.”
Male artist of the year went to Stapleton. Duo of the year was awarded to Brooks & Dunn.
Megan Moroney covered Keith Urban’s “Stupid Boy” and Stapleton did “Blue Ain’t Your Color” ahead of the Australian superstar’s reception of the coveted ACM Triple Crown Award, marking the first time an artist has received the trophy on stage since Carrie Underwood was honored in 2010.
If anything, the 60th ACM Awards proved the show is at its best when it celebrates new acts and legends in equal measure.
The ACM Awards are streamed on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch Live. No Prime membership was required to view the livestream.
The 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards celebrate their 60th anniversary Thursday night.