ACM Studio Recording and Industry Award Nominations Revealed
Nashville, Tenn. — On April 15, 2026, the Academy of Country Music revealed nominations across its studio recording and industry award categories. The announcement covers production and venue recognitions tied to the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards.
Winners will be named in the coming weeks. Trophies are scheduled for presentation during the 19th Academy of Country Music Honors in August in Nashville. Additional honorees and event details will be released in the months ahead.
Studio Recording nominations
The ACM Studio Recording slate names top engineers and producers. These nominations recognize technical and creative work on country music recordings.
Audio Engineer of the Year
- Dave Clauss
- Jim Cooley
- Eric Masse
- Buckley Miller
- Justin Niebank
Producer of the Year
- Will Bundy
- Carson Chamberlain
- Dann Huff
- Chris LaCorte
- Ben West
Industry Award Nominations Revealed
The industry nominations span venues, festivals, promoters, and buyers. They acknowledge live-music partners across North America and abroad.
Casino of the Year — Theater
- Choctaw Grand Theater — Durant, OK
- Golden Nugget Lake Charles — Lake Charles, LA
- Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino — Hollywood, FL
- Resorts World Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas — Las Vegas, NV
- The Venue at Thunder Valley at Thunder Valley Casino — Lincoln, CA
Casino of the Year — Arena
- BECU Live at Northern Quest Casino — Airway Heights, WA
- Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena — Atlantic City, NJ
- Mohegan Sun Arena — Uncasville, CT
- Soaring Eagle — Mount Pleasant, MI
- Stir Concert Cove — Council Bluffs, IA
Festival of the Year
- C2C: Country to Country Festival — London, England
- CMC Rocks — Ipswich, Queensland
- Stagecoach — Indio, CA
- Tortuga Music Festival — Ft. Lauderdale, FL
- Two Step Inn — Georgetown, TX
Fair/Rodeo of the Year
- Calgary Stampede — Calgary, Alberta
- California Mid-State Fair — Paso Robles, CA
- Cheyenne Frontier Days — Cheyenne, WY
- Florida Strawberry Festival — Plant City, FL
- San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo — San Antonio, TX
Club of the Year
- Billy Bob’s Texas — Fort Worth, TX
- Brooklyn Bowl — Nashville, TN
- Cain’s Ballroom — Tulsa, OK
- Joe’s Live — Rosemont, IL
- The Pinnacle — Nashville, TN
Theater of the Year
- Blue Gate Theatre — Shipshewana, IN
- Grand Ole Opry House — Nashville, TN
- State Theatre — Portland, ME
- The Franklin Theatre — Franklin, TN
- Ryman Auditorium — Nashville, TN
Outdoor Venue of the Year
- CMAC — Canandaigua, NY
- Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre — Denver, CO
- Floore’s Country Store — Helotes, TX
- The Orion Amphitheater — Huntsville, AL
- Red Rocks Amphitheatre — Morrison, CO
- Walmart AMP (Arkansas Music Pavilion) — Rogers, AR
Arena of the Year
- BOK Center — Tulsa, OK
- Bridgestone Arena — Nashville, TN
- Dickies Arena — Ft. Worth, TX
- Paycom Center — Oklahoma City, OK
- T-Mobile Center — Kansas City, MO
Don Romeo Talent Buyer of the Year
- Andrew Fortin — Neste Live!
- Susan Heymann — Frontier Touring
- Stacy Vee — Goldenvoice
- Ed Warm — Joe’s Concerts
- Del Williams — Danny Wimmer Presents
Promoter of the Year
- Patrick McDill — Live Nation
- Brian O’Connell — Live Nation
- Bob Roux — Live Nation
- Rich Schaefer — AEG Presents
- Adam Weiser — AEG Presents
The nominations highlight technical talent and live-event partners. Coverage at Filmogaz.com will track winners and Honors event details.
