Ella Langley leads thecharge at ACM Awards

Ella Langley emerged as the dominant force at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, collecting multiple major honours during a star-packed evening that also saw Cody Johnson secure the ceremony's highest accolade, entertainer of the year.

The event, staged at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, opened on a triumphant note for Langley when she received song of the year for her crossover success 'Choosin' Texas'. Presented by Michael Buble, the award marked the beginning of a remarkable run for the singer-songwriter.

Clearly emotional during her acceptance speech, Langley thanked listeners for embracing the track, admitting she was rarely short of words but felt overwhelmed by the moment. She later returned to the stage to collect single of the year for the same song.

Her winning streak continued when she and Riley Green earned music event of the year for their duet 'Don't Mind if I Do'. Langley later added female artist of the year to her growing list of achievements, struggling to contain her emotions as she credited the encouragement and support of women throughout her career.

Despite Langley's dominance, the night's top prize ultimately went to Cody Johnson, who was named entertainer of the year. Johnson reflected on music's emotional power while accepting the award, describing it as a gift that allowed him to connect deeply with audiences. Earlier in the evening, he had also been recognised as male artist of the year and later dedicated his entertainer award to Luke Combs.

The 61st ACM Awards featured performances from some of country music's biggest stars. Lainey Wilson, who had won entertainer of the year the previous two years, opened the ceremony with her energetic single 'Can't Sit Still'.

The performances came rapidly afterwards. Miranda Lambert delivered 'Crisco', while Thomas Rhett and Jordan Davis joined forces for 'Ain't A Bad Life'.

Other appearances included Avery Anna performing a country-rock interpretation of 'Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)', alongside sets from Riley Green, Zach Top, Little Big Town and The Red Clay Strays.

Hosting duties were handled by Shania Twain, who entered to her classic hit 'Man! I Feel Like a Woman!'. During her opening remarks, Twain celebrated the growing influence of women in country music and reflected on her own ACM journey dating back three decades.

Among other winners, The Red Clay Strays claimed group of the year, while legendary duo Brooks & Dunn took duo of the year, joking that audiences still had not grown tired of them.

Before the live telecast began, several honours had already been announced. Langley was recognised as artist-songwriter of the year, while Jessie Jo Dillon made history by winning songwriter of the year for a third consecutive time.

One of the evening's most competitive categories, album of the year, went to Parker McCollum for his self-titled project, beating releases from Morgan Wallen, Zach Top, Riley Green and Carter Faith.

The ceremony concluded with performances by Dan + Shay and Blake Shelton. Shelton closed the night with a rendition of 'The Gambler', the classic song famously associated with Kenny Rogers and written by the late songwriter Don Schlitz.

The awards show was streamed through Prime Video, Twitch and the Amazon Music app. .