Chris Stapleton was honored as the 2023 Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year. At the same ceremony, Lainey Wilson won Female Artist of the Year and Morgan Wallen took home Male Artist of the Year. The awards were presented at the 58th annual ACM Awards on Thursday, May 11, 2023.
A separate listing of performers and presenters for the 2023 ACM Awards was made available alongside the event coverage. Several high-profile artists were nominated across major categories, reflecting a wide range of commercial and critical successes in country music throughout the year.
Morgan Wallen, who had been scheduled to perform during the ceremony, did not appear after announcing earlier in the week that he needed to cancel six weeks of concert dates because of vocal cord problems. His absence was noted among the evening’s highlights.
American Idol alum Carrie Underwood was nominated in a single category but did not win; she did not attend or perform at the ceremony. Overall, the night included a mix of established stars and rising artists receiving recognition across competitive fields.
Country music icons Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks served as hosts for the event, which took place at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The ceremony was streamed via Amazon, with a full rebroadcast scheduled to be available on Amazon Freevee the following day.
2023 ACM Awards WINNERS
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
- Jason Aldean
- Kane Brown
- Luke Combs
- Miranda Lambert
- Chris Stapleton – WINNER
- Carrie Underwood
- Morgan Wallen
FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Miranda Lambert
- Ashley McBryde
- Carly Pearce
- Lainey Wilson – WINNER
MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Kane Brown
- Luke Combs
- Jordan Davis
- Chris Stapleton
- Morgan Wallen – WINNER
DUO OF THE YEAR
- Brooks & Dunn
- Brothers Osborne – WINNER
- Dan + Shay
- Maddie & Tae
- The War and Treaty
GROUP OF THE YEAR
- Lady A
- Little Big Town
- Midland
- Old Dominion – WINNER
- Zac Brown Band
NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Priscilla Block
- Megan Moroney
- Caitlyn Smith
- Morgan Wade
- Hailey Whitters – WINNER
NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Zach Bryan – WINNER
- Jackson Dean
- ERNEST
- Dylan Scott
- Nate Smith
- Bailey Zimmerman
ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
- Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville – Ashley McBryde Producer: John Osborne Record Company-Label: Warner Music Nashville
- Bell Bottom Country – Lainey Wilson Producer: Jay Joyce Record Company-Label: Broken Bow Records – WINNER
- Growin’ Up – Luke Combs Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton Record Company-Label: Columbia Records
- Mr. Saturday Night – Jon Pardi Producers: Jon Pardi, Bart Butler, Ryan Gore Record Company-Label: Capitol Records Nashville
- Palomino – Miranda Lambert Producers: Jon Randall, Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Mikey Reaves Record Company-Label: Vanner Records/RCA Records Nashville
SINGLE OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
- Heart Like A Truck – Lainey Wilson Producer: Jay Joyce Record Company-Label: Broken Bow Records
- Never Wanted To Be That Girl – Carly Pearce & Ashley McBryde Producers: Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally Record Company-Label: Big Machine Records/Warner Music Nashville
- She Had Me At Heads Carolina – Cole Swindell Producer: Zach Crowell Record Company-Label: Warner Music Nashville – WINNER
- Thank God – Kane Brown with Katelyn Brown Producer: Dann Huff Record Company-Label: RCA Nashville
- ‘Til You Can’t – Cody Johnson Producer: Trent Willmon Record Company-Label: Warner Music Nashville/CoJo Music
SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
- Sand In My Boots – Morgan Wallen Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Josh Osborne, Michael Hardy Publishers: Relative Music Group; Sony/ATV Accent; Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing; Sony/ATV Tree Publishing
- She Had Me At Heads Carolina – Cole Swindell Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Cole Swindell, Jesse Frasure, Mark D. Sanders, Thomas Rhett, Tim Nichols Publishers: Ashley Gorley Publishing Designee; Be A Light Publishing; Colden Rainey Music; EMI Blackwood Music Inc; Songs Of Roc Nation Music; Sony Tree Publishing; Telemitry Rhythm House Music; Universal Music Corp; WC Music Corp; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp – WINNER
- ‘Til You Can’t – Cody Johnson Songwriters: Ben Stennis, Matt Rogers Publishers: Anthem Canalco Publishing; Dead Aim Music; The Stennis Mightier Music
- wait in the truck – HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson Songwriters: Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt, Michael Hardy, Renee Blair Publishers: Humerus Publishing Global; Nontypical Music; Pile of Schmidt Songs; Rednecker Music; Relative Music Group; Round Hill Verses Publishing; Sony/ATV Accent; Sony/ATV Tree Publishing; The Money Tree Vibez; WC Music Corp; Who Wants to Buy My Publishing
- You Should Probably Leave – Chris Stapleton Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Chris DuBois, Chris Stapleton Publishers: One77 Songs; Sea Gayle Music; Songs of Southside Independent Music Publishing; Spirit Two Nashville; WC Music Corp
VISUAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]
- HEARTFIRST – Kelsea Ballerini Producers: Christen Pinkston & Wesley Stebbins-Perry Director: P Tracy
- She Had Me At Heads Carolina – Cole Swindell Producer: Troy Jackson Director: Spidey Smith
- Thank God – Kane Brown with Katelyn Brown Producer: Luke Arreguin Director: Alex Alvga
- ‘Til You Can’t – Cody Johnson Producer: Maddy Hayes Director: Dustin Haney
- wait in the truck – HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson Producer: Inkwell Productions Director: Justin Clough – WINNER
- What He Didn’t Do – Carly Pearce Producer: Ryan Byrd Director: Alexa Campbell
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
- Nicolle Galyon
- Ashley Gorley – WINNER
- Chase McGill
- Josh Osborne
- Hunter Phelps
ARTIST-SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
- Luke Combs
- ERNEST
- HARDY – WINNER
- Miranda Lambert
- Morgan Wallen
MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
- At the End of a Bar – Chris Young with Mitchell Tenpenny Producers: Chris DeStefano, Chris Young Record Company-Label: RCA Nashville
- She Had Me At Heads Carolina [Remix] – Cole Swindell & Jo Dee Messina Producer: Zach Crowell Record Company-Label: Warner Music Nashville
- Thank God – Kane Brown with Katelyn Brown Producer: Dann Huff Record Company-Label: RCA Nashville
- Thinking ‘Bout You – Dustin Lynch feat. MacKenzie Porter Producer: Zach Crowell Record Company-Label: Broken Bow Records
- wait in the truck – HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson Producers: Derek Wells, HARDY, Joey Moi, Jordan Schmidt Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records – WINNER
The 58th ACM Awards emphasized both mainstream chart-toppers and critically acclaimed work, honoring artists, songwriters, producers and directors who shaped country music over the past year. Winners included established performers and newer voices alike, reflecting a diverse and evolving field. The evening’s results will be referenced across industry coverage as the official roster of 2023 ACM Award recipients.