ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC® ANNOUNCES SUBMISSIONS & VOTING TIMELINE FOR 61ST ACM AWARDS®

ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC® ANNOUNCES SUBMISSIONS & VOTING TIMELINE FOR 61ST ACM AWARDS®

SUBMISSIONS OPEN JANUARY 5 - JANUARY 26, 2026

December 15, 2025: Final Deadline to Apply for New Memberships & Renew Memberships to Gain or Maintain Voting Eligibility for the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards™ in 2026

Nashville, TN (December 12, 2025) - The Academy of Country Music® announced today the submissions and ballot timeline for professional membership voting for the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards™, taking place on May 17, 2026. To vote for the ACM Awards, you must be an ACM member. The window to become a member or renew membership ends Monday, December 15 at 5 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. PT. You can submit an application for ACM Membership online and must do so during this membership window to qualify to obtain or maintain voting eligibility for the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards in 2026. Additionally, accepted and active Academy members gain access to a suite of benefits, including early access to tickets for ACM events, discounts on industry partner events, monthly programming, and more.

The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards™is produced by Dick Clark Productions and will stream exclusively on Prime Video for a global audience for a fifth straight year, live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Submissions for the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards™️ Main Award, Radio Award, and Industry Award categories will open at 11 a.m. CT / 9 a.m. PT on Monday, January 5, 2026. The Academy will accept entries through January 26, 2026 at 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT. Please click HERE for more information and to submit. A full voting timeline is below.

The eligibility period for submissions for the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards is January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025. Key dates for Academy professional members for the 2025 ACM Awards cycle are as follows:

• Submissions Period Opens: January 5, 2026
• Submissions Period Closes: January 26, 2026
• First Round Voting, Main Awards: February 23, 2026 - March 2, 2026
• Second Round Voting, Main Awards: March 23, 2026 - March 30, 2026
• Final Round Voting, Main Awards: April 13, 2026 - April 20, 2026

*All submission/voting windows close at 8 p.m. E.T. / 7 p.m. C.T. / 5 p.m. P.T.

Key dates for Academy professional members for the 2025 ACM Radio Awards cycle are as follows:

• Submissions Period Opens: January 5, 2026
• Submissions Period Closes: January 26, 2026
• First Round Voting, Radio Awards: February 9, 2026 - February 23, 2026
• Final Round Voting, Radio Awards: March 2, 2025 - March 16, 2026

*All submission/voting windows close at 8 p.m. E.T. / 7 p.m. C.T. / 5 p.m. P.T.

Each round of the Radio Awards will be ranked by a confidential list of judges. Further information on this process can be found in the ACM Award Procedures.