Nominees in five categories have been named for the 2026 Americana Honors and Awards. The winners will be recognized on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The 25th annual awards show is the highlight of the Americana Music Association’s AMERICANAFEST, a festival and conference celebrating American roots-inspired music which extends from Sept. 15-19.
Brandi Carlile, S.G. Goodman, I’m With Her (the all-female trio featuring Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan and Sara Watkins), Mon Rovia, Ken Pomeroy, and Margo Price each were nominated in two categories. Here’s a complete list of the nominees.
Artist of the Year: Brandi Carlile, Charley Crockett, Margo Price, Molly Tuttle, Jesse Welles
Album of the Year: Tyler Childers – Snipe Hunter (produced by Tyler Childers, Rick Rubin and Nick Sanborn); Kathleen Edwards – Billionaire (produced by Jason Isbell and Gena Johnson); S. G. Goodman – Planning by the Signs (produced by S. G. Goodman, Matthew Rowan and Drew Vandenberg); Ken Pomeroy – Cruel Joke (produced by Colton Jean, Dakota McDaniel and Gary Paczosa); Margo Price – Hard Headed Woman (produced by Matt Ross-Spang)
Duo/Group of the Year: Flatland Cavalry, I’m With Her, Mumford and Sons, Turnpike Troubadours, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
Emerging Act of the Year: Boy Golden, Crowe Boys, Kashus Culpepper, Ken Pomeroy, Mon Rovia
Song of the Year: Brandi Carlile -“Returning to Myself, written by Brandi Carlile; S.G. Goodman – “Snapping Turtle,” written by S. G. Goodman; I’m With Her – “Wild and Clear and Blue,” written by Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan and Sara Watkins; Mon Rovia – “Heavy Foot,’ written by Gran Averill, Eric Cromartie, Cooper Holzman and Andrew Lowe; Lucinda Williams (featuring Britney Spencer) – “The World’s Gone Wrong,” written by Tom Overby, Doug Pettibone and Lucinda Williams
In addition to the five member-voted awards, Lifetime Achievement honorees, still to be announced, also will be recognized during the ceremony.
AMERICANAFEST features several days filled with educational panel discussions and seminars and evenings chock-full of artist showcases at venues throughout the Music City. Established in 1999, the Americana Music Association is a professional not-for-profit trade association whose mission is to advocate for the authentic voice of American roots music around the world. Visit https://americanamusic.org for more information.
(Photos courtesy of The Americana Music Association)
