2025 CMA Awards Nominations: Snubs & Surprises

The final nominees for the 59th annual CMA Awards were revealed Monday (Sept. 8), and this year’s nominations highlighted the impact a number of newcomers have had on the genre over the past several months. 

Megan Moroney, Ella Langley and Zach Top, all of whom have come into prominence over the past two years, are among the top nominees. Moroney and Langley tied with Lainey Wilson, who only received her first nomination three years ago, for artists with the most nominations with six, while Top leads all males with five nods. 

Up for the night’s biggest prize, entertainer of the year, are last year’s winner, Morgan Wallen, and three of his fellow 2024 nominees Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton and Wilson. Rounding out the category is Cody Johnson, who receives his first nod in the category.

The awards are voted on by the CMA’s professional members, which number more than 7,100. Eligibility period was July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. According to CMA rules, “singles, albums, music videos and qualified music products for the annual show must have been released or reached peak national prominence during the eligibility period.” The “reached peak national prominence” caveat is key since it allows some leeway in terms of nominations. For example, Langley and Riley Green’s “you look like you love me” won last year for musical event of the year, but snags several more nods this year including for single and song of the year, as the tune grew even more popular after last year’s eligibility cut off. 

The 59th annual CMA Awards will broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 19 (8:00–11:00 p.m. ET) on ABC and next day on Hulu.

Below, we look at some of the largest snubs and surprises from Monday’s nominations.