Shania Twain to Host the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards

Next month, country artist Shania Twain will host the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards for the first time, taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The 61st ACM Awards will stream live exclusively for a global audience on Prime Video on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT. Fans will also be able to watch the broadcast on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, as well as in the Amazon Music app.

Twain is the top-selling female country-pop artist of all time. A three-time ACM Award winner and five-time GRAMMY Award winner, Twain has released six studio albums and sold more than 100 million albums sold worldwide.

“I’m thrilled to be hosting the 61st ACM Awards in Las Vegas, a place that feels like home.” said Twain. “It’s such an honor to be part of this incredible night celebrating Country Music’s biggest stars, especially with so many talented women leading nominations this year. I can’t wait to welcome all of the fans and artists out for this unforgettable night.”

Returning to the Sunday night timeslot, the ACM Awards will feature performances from the biggest Country Music stars, including Cody Johnson, Kacey Musgraves, Lainey Wilson, Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, and Riley Green, with more to be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets for the 61st ACM Awards and ACM Awards week events are available for purchase on AXS.com. 

Leading up to the big night, the Academy of Country Music will take over Las Vegas with previously announced ACM Awards week events including a “Whiskey Jam Welcome Party” at Ole Red Las Vegas on Thursday, May 14 with Avery Anna, Caroline Jones, Jenna Paulette, and The Band Perry; “ACM Lifting Lives Country on the Green: Riley Green & Friends” at Topgolf Las Vegas Friday, May 15 with Lauren Alaina, Randy Houser, and Rodney Atkins, alongside headliner Riley Green; as well as “ACM Next Wave: Country’s Beach Bash” at Mandalay Bay Beach Saturday, May 16 with Ashley Cooke, Braxton Keith, Dasha, Flatland Cavalry, Keith Urban, Tucker Wetmore, and more.

Established in 1966, the Academy of Country Music Awards is the longest-running Country Music awards show and made history in 2022 as the first major awards ceremony to exclusively livestream, in collaboration with Prime Video. The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions (DCP).

Raj Kapoor and Patrick Menton are executive producers, with Kapoor also serving as showrunner. Damon Whiteside serves as executive producer for the Academy of Country Music, and Jay Penske and Barry Adelman serve as executive producers for DCP. John Saade will also continue to serve as consulting producer for Amazon MGM Studios.