Jason Aldean, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen are up for the Country Artist of the Year title at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards.
The iHeartRadio Music Awards will return this spring to Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The star-studded, 13th annual event aims to “celebrate the most-played artists and songs on iHeartRadio stations and the iHeartRadio app throughout 2025, while also offering a preview of the upcoming hits of 2026.”
Some of country music’s biggest artists are up for awards, including in country categories and genre-spanning honors. Jelly Roll and Wallen, for example, are also up for Artist of the Year. Bailey Zimmerman is nominated in the Best Collaboration category for “All The Way” with BigXthePlug. Shaboozey is nominated for Song of the Year with “Good News.” Country stars who received several nominations include Ella Langley, Jelly Roll, Wallen and others. Viewers can catch presentations of multiple awards, can’t-miss live performances, surprise guests and collaborations and more throughout the show.
“This is an annual awards show made exclusively for fans, celebrating the biggest songs and artists they’ve loved listening to on iHeartRadio stations and our iHeartRadio app all year long,” said John Sykes, President of Entertainment Enterprises and Tom Poleman, Chief Programming Officer of iHeartMedia. “FOX viewers will also get an exclusive preview of some of the songs they’ll be listening to in the Summer of ‘26.”
Like in years past, iHeartRadio is letting the fans choose the winners in several new and established categories. Fan voting will determine this year’s Favorite Broadway Debut, Favorite TikTok Dance, Favorite Debut Album, Best Lyrics, Best Music Video, Favorite On Screen, Favorite Tour Photographer, Favorite Soundtrack, Favorite Tour Style, Favorite Tour Tradition and Favorite K-pop Collab. Social voting begins on January 8th, and will close on March 19th at 11:59pm PT for all categories. Fans can vote by visiting iHeartRadio.com/awards.
Tune in to see which artists will take home an iHeartRadio Music Award on Thursday, March 26th at 8pm ET live (PT tape-delayed) on FOX. The show will also be broadcast on iHeartRadio stations across the country and on the iHeartRadio app.
Scroll below to see the full list of country artists nominated at this year’s show, and find the full list of nominees here.
Country Song of the Year:
- “After All The Bars Are Closed” – Thomas Rhett
- “Good News” – Shaboozey
- “Liar” – Jelly Roll
- “Love Somebody” – Morgan Wallen
- “Whiskey Drink” – Jason Aldean
Country Artist of the Year:
Best New Artist (Country):