The Americana Music Association has unveiled the nominees for its 24th annual Americana Honors & Awards, with the list revealed via a social media announcement by artists including Brandi Carlile, Kacey Musgraves, Molly Tuttle, S.G. Goodman, Jim Lauderdale, and Kashus Culpepper .
The Artist of the Year category features a standout roster: Sierra Ferrell, Billy Strings, Charley Crockett, Joy Oladokun, and Waxahatchee are all in the running. Notably, Sierra Ferrell—who claimed the title last year—now vies to become the second woman ever to win Artist of the Year twice and the first to win back-to-back, while Billy Strings could become just the second artist to secure three or more wins in this category .
In the Album of the Year race, Charley Crockett’s Lonesome Drifter (co-produced with Shooter Jennings) goes head-to-head with Jason Isbell’s Foxes in the Snow, MJ Lenderman’s Manning Fireworks, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats’ South of Here, and Woodland by Gillian Welch & David Rawlings .
The DUO/GROUP OF THE YEAR category includes Julien Baker & TORRES, Dawes, Larkin Poe, The Mavericks, and Gillian Welch & David Rawlings.
For Emerging Act of the Year, the nominees are Noeline Hofmann, MJ Lenderman, Medium Build, Maggie Rose, and Jesse Welles .
Instrumentalist of the Year nominations highlight Fred Eltringham, Alex Hargreaves, Megan Jane, Kaitlyn Raitz, and Seth Taylor .
The Song of the Year category presents five compelling tracks: “Johnny Moonshine” by Maggie Antone (written alongside Natalie Hemby & Aaron Raitiere), “Ancient Light” by I’m With Her (Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan & Sara Watkins), “Wristwatch” by MJ Lenderman, “Sunshine Getaway” by JD McPherson (with Page Burkum & Jack Torrey), and “Heartless” by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats .
The 2025 Americana Honors & Awards ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, September 10, 2025, at Nashville’s iconic Ryman Auditorium—anchoring AMERICANAFEST 2025, which runs from September 9 to 13.
