The 44th annual Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Awards celebrated another year of local and international success for homegrown country music talent last night (Sept. 19), and we’re recapping the top moments.
Global success story Cameron Whitcomb was the night’s biggest winner, taking home three awards during the awards show: Entertainer of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, and Ford F-150 Album of the Year for ‘The Hard Way.’ James Barker Band had an equally memorable night, not only hosting the show but also winning Group or Duo of the Year for the fourth consecutive year alongside the coveted Fans’ Choice Award. The country music community rallied big time around “Rally Around” singer Sully Burrows, naming him Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year.
Other winners included Nate Haller and Tenille Townes, who picked up Musical Collaboration of the Year for “Backfire,” and MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge’s project Thelma & James, who took home Video of the Year for “Parking Lot Prayers.” Josh Ross won Single of the Year for “Hate How You Look,” earning his third consecutive win in the category, and Meghan Patrick was also crowned Female Artist of the Year for the third time.
The 2026 CCMA Awards were held at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon as part of Country Music Week 2026. Catch the full awards show, including epic performances by The Reklaws and Dean Brody, Owen Riegling plus an incredible tribute to Dolly Parton by Madeline Merlo, Sacha, Brett Kissel, and Tyler Joe Miller, streaming now on Crave.
Full List of 2026 CCMA Awards Winners
- Francophone Artist of the Year: Fred Dionne
- Innovative Campaign of the Year: Hailey Benedict, Big Loud, Local Hay – “Carl Dean” Campaign
- Creative Team or Designer of the Year: Design Team: Logan Dane Morrison, Shaina Stein – ‘The Hard Way’ Artwork (Artist: Cameron Whitcomb)
- Steel Guitar Player of the Year: Matt McKay
- Specialty Instrument Player of the Year: Tyler Vollrath
- Fiddle Player of the Year: Tyler Beckett
- Keyboard Player of the Year: Amber Bauer
- Bass Player of the Year (Tie): Lisa Jacobs; Ben Miller
- Drummer of the Year: Rich DaSilva
- Guitar Player of the Year: Chris Bray
- Country Music Program, Special, or Digital Feature of the Year: Pure Country Top 50 Countdown with Lainey Wilson, Russell Dickerson, and Shannon Ella (iHeartRadio Canada)
- Country Club of the Year: Horseshoe Tavern (Toronto, ON)
- Country Festival, Fair, or Exhibition of the Year: Boots and Hearts Music Festival (Oro-Medonte, ON)
- Alternative Country Album of the Year: ‘Starting Over’ – Thelma & James
- Top Selling Album of the Year: ‘I’m The Problem’ – Morgan Wallen
- Top Selling Canadian Single of the Year: “Hate How You Look” – Josh Ross
- Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year: ‘The Hard Way’ – Cameron Whitcomb
- Recording Studio of the Year: 80A Studios (Toronto, ON)
- Record Producer(s) of the Year: Karen Kosowski – Singles: “Iron Man (Acoustic),” “Safe Place To Break,” “Jessica Jezebel” (Artist: Meghan Patrick)
- Record Company of the Year: Big Loud Records
- Country Personality(ies) of the Year: Shannon Ella (Pure Country Radio National Midday)
- Radio Station of the Year (Medium or Small Market): CHCQ-FM (Belleville, ON)
- Radio Station of the Year (Large Market): CFCW (Edmonton, AB)
- Retailer or Commercial Platform of the Year: Apple Music
- Songwriter(s) of the Year: “Backfire” – Michael August, Nate Hall, James Adam Shelley, Tenille Townes, Stuart Walker (Artist: Nate Haller x Tenille Townes)
- Music Publishing Company of the Year: Big Loud Publishing
- Booking Agency of the Year: The Feldman Agency
- Ron Sakamoto Talent Buyer or Promoter of the Year: Denise Ross (Live Nation Entertainment)
- Management Company of the Year: The Core Entertainment
- International Industry Person of the Year: Seth England
- Industry Person of the Year: Lindsay Hyslop (BMG Canada)
- Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year: Sully Burrows
- Video of the Year: “Parking Lot Prayers” – Thelma & James
- Ford F-150 Album of the Year: ‘The Hard Way’ – Cameron Whitcomb
- Male Artist of the Year: Cameron Whitcomb
- Female Artist of the Year: Meghan Patrick
- Musical Collaboration of the Year: “Backfire” – Nate Haller x Tenille Townes
- Single of the Year: “Hate How You Look” – Josh Ross
- Fans’ Choice: James Barker Band
- Group or Duo of the Year: James Barker Band
- Entertainer of the Year: Cameron Whitcomb
(Header photo features 2026 CCMAs winners Cameron Whitcomb and Sully Burrows)
