The Canadian Country Music Association® has officially revealed the nominees for the 2025 CCMA Awards presented by TD, and the excitement is hitting a high note.
This year’s awards are shaping up to be one of the most star-studded yet, with Josh Ross and Cameron Whitcomb leading the nominations with six each, followed closely by Brett Kissel and Owen Riegling with five nods apiece.
Hosted by comedian and cultural icon Tom Green, the 2025 CCMA Awards will broadcast live from Prospera Place in Kelowna for the first time ever, on Saturday, September 13 at 8 p.m. ET on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, with next-day streaming available on Crave.
🎶 2025 Nomination Highlights:
- Josh Ross: Fans’ Choice, Male Artist, Entertainer, Video, Single, Musical Collaboration
- Cameron Whitcomb: Fans’ Choice, Breakthrough Artist, Male Artist, Entertainer, Songwriter, Single
- Brett Kissel: Fans’ Choice, Male Artist, Album of the Year, Video, Single
- Owen Riegling: Fans’ Choice, Entertainer, Album of the Year, Songwriter, Single
- Jade Eagleson: Four nominations including Fans’ Choice and Entertainer
- Madeline Merlo, Tyler Joe Miller, MacKenzie Porter, The Reklaws, Sacha: Three nominations each
- Our podcast is nominated this year!!
Fans will also have a say in two major categories:
- Fans’ Choice Award presented by Bud Light
- Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year presented by Birkenstock
Voting is now open at ccma.org/fanvoting – so get your votes in!
This year also marks the debut of the Francophone Artist of the Year category, celebrating five incredible acts: Francis Degrandpré, Fred Dionne, Sara Dufour, Vince Lemire, and Salebarbes.
The show will feature live performances from Madeline Merlo & Tyler Joe Miller, Sacha & Restless Road, Dallas Smith & Alexandra Kay, Thelma & James, and Cameron Whitcomb, with more artists to be announced soon.
The Nominees For The 2025 CCMA Awards
As nominees are announced, we will be adding them to this list. Be sure to keep checking back throughout the day.
Entertainer of the Year (Award #1)
- Jade Eagleson
- MacKenzie Porter
- Owen Riegling
- Josh Ross
- Cameron Whitcomb
Ford F-150® Album of the Year (Award #2)
- All Night Longer – Matt Lang
- Bruce County (From The Beginning) – Owen Riegling
- Going Home – Tyler Joe Miller
- Golden Child – Meghan Patrick
- Let Your Horses Run – The Album – Brett Kissel
Fans’ Choice presented by Bud Light (Award #3)
- Jade Eagleson
- High Valley
- Brett Kissel
- Tyler Joe Miller
- MacKenzie Porter
- The Reklaws
- Owen Riegling
- Josh Ross
- Dallas Smith
- Cameron Whitcomb
Female Artist of the Year (Award #4)
- Hailey Benedict
- Madeline Merlo
- Jess Moskaluke
- MacKenzie Porter
- Sacha
Francophone Artist of the Year (Award #5)
- Francis Degrandpré
- Fred Dionne
- Sara Dufour
- Vince Lemire
- Salebarbes
Group or Duo of the Year (Award #6)
- High Valley
- James Barker Band
- The Reklaws
- Tim & The Glory Boys
- The Washboard Union
Musical Collaboration of the Year (Award #7)
- Broken Heart Thing – Madeline Merlo feat. Dustin Lynch
- Do It Anyway – Jade Eagleson feat. Jake Worthington
- Stoned Alone (feat. Caitlyn Smith) – Meghan Patrick, Caitlyn Smith
- Want This Beer – Josh Ross feat. Julia Michaels
- Won’t Forget – Dan Davidson, Tim Hicks & Max Jackson
- Your Mama Would Hate Me – Dean Brody, James Barker Band
Male Artist of the Year (Award #8)
- Jade Eagleson
- Brett Kissel
- Tyler Joe Miller
- Josh Ross
- Cameron Whitcomb
Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year presented by Birkenstock (Award #9)
- Noeline Hofmann
- Zach Mcphee
- Sacha
- Tony Stevens
- Cameron Whitcomb
Alternative Country Album of the Year presented by National Music Centre (Award #10)
- Chandler – Wyatt C. Louis
- One More Dollar To Go – Jake Vaadeland
- Purple Gas – Noeline Hofmann
- Story To Tell – Riley Taylor
- To The River – Kyle McKearney
Single of the Year (Award #11)
- I Grew Up On A Farm – The Reklaws
- Let Your Horses Run – Brett Kissel
- Moonshines – Owen Riegling
- Single Again – Josh Ross
- Quitter – Cameron Whitcomb
Songwriter(s) of the Year presented by SOCAN (Award #12)
- Kelly Archer, Travis Denning, Chris Stevens – I’m Gonna Love You (Artist: Cody Johnson and Carrie Underwood)
- Ryan Beatty, Beyoncé, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Leven Kali, Raphael Saadiq, Shawntoni Ajanae Nichols – BODYGUARD (Artist: Beyoncé)
- Ben Cottrill, David Schaeman, Nolan Sipe, Cameron Whitcomb – Quitter (Artist: Cameron Whitcomb)
- Zach Crowell, Lalo Guzman, James McNair, Madeline Merlo, Michael Tyler – Broken Heart Thing (Artist: Madeline Merlo feat. Dustin Lynch)
- Owen Riegling, Daryl Scott, Jesse Slack – Moonshines (Artist: Owen Riegling)
Video of the Year (Award #16)
- Hey Mom I Made It – Sacha
- Let Your Horses Run – Brett Kissel
- Life for Me – Jess Moskaluke
- Ride It Out – Alli Walker
- Single Again – Josh Ross
Bass Player of the Year (Award #17)
- Lisa Dodd
- Lisa Jacobs
- Ben Miller
- Brandi Sidoryk
- Holt Stuart-Hitchcox
Drummer of the Year (Award #18)
- Matt Atkins
- Flavio Cirillo
- Rich DaSilva
- Brendan Lyons
- Joseph Poulin
- Greg Williamson
Fiddle Player of the Year (Award #19)
- Linsey Beckett
- Tyler Beckett
- Denis Dufresne
- Jesse Grandmont
- Catherine Robertson
Guitar Player of the Year presented by PRS Guitars (Award #20)
- Chris Bray
- Russell Broom
- Ryan Davidson
- Marcus Ramsay
- Brennan Wall
Keyboard Player of the Year (Award #21)
- Ben Cottrill
- Matt Koebel
- Brendon Schmidt
- Brendan Waters
Specialty Instrument Player of the Year (Award #22)
- Denis Dufresne
- Johnny Gasparic
- Shane Guse
- Tyler Vollrath
Steel Guitar Player of the Year (Award #23)
- Michael Eckert
- Bruce Hoffman
- Matt McKay
- Kevin Neal
- Marcus Ramsay
Booking Agency of the Year (Award #26)
- Action Entertainment Collaborative
- Fame Group Agency
- The Feldman Agency
- Invictus Entertainment Group
- Paquin Entertainment Group
Country Club of the Year (Award #27)
- Cook County Saloon (Edmonton, AB)
- King Eddy (Calgary, AB)
- Ranchman’s Cookhouse and Dancehall (Calgary, AB)
Country Festival, Fair or Exhibition of the Year (Award #28)
- Big Valley Jamboree (Camrose, AB)
- Boots and Hearts Music Festival (Oro-Medonte, ON)
- Calgary Stampede (Calgary, AB)
- Cavendish Beach Music Festival (Cavendish, PEI)
- LASSO Montréal (Montréal, QC)
Country Music Program, Special, or Digital Feature of the Year (Award #29)
- Heartstrings & Honky Tonks (CFCW, Silverplow Productions & Design Co.)
- A Kane Brown Christmas Special (Sony Music Entertainment (Canada) Inc.)
- A Kissel Country Christmas (Brett Kissel, Abbey White)
- On the Porch with Front Porch Music (Front Porch Music)
- Pure Country Top 50 Countdown (iHeartRadio Canada)
Country Personality(ies) of the Year (Award #30)
- Dan Davidson & Stella Stevens (CFCW)
- Tracy Lynn (CFWC-FM)
- Jason McCoy (CICX-FM)
- Sam McDaid (CIKZ-FM)
- Paul McGuire (CFXJ-FM)
Management Company of the Year (Award #31)
- The Core Entertainment
- MDM Artist Management Services
- RLive Management
- Starseed Entertainment
- Willing Entertainment
Music Publishing Company of the Year presented by CMRRA (Award #32)
- Anthem Entertainment Group
- Big Loud Publishing
- Sony Music Canada Publishing
- Universal Music Publishing Group
- Warner Chappell Music Canada
Record Company of the Year (Award #33)
- Big Loud Records
- Sony Music Entertainment (Canada) Inc.
- Starseed Records
- Universal Music Canada
- Willing Records
Industry Person of the Year (Award #34)
- Justin Clark (Big Loud Records)
- Warren Copnick (Sony Music Entertainment (Canada) Inc.)
- Lindsay Hyslop (BBR Music Group)
- Joelle Proulx (Agence Ranch)
- Kevin White (Universal Music Canada)
Creative Team or Designer of the Year (Award #35)
- Design Team: Robert Adam, Bryan Francisco, Brandynn L.P, Alyssa Gibson (Doutone Studio) – Single: Bailing Twine (Artist: Robert Adam)
- Design Team: Austin Chaffe – 3 Pack Single: All The Time, If I Drink Enough, One Beer Away (Artist: The Reklaws), EP: Outliving (For Mom)(Artist: The Reklaws), Single: Worth The Double (Artist:Jade Eagleson), Single: Silverado-si-do (Artist:Jade Eagleson), Single: Race To The Bottom (Artist: Nate Haller), Single: Drive (Artist: Nate Haller), Brand Identity: Country Rising, Promotional Material: Lucknow’s Music In The Fields
- Design Team: Stephane Lamontagne, JF Galipeau – Album: All Night Longer (Artist: Matt Lang)
- Design Team: Kyle McKearney, Jeff Ojeda, Roberta Landreth – Album: To The River (Artist: Kyle McKearney), Single: Tomorrow (Artist: Kyle McKearney), Single: Hold On Goodbye (Artist: Kyle McKearney), Single: Fight This Fire (Artist: Kyle McKearney)
- Design Team: Connor Scheffler, Andrew Parry – Single: Life For Me (Artist: Jess Moskaluke)
Recording Studio of the Year (Award #36)
- 80A Studios (Toronto, ON)
- Manicdown Studios (Vancouver, BC)
- MCC Recording Studio (Calgary, AB)
- OCL Studios (Chestermere, AB)
- Revolution Recording (Toronto, ON)
Record Producer(s) of the Year (Award #37)
- Russell Broom, Kyle McKearney – Album: To The River (Artist: Kyle McKearney)
- Danick Dupelle – Album: All Night Longer (Artist: Matt Lang)
- Karen Kosowski – Single: First Time Living (feat. Gretchen Wilson)(Artist: Alli Walker), Single: Whether You Love Me or Not (Artist: Meghan Patrick)
- Joey Moi – Album: Quit!! (Artist: HARDY)
- Dan Swinimer – Single: He’s The One (Artist: Savannah Jade), Single: When I Hear That Song (Artist: Tony Stevens)
Retailer or Commercial Platform of the Year (Award #38)
- Amazon Music
- Apple Music
- SiriusXM Canada
- Spotify Canada Inc.
Ron Sakamoto Talent Buyer or Promoter of the Year (Award #39)
- Paul Biro (Sakamoto Agency)
- Jim Cressman (Invictus Entertainment Group)
- Brooke Dunford (Republic Live)
- Adam Oppenheim (Stampede Entertainment Inc.)
- Denise Ross (Live Nation Entertainment)
Video Director of the Year (Award #40)
- Gord Bamford, Codi McIvor – Just Getting’ Started (Artist: Gord Bamford)
- Alexandre Blais, Alexandre Charron – He’s the One (Artist: Savannah Jade)
- Ben Knechtel – Outliving (Artist: The Reklaws), Remind Me Again (Artist: Zach McPhee), Youth (Artist: Sully Burrows)
- Travis Nesbitt – Won’t Forget (Artist: Dan Davidson, Tim Hicks & Max Jackson)
- Alex P. Smith – You Didn’t Hear It From Me (Artist: James Barker Band)
Innovative Campaign of the Year presented by TD (Award #41)
- “Wheels of Steel”- A Cross Canada Journey on the Open Rails (Cameron Nickerson)
- “Golden Child: The Making of” (Meghan Patrick)
- “SOUTHERN DRAW(L)” The Broadway Interviews (Paige Penney and W/FRNDS)
- Outliving (For Mom) EP Launch Campaign (The Reklaws, Starseed Entertainment)
- “Ride It Out” – A Cultural Moment, Not Just a Song (Alli Walker)
🎤 Highlights From the 2024 CCMA Awards
The 2024 Canadian Country Music Association Awards were a night to remember at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Hosted by MacKenzie Porter and Thomas Rhett, the event was packed with unforgettable performances and major wins.
The biggest winner of the night was Josh Ross, who took home three major awards, including Entertainer of the Year and Single of the Year for his smash hit Trouble. Rising star Owen Riegling had a breakout moment, winning Breakthrough Artist of the Year, while favourites MacKenzie Porter and James Barker Band also scored big.
With Edmonton as the perfect host city, the 2024 CCMA Awards were a powerful celebration of Canadian country music’s continued growth and star power.
See the full list of winners in bold below.
In country music, the Front Porch has long been a place of reflection. A place where you can look at the life you have inside that front door. A place where time almost seems to stand still, where you can get away. It’s also a place where you can go to observe the world as it passes by you. To think about your place out there beyond the driveway.
