Americana Music Honors & Awards


The Americana Music Honors & Awards is the marquee event for the Americana Music Association. Beginning in 2002, the Americana Music Association honors distinguished members of the music community. Six member-voted awards and several Lifetime Achievement Awards are handed out while over 2000 artists, music-loving fans and entertainment industry executives look on.
The Honors & Awards have featured a variety of musical events, including Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash’s last live performance together. Artists such as The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Robert Plant & His Band of Joy, Steve Earle & Allison Moorer, Rosanne Cash and John Fogerty have also performed for the event, and special appearances by artists like Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Billy Bob Thornton, Bonnie Raitt, Dwight Yoakam and George Strait demonstrate the prestige of the genre and awards show.
The Honors & Awards show was first broadcast on national television in 2005. Also in 2005, SiriusXM, BBC2, and Voice of America began broadcasting the show on radio. PBS began airing an abbreviated version during Austin City Limits in 2011.
The Americana Honors & Awards Show returned to the historic Ryman Auditorium on September 12, 2012. It was once again hosted by Jim Lauderdale, while the All Star Band was led by Buddy Miller. The 2012 Honors & Awards show was aired live on AXS TV and later aired on Austin City Limits on PBS and replayed on AXS TV. Lauderdale stepped down from hosting duties after the 2017 ceremony and the 2018 Honors & Awards were hosted by The Milk Carton Kids.

Nomination process

The eligibility period for the Americana Music Association’s “Of The Year” categories typically runs from April 1 through March 31 of the following year. Only active members of the Americana Music Association may participate in the Nomination and Election process. The winners are announced at the annual Americana Music Honors & Awards show.
Below is the Criteria for each of the following categories:
All awards history information is also available on the Americana Music Association's website.

Album of the Year

Americana Trailblazer Award

The inaugural UK AMA awards were presented by the UK Americana Music Association were held at St John at Hackney in London on 3 February 2016 and was hosted by Bob Harris and Ethan Johns. The second annual UK Americana awards were held on 2 February 2017 and the third awards were held on 1 February 2018. The fifth awards were held on 30 January 2020.

UK Album of the Year

The inaugural annual Australian American Music Honours Night, a celebration of Australian roots music, was held on October 2, 2017. The ceremony, which was televised on the Country Music Channel in early 2018, featured performances from many of Australia's top roots performers alongside Valerie June and Old Crow Medicine Show who acted as "US Americana Ambassadors". The inaugural ceremony also featured the presentation of two honours. The second event was held on October 11, 2018, and featured Margo Price and Joshua Hedley as Americana Ambassadors.

Vanguard Award