Can Luke Combs Capture The ACM Triple Crown Award?
on May 16, 2026
Competition At The 61st ACM Awards Is Steep
At 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, there’s a chance that country artist Luke Combs could leave the ceremony with a prestigious career-spanning honor.
The ACM Triple Crown Award — which is a distinction given to an artist who wins the New Male/Female Artist of the Year, Male/Female Artist of the Year, and the Entertainer of the Year Award — is infrequently awarded, but Luke Combs is in line to seize the prize.
Past recipients include:
- Merle Haggard;
- Mickey Gilley;
- Barbara Mandrell;
- Brooks & Dunn;
- The Dixie Chicks (now known as The Chicks);
- Kenny Chesney;
- Carrie Underwood;
- Jason Aldean;
- Miranda Lambert;
- Chris Stapleton;
- Lainey Wilson; and
- Keith Urban.
All Luke Combs needs to earn the Triple Crown Award is a victory in the biggest category of all: Entertainer of the Year.
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Luke Combs’ Path To The Triple Crown
For the past two years, Lainey Wilson has won the Entertainer of the Year award, and she’s nominated again this year.
Along with Lainey Wilson, the other nominees for Entertainer of the Year are Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Megan Moroney, Jelly Roll, Chris Stapleton, and Morgan Wallen.
Combs’ nomination for Entertainer of the Year is his seventh in a row.
Notably, he is also nominated for Male Artist of the Year for the seventh time, having previously won the award in 2020.
Rounding out his qualifying awards for positioning as a contender for the Triple Crown Award is his 2019 victory in the New Male Artist of the Year category.
Interestingly, Morgan Wallen is ineligible for the Triple Crown Award, as he did not win the New Male Artist of the Year award back in 2020, losing to Riley Green.
Cody Johnson was also nominated for New Male Artist of the Year in 2020, rendering him ineligible as well.
Of course, fellow nominees Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson have already won the Triple Crown Award.
Lainey could win Entertainer of the Year for a third year in a row, but Morgan Wallen also had a big year, with his I’m The Problem being the top album of the year in any genre.
Further, this year, Combs is also nominated for Artist-Songwriter of the Year.
Tune in on Amazon Prime at 8 p.m. EST on Sunday, May 17, to watch Shania Twain host the 61st ACM Awards, and see if Luke Combs will win the coveted Triple Crown.
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