Ella Langley Set for a Special Celebration at the 2026 ACM Honors
The Academy of Country Music named its 19th ACM Honors slate, and Ella gets her own special celebration as the reigning Artist-Songwriter of the Year. Here's what to know.
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Ella is getting her own moment at the 2026 ACM Honors
The Academy of Country Music just rolled out the honoree list for the 19th annual ACM Honors, and Ella is on it. The night will feature a special celebration of her as the reigning ACM Artist-Songwriter of the Year, alongside Songwriter of the Year winner Jessie Jo Dillon. After the year she's had, watching the industry stop and salute the songwriting feels right.
What the ACM Honors actually are
If you only tune in for the big spring ACM Awards, the Honors are the quieter, classier sibling. It's a Nashville ceremony built around special and off-camera awards -- lifetime achievements, industry figures, and celebratory tributes that don't fit on a primetime telecast. This year's show lands August 19 at The Pinnacle in downtown Nashville, and per Country Now and Billboard, it's open to the public.
The room she's in
The 2026 class is stacked. Kacey Musgraves is taking the ACM Spirit Award, Eric Church is being feted, and the legendary Carter Family is being recognized too. Songwriters Bill Anderson and Brett James are on the list, along with industry names Leslie Fram and Mike Curb, the U.K.'s C2C: Country to Country festival, and even the Paramount+ series "Landman." For Ella to get a dedicated celebration in that company -- as a writer, not just a hitmaker -- says a lot about how seriously Nashville is taking her catalog.
Who's hosting
Carly Pearce is back for her sixth year hosting, and this time she's joined by first-time co-host Parker McCollum, per Variety. Two genuine hitmakers running the room sounds like a good time.
Why this one hits for us
Ella came up writing songs before she was a household name, so an Artist-Songwriter celebration is the recognition that fits her best. It caps a run that includes "Choosin' Texas" rewriting the record book and "Be Her" piling up Country Airplay weeks. If you want the backstory on the single driving so much of this, we broke down what "Be Her" is really about. And if you're hoping to catch her live before awards season, the full Dandelion Tour schedule is here.
We'll be watching August 19.
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