The nominees for the 2025 CMA Awards were just announced, with the list topped by Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, and Lainey Wilson, who each have six nominations. As in previous years, several artists were also inexplicably omitted from this year’s nominees.
Even more surprising, some of country music’s biggest stars have never walked away with a CMA Award. We uncover seven artists who have had successful careers, but never received a CMA Award acknowledging their hard work.
1. Scotty McCreery
Not only has Scotty McCreery never received a CMA Award, but he’s never even been nominated! It’s surprising, since McCreery has had six No. 1 singles, including the multi-week hit, “Damn Strait.” He’s also toured throughout most of his career, and in 2024 became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Still, with the massive success of “Bottle Rockets,” his current collaboration with Hootie & the Blowfish, it seems likely that McCreery’s name will soon be heard when the nominees are revealed.
2. Chris Young
Chris Young has been nominated for a CMA Award a total of eight times, yet has never won one. Young was first nominated in 2010, for New Artist of the Year. In 2021, he received five nominations, for his “Famous Friends” collaboration with Kane Brown.
Fortunately, Young doesn’t determine his success by the trophies he does or does not receive.
“ I don’t have a single CMA or an ACM, or a Grammy,” Young says on the In The Blind podcast. “I’ve been nominated a lot, but I don’t have a single one. I still get to go play music for people, and have my songs on the radio and on streaming, and people still listen to them, and that’s the end all, be all for me.”
3. Kane Brown
Brown has not been nominated for a CMA Award since 2023, a glaring omission. Brown received three nominations for “Famous Friends” along with Young, plus had one for his “Thank You” duet with his wife, Katelyn. While it’s surprising that he didn’t win any of those, it’s even more surprising that he hasn’t been nominated in any other category, especially since he writes much of his own music.
4. Cole Swindell
Unfortunately for Cole Swindell, hits at radio don’t translate to CMA Awards. Swindell has only received five CMA Awards nominations, with his first for New Artist of the Year in 2014. He was nominated in the same category in 2016, and then didn’t receive any until 2022, when he received two for his “Never Say Never” duet with Lainey Wilson in 2022. In 2023, Swindell received one more, for “She Had Me At Heads Carolina,” which sadly went to someone else.
5. Justin Moore
Like McCreery, Justin Moore has never even been nominated for a CMA Award, which feels very, very strange. Moore’s debut album came out in 2009. In the 16 years since then, Moore has released hit records, had chart-topping singles, sold-out tours and more.
6. Rosanne Cash
Think of a female pioneer in country music, and most people will immediately think of Rosanne Cash. The daughter of Johnny Cash, she has a voice and a songwriting ability that is unmatched. Cash was nominated a total of 11 times, spanning from 1981 to 1989, but failed to ever receive one trophy.
7. Lauren Alaina
Lauren Alaina came in second place on American Idol in 2011. She immediately set to work releasing music, but did not receive any nominations until 2017, when she was nominated for New Artist of the Year. One year later, she was nominated in the same category, the only two times she was ever nominated. Sadly, she didn’t win a trophy either year.