Josh Ross and Cameron Whitcomb Earn Most CCMA Award Nominations For the Second Year in a Row
Josh Ross and Cameron Whitcomb have reaffirmed their status as two of the reigning young stars of Canadian country music.
The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) announced the nominations for the 2026 CCMA Awards this afternoon (July 16) and Ross and Whitcomb tipped the list with seven nominations each. On their spurred bootheels are James Barker Band, Thelma & James and Tenille Townes, with five nods apiece.
Fast-rising young star Owen Riegling chimes in with four nominations while established stars and previous multiple award winners Brett Kissel and Meghan Patrick join Nate Haller and first time nominee Morgan Griffiths with three each.
Interestingly, both Ross and Whitcomb headed the nominees list for the 2025 CCMA Awards, with six nods each while Riegling earned five. Ross and Whitcomb also shared top honours on the big night, each winning two major awards. Ontario native Ross (now based in Nashville) won single of the year for "Single Again" and was named entertainer of the year while B.C. singer-songwriter Whitcomb was named breakthrough artist of the year and won the fans' choice award.
Other notable winners receiving trophies in Kelowna last year included Jade Eagleson, Riegling, Mackenzie Porter and James Barker Band.
The past year has been highly momentous for both Whitcomb and Ross. Both artists released full-length debut albums last September (The Hard Way for Whitcomb, Later Tonight for Ross) and Whitcomb won 2026 Juno Awards for country album of the year and breakthrough artist of the year. Josh Ross received four 2026 Juno nominations but went home empty-handed, after winning for country album of the year in 2025. Both artists have had highly successful Canadian tours and have started to make a splash outside Canada. Just last month, Whitcomb hit the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for the first time with the track ''Kingdom of Fear.''
This year's CCMA Award nominees list comprises 192 artists and industry professionals, with 71 earning their first-ever nomination. The trophies will be handed out on Sept. 19 at the 2026 CCMA Awards, taking place at SaskTelCentre in Saskatoon.
There is a fan component to two major categories this year, breakthrough artist or group of the year presented by FACTOR and the fan's choice award. Nominees in the breakthrough category are Sully Burrows, Morgan Griffiths, Zach McPhee, Brock Phillips and Josh Stumpf while the contenders for the fan's choice category are (in alphabetical order) Jade Eagleson, Morgan Griffiths, James Barker Band, Brett Kissel, Tyler Joe Miller, The Reklaws, Owen Riegling, Josh Ross, Josh Stumpf and Cameron Whitcomb. Canadian country fans can place their vote (starting at 3 pm today) at ccma.org/fanvoting.
The 2026 CCMA Awards air on CTV and Crave and come at the end of Country Music Week 2026, which kicks off in Saskatoon on Sept. 16. As reported earlier in Billboard Canada, the lineup of award show performers will include Dean Brody, James Barker Band, The Reklaws, Owen Riegling and homegrown Saskatchewan stars including Tenille Arts, Hunter Brothers, Kalsey Kulyk and Jess Moskaluke. Show tickets are available here.
Of note: This is the 44th edition of the CCMA Awards, the biggest event on the Canadian country music industry calendar. 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Canadian Country Music Association, a membership-based, not-for-profit organization committed to promoting and recognizing Canadian country music.
Source: Billboard.com Canada 2026
