Sully Burrows leads 2026 CMAOntario Nominations

The Country Music Association of Ontario CMAOntario has announced the nominees and performers for the 14th annual CMAOntario Awards, taking place Sunday, May 31, 2026, at Port Credit Memorial Arena in Mississauga.

Sully Burrows leads with six nominations, followed by Nate Haller with five nominations, Olivia Mae Graham and James Barker Band with four nominations, and Jessica Sevier, Owen Riegling, Sacha, and Robyn Ottolini with three nominations each.

The CMAOntario Awards Show will close out the Weekend on May 31 at Port Credit Memorial Arena. Hosted by Jason Blaine and Sam McDaid, performers will include Owen Riegling, Sully Burrows, Olivia Mae Graham, Jessica Sevier, Elyse Saunders, School House, Tyler Lorette, Cory Marks, Les Rats d’Swompe, and the CMAOntario house band The Western Swing Authority.

The Nominees for the 14th Annual CMAOntario Awards are:

SINGLE OF THE YEAR sponsored by Pure Country 

• James Barker Band – “You Didn’t Hear it from Me”

• Jessica Sevier – “Good to Drive”

• Nate Haller – “Backfire” with Tenille Townes

• Owen Riegling – “Taillight this Town”

• Robyn Ottolini – “Airplane Bottle”

• Sully Burrows – “Rally Around”

ALBUM/EP OF THE YEAR sponsored by Country 106.7

• Andrew Hyatt – Andrew Hyatt & the Ten Year War

• Bradley Hale – County Line 5

• James Barker Band – One of Us

• Olivia Mae Graham – Nobody

• Sacha – Woman in the Mirror

• Sully Burrows – Somewhere in a Small Town

SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR

• Bree Taylor, Jesse Slack – “I Regret You”

• Jason Blaine, Josh Stumpf, Dave Thomson – “Highway Money”

• Jessica Sevier, Robyn Ottolini, Derek Hoffman – “Good to Drive”

• Nate Haller, Tenille Townes, James Shelley, Stuart Walker, Michael August – “Backfire”

• Owen Riegling, Kyle Sturrock, James Bell – “Taillight this Town”

• Sully Burrows, Parker Graye, Derek Hoffman – “Rally Around”

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR sponsored by IBEW Local 353

• Angelica Appelman

• Elyse Saunders

• Jessica Sevier

• Olivia Mae Graham

• Paige Rutledge

• Sacha

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR sponsored by IBEW Local 353

• Nate Haller

• Owen Riegling

• Ryan Langdon

• Sully Burrows

• Tim Hicks

• Tyler Lorette

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR sponsored by CHAW Country 103

• Amanda and James

• James Barker Band

• Rosewood Ave.

• School House

• The Reklaws

• The Western Swing Authority

RECORD PRODUCER(S) OF THE YEAR

• Adam Newcomb – I Ain’t Thinkin’ (Tyler Lorette)

• Jay Allan, Aaron Murray – Nobody (Olivia Mae Graham)

• Matthew Koebel – Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right (Amanda & James)

• Ron Lopata – Motel (Jessica Sevier)

• Tebey and Danick Dupelle – Smooth Like Vinyl (Tebey)

• The Agenda, Beverley Mahood, Mac Shepherd – Better than Blue (Dayna Reid)

ROOTS ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR

• Callie McCullough

• Mackenzie Leigh Meyer

• Rosewood Ave.

• School House

• The Redhill Valleys

• The Western Swing Authority

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR sponsored by C to C Music Insider

• Angelica Appelman

• Jade Hilton

• Jessica Sevier

• Olivia Mae Graham

• Paige Rutledge

• Tyler Lorette

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR

• Cory Marks – “Whiskey River”

• Elyse Saunders – “Heartbreak Rodeo”

• Nate Haller – “Backfire” with Tenille Townes

• Olivia Mae Graham – “Nobody”

• Ryan Langdon – “Crushin’ Cans”

• Sully Burrows – “Rally Around”

INDUSTRY PERSON OF THE YEAR sponsored by Manrkē

• Alex Maciel, Starseed Entertainment

• Christine Wiley & Christine Stevens, C to C Music Insider

• Dave Woods, In the Country

• Jill Snell, Jayward Artist Group

• Nick Marinac, Elliott Deseure, Adaptive Media

• Samantha Pickard, Strut Entertainment

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR sponsored by Cithara Guitars

• Adrian Juras

• Mackenzie Leigh Meyer

• Matt Koebel

• Nolan Gibson

• Ryan Cassar

• Shane Guse

ARTISTE OU GROUPE FRANCOPHONE DE L’ANNÉE
FRANCOPHONE ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR

• Kristine St-Pierre

• Les Rats d’Swompe

• Mitch Jean

• Reney Ray

• Sugar Crush

• Vincent Bishop

FANS’ CHOICE sponsored by Visit Mississauga

• James Barker Band

• Nate Haller

• Owen Riegling

• Robyn Ottolini

• Sacha

• Sully Burrows

• The Reklaws

• Tim Hicks

The 2026 CMAOntario Festival & Awards takes place May 29-31, 2026 in Mississauga’s lakeside community of Port Credit. Full schedule and ticket information can be found at cmaontario.ca.