Countrytown AwardsThe second annual Countrytown Awards have been run and won for 2026, with the who’s who of the Australian country music industry gathering in Brisbane ahead of CMC Rocks to celebrate another huge year in country music, thanks to Traveller Whiskey. Voted for by fans, this year saw around 33,000 votes from across the country, as they had their say on our incredible Aussie talent.
The day’s big winner was James Johnston, walking away with four trophies, including the second year in a row nabbing the coveted Entertainer of the Year award. The day’s other big winners included The Wolfe Brothers, who took home Group or Duo of the year, Keith Urban, who took out tour of the year, Jake Whittaker, who nabbed Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Kaylee Bell, who won Best Female and wowed the crowd with a killer acoustic mashup of Keith and Cowboy Up.
International Artist of the Year was won by Luke Combs, who sent a video message to the room, dropping a hint that he might be back in Australia sooner than we think. CMC Rocks took out Best Festival for the second year running. The Countrytown Legend Award went to Gina Jeffreys for her pioneering success in carrying the torch for women in country music.
The 400 industry, artists and fans were treated not just to Kaylee Bell’s performance, but also to US singer/songwriter Jake Worthington and local talent Hayley Jensen, Lane Pittman, Tori Darke and Rachael Fahim. During lunch, the crowd were serenaded by Riley Ziskey and Claudia Tripp as they tucked into their tacos and Traveller Whiskey.
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“The Countrytown Awards have become a must-do fixture in the country music calendar, and today’s amazing event has proven again how much our country music community continues to punch above its weight,” said Countrytown Content Director Megan Hopkins. “Countrytown tells the stories of our artists week in and week out, and it’s such an exciting thing to have our artists, industry and readers all in the same room to celebrate the music behind those stories.”
We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our Gold Industry partners: Island Records/Universal Music Australia, Live Nation, MGM Distribution, Sony Music Australia, Spotify, TEG Live, and Warner Music Australia.
We also gratefully acknowledge our Silver Industry partners ABC Music, EMPRE, G.Y.R.O., Oztix, and Wheelhouse Agency.
And finally, we’d like to extend our warmest thanks to CMC Rocks for their continued support.
The 2026 Countrytown Awards
Presented by Traveller Whiskey
Entertainer of the Year: James Johnston
Group or Duo Of The Year: The Wolfe Brothers
Female Artist of the Year: Kaylee Bell
Male Artist of the Year: James Johnston
Song of the Year: James Johnston: BACK IN THE DAY
Album of the Year: James Johnston - WHERE YOU’LL FIND ME
Festival of the Year: CMC Rocks
Australian Tour of the Year: Keith Urban - High and Alive World Tour
Breakthrough Artist of the Year: Jake Whittaker
International Artist of the Year: Luke Combs
Countrytown Legend Award: Gina Jeffreys
