COUNTRYTOWN AWARDS 2026 WINNERS

The Countrytown Awards 2026 were held at The Triffid in Brisbane on March 19. Hosted by Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley, the star-studded event with over 400 attendees.

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. 

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 Award Winners

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