Former Tamworth-based artist Lane Pittman is among the Golden Guitar nominees announced today, November 18, at an industry event in Sydney.
Lane is a nominee in Single of the Year with his track, Amen For The Weekend, which is another accolade for the emerging singer-songwriter.
ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Kasey Chambers leads the 2026 field with 13 nominations, followed by The Wolfe Brothers and Shane Nicholson with eight each. Brendan Radford has picked up seven nominations, while Max Jackson, Dean Perrett, John Williamson and Pete Denahy have all received six.
This year’s Golden Guitar Awards attracted more than 640 entries.
Tamworth Regional Council, with support from the Country Music Association of Australia Inc (CMAA), is proud to announce the nominees for the Toyota Golden Guitar Awards.
Twenty-four-time Golden Guitar winner Kasey Chambers has 13 nominations across eight categories including Female Artist of the Year, Alt/Americana Country Album of the Year and Toyota Album of the Year for Backbone, with a further four nominations for her work as a producer, songwriter and director. She is also nominated alongside ex-husband Shane Nicholson, who has collected eight nods for The Divorce Song and his collaboration with Warren H Williams on Ntaria.
Following a huge two years of touring, The Wolfe Brothers have eight nominations including Toyota Album of the Year and Contemporary Country Album of the Year for Australian Made, plus Single and Vocal Collaboration of the Year for How Many One More Times with Zac & George. Nick Wolfe picked up four nominations for production and songwriting, and Tom Wolfe received two for songwriting.
Musician and singer Brendan Radford has seven nominations after winning his first Golden Guitar in January. He is categories including Traditional Country Album of the Year, Bush Ballad of the Year, Bluegrass Recording of the Year and Toyota Album of the Year, with three nominations as songwriter and producer.
Producer Matt Fell has added another seven nominations to his long list of achievements, including six for producing and one for co-writing 175 with Sara Storer.
John Williamson, Dean Perrett and Pete Denahy have each received six nominations in categories including Heritage Song of the Year and Bush Ballad of the Year.
Reigning 2025 Female Artist of the Year Max Jackson has with six nominations and is again in contention for Female Artist of the Year. Her duet Denim with Wade Forster has earned nods for Song, Single and Vocal Collaboration of the Year. Wade is also nominated for Male Artist of the Year, Heritage Song of the Year and New Talent of the Year.
Other artists with five nominations include James Johnston, Kaylee Bell, Kevin Bennett and The Flood, and Sara Storer.
Toyota Golden Guitar Awards Executive Producer Peter Ross says this year’s list reflects the strength and scope of the industry.
“The 2026 Awards will celebrate the exceptional talent and hard work of artists from across the country. It’s been an honour to announce the nominees in Sydney today, and it’s a great preview of what’s to come in January,” he said.
James Johnston has nominations for Male Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Single of the Year and Music Video of the Year. Sara Storer’s Worth Your Love is nominated for Contemporary Country Album of the Year and Toyota Album of the Year, and she appears again in Female Artist of the Year and Heritage Song of the Year.
Kevin Bennett and The Flood are nominated across five categories, including Alt/Americana Country Album of the Year and Toyota Album of the Year.
Kaylee Bell, the 2024 Female Artist of the Year, is nominated in four categories including Contemporary Country Album of the Year and Song of the Year for Cowboy Up. Brad Cox, the 2024 Male Artist of the Year, has also received four nominations including Toyota Album of the Year and Male Artist of the Year.
ARIA-nominated artist Imogen Clark has collected two artist nominations for Choking On Fuel, with two additional nominations recognising her production work. Lindsay Waddington has also earned four nominations.
The Pleasures have secured three artist nominations including Alt/Americana Country Album of the Year and Toyota Album of the Year.
Brendon Walmsley, Fanny Lumsden, Hayley Jensen, Jenny Mitchell, Sara Berki, The Highstreet Drifters, Tom Curtain, Wicker Suite, William Alexander and Zac & George all have two nominations each.
Andrew Swift, Felicity Dowd, 45th Toyota Star Maker Felicity Kircher, Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham, Homegrown Trio, Ian Simpson, John Bennetts, Lane Pittman, Mark Donohoe, Michael Fix, Michael Carpenter and The Banks Brothers, Randy Houser (USA), Sons of Atticus, Terry Bennetts, Travis Collins and Tyla Rodrigues are among the artists who have single nominations.
More than 150 artists and industry representatives attended today’s nominations event in Sydney, hosted by Hayley Jensen and featuring performances from Kaylee Bell, Sara Berki and Kevin Bennett and The Flood.
“Once again, the CMAA is delighted that entries for the 2026 Awards have returned to pre-pandemic levels, which is a testament to the growing popularity of the genre. Our congratulations go to all nominees; we look forward to another stellar Awards night in January.”
The Toyota 54th Golden Guitar Awards will take place on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre.
All the nominees
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
- Amen For the Weekend – Lane Pittman
- Good For Me – James Johnston
- Hold My Horses – Max Jackson
- How Many One More Times – The Wolfe Brothers with Zac & George
- The Divorce Song – Kasey Chambers featuring Shane Nicholson
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- A Country Heart Can – Max Jackson – Directed by Jeremy Minett
- Australian Made – The Wolfe Brothers – Directed by Jeremy Minett
- I Oughta Know Better – James Johnston – Directed by Jay Seeney
- Look at me Now – Fanny Lumsden – Directed by Fanny Lumsden and Dan Stanley Freeman
- The Divorce Song – Kasey Chambers featuring Shane Nicholson – Directed by Gabe Coggan, Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson
VOCAL COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR
- Wade Forster and Max Jackson – Denim
- The Wolfe Brothers with Zac & George – How Many One More Times
- Warren H Williams, Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson – Ntaria
- Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson – The Divorce Song
- Brad Cox and Randy Houser – The High Cost of Living
INSTRUMENTAL OF THE YEAR
- Chasing the Demons – Michael Fix
- Lyrebird – Wicker Suite
- Rush Hour – Lindsay Waddington
- Slab Hut Gully – Terry Bennetts, Pete Denahy, Ian Simpson, Mark Donohoe and John Bennetts
- Snakes Reach – The High Street Drifters
BLUEGRASS RECORDING OF THE YEAR
- Born To Roam – Sons Of Atticus
- I Love Lovin’ You – Michael Carpenter and The Banks Brothers
- Night At the County Fair – Wicker Suite
- They Don’t Flick the Finger In the Outback Anymore – Brendan Radford
- Words for Leaving – The High Street Drifters
HERITAGE SONG OF THE YEAR
- 175 – Written by Sara Storer & Matt Fell – Recorded by Sara Storer
- Australian Made – Written by Nicholas Wolfe, Thomas Wolfe and Graeme Connors – Recorded by The Wolfe Brothers
- Ntaria – Written by Warren H Williams – Recorded by Warren H Williams featuring Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson
- Take That Buckle Home – Written by Wade Forster and Allan Caswell – Recorded by Wade Forster
- The Last Time I Saw Slim – Written and Recorded by Pete Denahy
BUSH BALLAD OF THE YEAR
- At The Rodeo – Written and Recorded by Pete Denahy
- Don’t Let the Old Man In, Mate – Written and Recorded by John Williamson
- Modern Day Troubadour – Written and Recorded by Brendan Radford
- Slim’s Guitar – Written by Dean Perrett, Lindsay Waddington – Recorded by Dean Perrett
- Wild Roan Brumby – Written by William Alexander, Pete Denahy – Recorded by William Alexander
TOYOTA NEW TALENT OF THE YEAR
- Felicity Dowd
- Felicity Kircher
- Sara Berki
- Tyla Rodrigues
- Wade Forster
COUNTRY MUSIC CAPITAL NEWS GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR
- Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham
- Homegrown Trio
- Kevin Bennett and The Flood
- The Pleasures
- The Wolfe Brothers
MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Andrew Swift
- Brad Cox
- James Johnston
- Travis Collins
- Wade Forster
FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Kasey Chambers
- Kaylee Bell
- Max Jackson
- Sara Berki
- Sara Storer
SONG OF THE YEAR
- A Country Heart Can – Written and Recorded by Max Jackson
- Australian Made – Written by Nicholas Wolfe, Thomas Wolfe and Graeme Connors – Recorded by The Wolfe Brothers
- Back In the Day – Written by James Johnston and Morgan Evans – Recorded by James Johnston
- Cowboy Up – Written by Kaylee Bell, Brooke Singer and Jol Mulholland – Recorded by Kaylee Bell
- The Divorce Song – Written by Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson – Recorded by Kasey Chambers featuring Shane Nicholson
ALT/AMERICANA COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR
- Backbone – Kasey Chambers – Produced by Kasey Chambers
- Choking on Fuel – Imogen Clark – Produced Jeremy Dylan, Imogen Clark, Michael Carpenter, Sam Hawksley and Mike Bloom
- Crucifix and Spinifex – Kevin Bennett and The Flood – Produced by Kevin Bennett and The Flood and Michael Muchow
- Enemy Of My Enemy – The Pleasures – Produced by Damian Cafarella Forest House – Jenny Mitchell – Produced by Matt Fell
CONTEMPORARY COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR
- Endemic Intelligence in Multiple Dimensions – Brad Cox – Produced Chris Collins and Brandon Hood
- Country Soul – Hayley Jensen – Produced by Michael Paynter, Michael Delorenzis (MSquared), Troy Kokol and Matt Fell
- Cowboy Up – Kaylee Bell – Produced by Tom Jordan and Travis Heidelman
- Worth Your Love – Sara Storer – Produced by Matt Fell
- Australian Made – The Wolfe Brothers – Produced by Rod McCormack and Nicholas Wolfe
TRADITIONAL COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR
- Bush Troubadour – Dean Perrett – Produced by Lindsay Waddington and Dean Perrett
- Here’s To You – Tom Curtain – Produced by Garth Porter and Luke O’Shea
- How Many Songs – John Williamson – Produced by John Williamson
- Road To Riverleigh – Brendon Walmsley – Produced by Rod McCormack
- Start All Over Again – Brendan Radford – Produced by Brendan Radford
TOYOTA ALBUM OF THE YEAR
The five nominees in the three ‘Album of the Year’ categories are all nominees for the Toyota Album of the Year.
- Australian Made – The Wolfe Brothers – Produced by Rod McCormack and Nicholas Wolfe
- Backbone – Kasey Chambers – Produced by Kasey Chambers
- Bush Troubadour – Dean Perrett – Produced by Lindsay Waddington and Dean Perrett
- Choking on Fuel – Imogen Clark – Produced Jeremy Dylan, Imogen Clark, Michael Carpenter, Sam Hawksley and Mike Bloom
- Country Soul – Hayley Jensen – Produced by Michael Paynter, Michael Delorenzis (MSquared), Troy Kokol and Matt Fell
- Cowboy Up – Kaylee Bell – Produced by Tom Jordan and Travis Heidelman
- Crucifix and Spinifex – Kevin Bennett and The Flood – Produced by Kevin Bennett and The Flood and Michael Muchow
- Endemic Intelligence in Multiple Dimensions – Brad Cox – Produced Chris Collins and Brandon Hood
- Enemy Of My Enemy – The Pleasures – Produced by Damian Cafarella
- Forest House – Jenny Mitchell – Produced by Matt Fell
- Here’s To You – Tom Curtain – Produced by Garth Porter and Luke O’Shea
- How Many Songs – John Williamson – Produced by John Williamson
- Road To Riverleigh – Brendon Walmsley – Produced by Rod McCormack
- Start All Over Again – Brendan Radford – Produced by Brendan Radford
- Worth Your Love – Sara Storer – Produced by Matt Fell
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