Nominees include Alison Krauss, Billy Strings, and Authentic Unlimited, with Hot Rize and Arnold Shultz among this year’s Hall of Fame inductees.
The International Bluegrass Music Association has announced the nominees for the 2025 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards, along with this year’s Hall of Fame inductees and Distinguished Achievement honorees.
The awards ceremony, often called “the biggest night in bluegrass,” will take place September 18th at Chattanooga’s Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium.
Tickets to the awards show are available here.
Bluegrass Award Nominees
Bluegrass icon Alison Krauss & Union Station leads this year’s field with nominations in key categories including Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year, and Vocal Group of the Year. Krauss is also in the running for Female Vocalist of the Year.
Billy Strings, a consistent standout in recent years, also earned nods in multiple top categories: Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Guitar Player of the Year. Other high-profile nominees include Appalachian Road Show, East Nash Grass, and the Del McCoury Band.
Watch Billy Strings perform "Richard Petty" from Highway Prayers. The 7-time IBMA winner is up for five awards this year.
The Song of the Year category features “5 Days Out, 2 Days Back,” a collaboration from Alison Brown, Steve Martin, and Tim O’Brien, also nominated for Music Video and Collaborative Recording of the Year.
A full list of nominees is available here.
Hall of Fame Inductees
IBMA also announced the 2025 class of Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductees:
- Hot Rize, was a pioneering bluegrass band who toured internationally, releasing critically acclaimed albums, and won the first-ever IBMA Entertainer of the Year award.
- The Bluegrass Cardinals, a prominent bluegrass group who released 23 albums across two decades, performing at The White House, and the Grand Ole Opry
- Arnold Shultz, a Black Kentucky guitarist and mentor to Bill Monroe, credited with helping influence the foundation of bluegrass music.
Distinguished Achievement Awards will honor bassist Missy Raines, broadcaster Alan Arthur Knoth, writer and publicist Penny Parsons, Dry Branch Fire Squad’s Ron Thomason, and global law firm Sidley Austin LLP for its behind-the-scenes legal support of the IBMA.
The 36th Annual IBMA Awards Ceremony, presented by Get It Played, will take place Thursday, September 18 at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium in downtown Chattanooga.
The awards are part of the five-day IBMA World of Bluegrass festival, coming to Chattanooga for the first time September 16th–20th after more than a decade in Raleigh, NC. The weeklong event includes artist showcases, a business conference, and the two-day Bluegrass Live! festival in downtown Chattanooga.
Tickets and full event details are available at worldofbluegrass.org.
