Dann Huff will receive the 2026 ACM Award for producer of the year, while Justin Niebank will take home the award for audio engineer of the year. The ACM Awards were presented on May 17 in Las Vegas, but the winners of the Studio Recording Awards and Industry Awards were only announced on Tuesday (June 30). The winners of these awards, as well as previously announced Special Award recipients, will receive their trophies at the 19th Academy of Country Music Honors on Wednesday, Aug. 19 at The Pinnacle in Nashville.
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This will be Huff’s sixth producer of the year award after previously winning guitar player of the year. This will be Niebank’s 10th win as audio engineer of the year. Huff was also a winner at the televised ACM Awards ceremony this year. He won for producing the music event of the year winner, “Don’t Mind If I Do” by Riley Green featuring Ella Langley. Huff was also nominated for album of the year for producing Riley’s Don’t Mind If I Do (Deluxe).
Among the winners of the Studio Recording Awards, first-time category winners include Bryan Sutton (acoustic guitar player of the year), who earns his fourth ACM Studio Recording Award overall after previously winning three awards for specialty player of the year. Stuart Duncan earns his second specialty instrument(s) player of the year honor in addition to his eight wins as fiddle player of the year, Rob McNelley wins electric guitar player of the year for the second time after previously earning three awards for guitar player of the year, Gordon Mote claims his fourth piano/keyboards player of the year award, while Jimmie Lee Sloas, Fred Eltringham, and Jerry Roe earn their sixth, second, and second wins, respectively, in their categories.
