This isn’t just an awards show.
It’s a celebration of the people building country music right here in Arizona — one stage, one song, one venue and one fan at a time.
And for AZDCMA, it represents another major step toward our mission of Building the Country Music Destination of the West™.
We wanted the inaugural AZDCMA Awards to feel like more than sitting in a ballroom waiting for names to be called.
So we built an entire evening around the experience.
4:00–5:00 PM | VIP Happy Hour
Sponsors and our nominated artists will kick off the evening with an exclusive private happy hour before the doors fully open.
5:00–6:00 PM | Happy Hour & Arrival
Grab a drink, find your friends, meet fellow members of Arizona’s country music community and get ready for the show.
6:00–8:00 PM | The 2026 AZDCMA Awards
It’s time to celebrate the nominees and crown the winners of the 2026 Arizona Desert Country Music Association Awards.
And when the awards end?
We are absolutely not going home yet.
Colton Dawson takes the stage for the official AZDCMA Awards After Show.
One of the hottest rising artists to watch in country music, Arizona’s own Colton Dawson is making waves from the desert to Nashville. With his smooth traditional-country sound, standout guitar work and honest storytelling, Colton has already earned some unforgettable career moments — including opening at the legendary Ryman Auditorium and receiving two standing ovations.
Now he’s coming home to help us close out one incredible night.
The AZDCMA Awards were created to recognize excellence throughout Arizona's country music community — not just on stage, but throughout the entire ecosystem that keeps live country music thriving.
Awards will recognize accomplishments across categories including:
Each award represents something bigger than a trophy.
It represents countless performances, rehearsals, late nights, miles traveled, songs written, audiences entertained, risks taken and years spent building a career in music.
Before anyone walks across that stage on November 8, our nominees first have to make it through the AZDCMA voting process.
Following our public nomination period, the AZDCMA Board carefully reviewed the nominations, confirmed eligibility and worked through category placement to help protect the integrity and fairness of the awards process.
Preliminary Voting runs September 9–20.
This first round will narrow eligible categories down to the Top 3 finalists who will move forward to the final ballot.
A few categories already received three or fewer qualified finalists and therefore do not require preliminary voting. Those finalists will remain under wraps until the final ballot is released.
Final Voting runs September 28–October 11.
That is when AZDCMA members will make the final decision.
And then?
We keep the envelopes closed until awards night.
Although the awards ceremony takes place in 2026 and each recipient will officially become a 2026 AZDCMA Award Winner, accomplishments being considered for these awards fall within the eligibility period of:
January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025.
Our awards criteria were established to create as consistent and fair a process as possible for every nominee.
Only active AZDCMA members may vote, and each member receives one vote per category.
Individual Artist Members who are nominated for an award may not vote for themselves in that category. Artists are encouraged to recognize and support their fellow nominees, and any self-vote submitted will be removed from the final vote count.
Complete awards criteria are available in the Awards section of the AZDCMA website, and we strongly encourage every voter to review them before casting a ballot.
One of the things we love most about AZDCMA is that this organization isn't only for the people standing on stage.
It's for the people standing in front of it, too.
Fans are a huge part of what keeps local music alive.
They buy the tickets.
They stream the songs.
They fill the venues.
They share the posts.
They bring their friends.
And they show up again and again.
That is why active AZDCMA members have the opportunity to vote in the awards.
So artists — now is the time to rally your people.
If your fans want to have a voice in who walks across the AZDCMA stage on November 8, encourage them to become members and be part of what we're building.
The member presale is officially behind us, which means 2026 AZDCMA Awards tickets are now available to everyone.
General Admission — $59
Come celebrate Arizona country music and experience the entire awards show and official Colton Dawson After Show.
Preferred Seating — $129
Want to be closer to the action? Preferred Seating provides an upgraded awards-night experience with premium seating inside the main event area and access to our private pre-show VIP experience.
Tier 1 pricing won't last forever, so if you already know you want to be in the room, now is the time to grab your seats.
When AZDCMA was created, the vision wasn't simply to hand out awards.
The vision was to build something that could connect an entire industry.
Artists meeting venues.
Venues discovering bands.
Businesses supporting musicians.
Fans discovering new favorites.
Industry professionals building relationships.
Established artists encouraging emerging ones.
And all of us working together to create more opportunities for country music throughout Arizona.
The 2026 AZDCMA Awards are a celebration of that vision.
For one night, we get to put the spotlight on the incredibly talented people who spend the rest of the year giving Arizona something to sing along to, dance to and believe in.
Somebody will hear their name called for the first time.
Somebody will walk across that stage holding an AZDCMA Award.
Somebody in the audience may discover their new favorite Arizona artist.
And all of us get to say we were there at the beginning.
Get your tickets. Cast your votes. Bring your country music crew.
Arizona country music — this is your night. 🤠🏆🎶
Building the Country Music Destination of the West™
