Most CMA Awards Won by an Artist: All-Time Top 10 Leaderboard Through 2025

Most CMA awards won by an artist is a Nashville scoreboard that shifted again at the 59th Annual CMA Awards in November 2025: Brooks & Dunn now hold the all-time lead with 20 competitive CMA trophies, per the duo’s official announcement and Billboard reporting, after their 16th Vocal Duo of the Year win broke a brief tie with Chris Stapleton. Stapleton sits second with 19 wins — still the most by a solo act — followed by Vince Gill (18), George Strait (17), and Alan Jackson (16). Below we rank the verified top 10, break down which categories feed the biggest hauls, explain how honorary prizes differ from competitive totals, and cross-link our CMA sibling guides (#115–117). We do not break down red-carpet outfits; Pillar F owns fashion analysis.

For ceremony context, pair this records guide with CMA Awards 2026 winners list (#115), CMA vs ACM Awards difference (#116), and CMA entertainer of the year winners by year (#117). For spring counterpart trophies, see ACM Awards 2026 winners list and for Grammy ladder context, country artists with the most Grammys.

Most CMA Awards Won by an Artist: How Totals Are Counted

The Country Music Association does not publish a live public spreadsheet the way some academies do, but Billboard, CMA press releases, and artist announcements converge on competitive-win math. USA Celebs follows the CMA convention cited by Billboard: count competitive televised and off-air CMA Awards, credit an artist with one win per category even if they also produced the recording, and exclude honorary prizes such as the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award unless noted separately.

That methodology matters when debating the most CMA awards won by an artist. George Strait’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement honor sits outside competitive totals — his competitive count remains 17, per CMA and Billboard. Brooks & Dunn’s 20 include 16 Vocal Duo of the Year crowns — a category record — plus Album, Single, Music Video, and Entertainer trophies across 1992–2025. Chris Stapleton’s 19 span just a decade (2015–2024) with eight Male Vocalist wins — also a category record.

All-Time Top 10: Most CMA Awards Won by an Artist

Verified competitive career totals through the November 2025 CMA cycle, per Billboard and CMA reporting:

1. Brooks & Dunn — 20 Wins

Brooks & Dunn became the sole holders of the most CMA awards won by an artist record at the 59th Annual CMA Awards when Vocal Duo of the Year win number 16 lifted them to 20 career trophies. Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn had tied Vince Gill for years, briefly shared a 19-win deadlock with Chris Stapleton after the 2024 show, then reclaimed the lead in 2025 when Stapleton went home empty-handed on a three-nomination night. Their haul spans 1992–2025 with dominance in Vocal Duo — 16 wins in that lane alone — plus Entertainer of the Year (1996), Album of the Year, Single of the Year, and Music Video of the Year honors.

2. Chris Stapleton — 19 Wins

Chris Stapleton ranks second on the most CMA awards won by an artist board with 19 competitive wins since his 2015 New Artist breakthrough, per Billboard. He owns the Male Vocalist of the Year record with eight wins, plus three Album of the Year trophies (Traveller, From A Room: Volume 1, Starting Over) and three each in Single and Song of the Year. Stapleton has nine Entertainer of the Year nominations without a win — a quirk that separates his trophy case from arena-coronation narratives.

3. Vince Gill — 18 Wins

Vince Gill held the most CMA awards won by an artist title for years with 18 wins concentrated in the 1990–1999 window. Five Male Vocalist crowns anchor his total, alongside four Song of the Year wins and four Vocal Event trophies — Gill’s harmony-heavy collaborations stacked category depth faster than Entertainer sweeps.

4. George Strait — 17 Wins

George Strait counts 17 competitive CMA Awards, per CMA’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement press materials, which also note he is the most-nominated artist in show history with 83 nominations. Five Album of the Year and five Male Vocalist wins lead his case; three Entertainer of the Year crowns (1989, 1990, 2013) cement King George’s coronation decades. The 2024 Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award is honorary and sits outside competitive leaderboard math.

5. Alan Jackson — 16 Wins

Alan Jackson sits fifth with 16 CMA wins (1992–2003), per Billboard. Three Entertainer of the Year trophies and three Vocal Event wins pair with twin Album, Single, Song, Male Vocalist, and Music Video honors — a balanced résumé without owning a single category the way Brooks & Dunn own Vocal Duo.

6–8. Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert, and Brad Paisley — 14 Wins Each

Three acts tie at 14 wins, illustrating how the most CMA awards won by an artist top tier spills into three-way deadlocks:

• Garth Brooks — seven Entertainer of the Year wins, the category record, plus Album, Single, Music Video, and Vocal Event honors (1990–2019).
• Miranda Lambert — seven Female Vocalist of the Year wins, the female category record, plus Album, Single, Song, Music Video, and Musical Event trophies (2010–2020). She leads all women on the board though Lainey Wilson is climbing fast.
• Brad Paisley — four Music Video of the Year wins (category record) plus Male Vocalist, Musical Event, Vocal Event, Album, and Entertainer honors (2000–2010).

9–10. Keith Urban and Lainey Wilson — 12 Wins Each

Keith Urban (2001–2018) and Lainey Wilson (2022–2025) each hold 12 CMA Awards. Urban stacks Musical Event and Male Vocalist wins with two Entertainer crowns; Wilson’s rapid ascent includes two Entertainer trophies, four Female Vocalist wins, two Album honors, and Music Video and Musical Event prizes — she entered the top-10 all-time list within four ceremony cycles.

Category Breakdowns That Build the Most CMA Awards Won by an Artist

Trophy totals are not evenly distributed. Category specialists explain how artists climb the most CMA awards won by an artist board:

• Vocal Duo of the Year: Brooks & Dunn — 16 wins, the category record and the engine of their all-time lead.
• Male Vocalist of the Year: Chris Stapleton — 8 wins, category record; Vince Gill and George Strait each have five.
• Female Vocalist of the Year: Miranda Lambert — 7 wins, category record; Lainey Wilson already has four and is rising.
• Entertainer of the Year: Garth Brooks — 7 wins, category record; George Strait has three; Lainey Wilson has two after just four active years.
• Album of the Year: George Strait — 5 wins, category record; Stapleton has three; Wilson has two.
• Music Video of the Year: Brad Paisley — 4 wins, category record.
• Song of the Year: Vince Gill — 4 wins lead the songwriter lane.

Records and Milestones Worth Knowing

Beyond the top-line most CMA awards won by an artist count, these milestones shape Nashville trivia:

• November 2025: Brooks & Dunn reach 20 wins and sole possession of the all-time lead when Stapleton fails to add to his 19-win total.
• November 2024: Brooks & Dunn and Stapleton briefly tie at 19 wins after Stapleton wins Male Vocalist, Single, and Song of the Year while the duo takes Vocal Duo.
• Most nominations: George Strait — 83 CMA nominations, per CMA’s 2024 announcement — without holding the win record.
• Fastest top-10 climb: Lainey Wilson — 12 wins in four years (2022–2025).
• Solo vs. duo math: Stapleton’s 19 are solo-only; Brooks & Dunn’s 20 are shared duo credits — both count each artist on the official leaderboard.

For Entertainer-specific chronology, see CMA entertainer of the year winners by year (#117). For how CMA voting differs from ACM fan ballots, read CMA vs ACM Awards difference (#116).

2025–2026 Record Chase: Who Moves Next?

After Brooks & Dunn’s 2025 coronation, the most CMA awards won by an artist race enters a holding pattern until the next live telecast. Stapleton needs two wins to tie and three to pass the duo — plausible if he returns to his 2024 three-win form but far from guaranteed on a competitive slate. Lainey Wilson’s trajectory is the wildcard: at 12 wins she already shares the top-10 tier with Keith Urban and could leapfrog the 14-win trio with another Entertainer or Female Vocalist sweep.

We will not invent specific 2026-night results here. This page updates within hours of the live telecast when CMA confirms winners on our CMA Awards 2026 winners list (#115) hub.

Quick Reference: Most CMA Awards Won by an Artist

• Current leader: Brooks & Dunn — 20 wins (through November 2025)
• Second place: Chris Stapleton — 19 wins (most by a solo act)
• Third: Vince Gill — 18 wins
• Fourth: George Strait — 17 competitive wins (83 career nominations)
• Fifth: Alan Jackson — 16 wins
• Tied at 14: Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley
• Tied at 12: Keith Urban, Lainey Wilson
• Category records: Vocal Duo (Brooks & Dunn, 16), Male Vocalist (Stapleton, 8), Female Vocalist (Lambert, 7), Entertainer (Brooks, 7), Album (Strait, 5)

Explore More CMA and Awards Coverage

• 2026 hub: CMA Awards 2026 winners list (#115).
• Dual ceremonies: CMA vs ACM Awards difference (#116).
• Entertainer history: CMA entertainer of the year winners by year (#117).
• Records: youngest CMA entertainer of the year winners, CMA Awards most memorable moments.
• Spring counterpart: ACM Awards 2026 winners list.
• Grammy ladder: country artists with the most Grammys.
• Archive: Awards category on USA Celebs.