CMAOntario Awards Reveal 2025 Nominees

Owen Riegling. Credit Matthew Berinato/Universal Music Canada

The Country Music Association of Ontario has announced the nominees for the 13th annual CMAOntario Awards taking place Sunday, June 1, 2025 at The Music Hall in Hamilton, Ontario.

Owen Riegling leads with six nominations followed by Andrew Hyatt, Elyse Saunders, and Tebey with four nominations each.

Hosted by Jason McCoy, the CMAOntario Awards Show will close out the CMAOntario Festival & Awards Weekend from May 30-June 1, 2025. The CMAOntario Awards will acknowledge the talent and achievements of Ontario’s country music industry across 17 categories plus special awards.

The Nominees for the 13th Annual CMAOntario Awards are:

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

Blinding Lights (Country Version): Tebey
Finding Firsts: Andrew Hyatt
Hey Mom I Made It: Sacha
Moonshines: Owen Riegling
Never Have I Ever: Elyse Saunders
Race To The Bottom: Nate Haller

ALBUM/EP OF THE YEAR

Break Up Rules: Paige Rutledge
Bruce County: Owen Riegling
Golden Child: Meghan Patrick
Growing up to Do: Robyn Ottolini
L Is For: Andrew Hyatt
Pathways: Julian Taylor

SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR

Chrystal Oudijk, Douglas Romanow, Nicole Rayy: Guilty
Elyse Saunders, Jason Blaine: Never Have I Ever
Karli June, Deric Ruttan: Still Make Cowgirls
Owen Riegling, Daryl Scott, Jesse Slack: Moonshines
Tebey, G. Palmer, S. Walker, D. Dupelle: Hangover at My Place|
Tim Hicks, Deric Ruttan, Monty Criswell: Quits

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR 

Dayna Reid
Elyse Saunders
Jessie T
Karli June
Robyn Ottolini
Sacha

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Andrew Hyatt
Brian John Harwood
Nate Haller
Owen Riegling
Ryan Langdon
Tim Hicks

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR

Amanda and James
New Moon Junction
River Town Saints
Rosewood Ave
The Redhill Valleys
The Western Swing Authority

RECORD PRODUCER(S) OF THE YEAR

Adam Newcomb: Sacha, Elyse Saunders, Riley Taylor
Deric Ruttan: Karli June – Still Make Cowgirls
Douglas Romanow: Nicole Rayy – Guilty
Matthew Koebel: Jessie T, Paige Rutledge, Jessica Sole
Shawn Moore: Spencer Burns, Bradley Hale, Brothers Wilde, Tim Albertson
The Agenda: Angelica Appelman, David Madras, Kasey Nugent, Patrick James Clark, Peter Peres

ROOTS ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR

Callie McCullough
Emily Clair
Julian Taylor
Mackenzie Leigh Meyer
The Redhill Valleys
The Western Swing Authority

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Alexa Goldie
Dayna Reid
Olivia Mae Graham
Paige Rutledge
Spencer Burns
Sully Burrows

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Blinding Lights (Country Version): Tebey
Finding Firsts: Andrew Hyatt
Guilty: Nicole Rayy
Moonshines: Owen Riegling
Never Have I Ever: Elyse Saunders
Still Make Cowgirls: Karli June

INDUSTRY PERSON OF THE YEAR

AJ Astle, Roadhouse Productions
Christine Wiley & Christine Stevens, C to C Music Insider
Dave Woods, In the Country
Elliott Deseure & Nick Marinac, Adaptive Media
Samantha Pickard, Strut Entertainment
Sam Davs, Cosmic Alchemy Designs

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

Adrian Juras (Karli June and Ryan Langdon)
Jeff Brown (Kelsi Mayne, Washboard Union, Jason Blaine)
Joey DePaiva (Mackenzie Leigh Meyer, Spencer Burns, Nicole Rayy)
Jordan Honsinger (Tebey)
Mackenzie Leigh Meyer (Robyn Ottolini)
Ryan Cassar (Elyse Saunders, Kelsi Mayne, Paige Rutledge)

FRANCOPHONE ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR

Kristine St-Pierre
Les Rats D’Swompe
Mitch Jean
Reney Ray
Sugar Crush
Vincent Bishop

FANS’ CHOICE sponsored by Tourism Hamilton

Josh Ross
Owen Riegling
Sacha
Steven Lee Olsen
Tebey
The Reklaws

For more information about the CMAOntario Festival and Awards in Hamilton visit CMAOntario.ca. Tickets are on sale now.