The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California. It held its first awards ceremony in 1966. Its distinctive cowboy hat-shaped trophy was introduced two years later. As of 2011, the ceremony was held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The top ACM Awards are in the categories of "Entertainer of the Year," "Top Male Vocalist," "Top Female Vocalist" and "Song of the Year." In the final year of each decade, an "Artist of the Decade" award is also handed out. Past winners include Garth Brooks, Alabama and Loretta Lynn.
The Country Music Association Awards, usually referred to as the CMAs, started in 1967 with a ceremony at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. The ceremony has been broadcast live on American television since 1969. The top CMA trophies are for "Entertainer of the Year," "Male Vocalist of the Year," "Female Vocalist of the Year" and "Song of the Year." The ceremony itself is hosted by country recording artists. Previous hosts include Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers and Johnny Cash.
The CMT Music Awards are voted for by viewers of country music television station CMT. They honor music videos and television performances from the previous year. The ceremony was first held in 2002 under the name "CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards." The title was shortened to "CMT Music Awards" in 2006. The major awards are for "Video of the Year," "Male Video of the Year" and "Female Video of the Year." The ceremony also has a "Johnny Cash Visionary Award" to honor innovation in music.
The American Country Awards were first handed out in 2010 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The awards are organized by the Fox Network and determined by a fan vote. The most significant awards are "Artist of the Year," "Album of the Year" and "Single of the Year." The inaugural awards ceremony was hosted by Trace Adkins. The winners included Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley and Lady Antebellum.