Chris Stapleton, Kelsea Ballerini & Old Dominion Win ACM Newcomer Awards
By Amanda Wicks
The 2016 ACM Awards won't take place until April 3rd, but today the Academy of Country Music revealed its first three winners.
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Chris Stapleton, Kelsea Ballerini and Old Dominion all won Newcomer awards. Stapleton won New Male Artist of the Year, Ballerini won New Female Artist of the Year, and Old Dominion won New Duo/Group of the Year. That's not the only categories they're up for this year. Ballerini and Old Dominion are both nominated for one additional award, while Stapleton is up for another six categories, including Album of the Year.
Stapleton already took home a 2016 GRAMMY Award for 'Best Country Album of the Year.'
The Newcomer awards used to be decided based on fan votes, but the Academy of Country Music has since integrated the awards into the full membership voting process.
The ACM Awards air live from MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 3rd at 8:00pm ET on CBS.