Vince Gill will be a special honoree at the 2025 CMA Awards this month.
He’s receiving the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, according to a press release sent out by the Country Music Association Monday morning (Nov. 10.)
Gill will accept his trophy during the ceremony.
He’ll also be feted with a tribute performance before receiving the honor, though it’s yet to be revealed which artists are attached to the tribute.
What Award Is Vince Gill Receiving at the 2025 CMAs?
Vince Gill is being honored with the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.
The trophy is handed out to an artist who has “attained the highest degree of recognition in country music,” according to the CMA.
It recognizes those who have achieved “both national and international prominence and stature through concert performances, humanitarian efforts, philanthropy, streaming numbers, record sales and public representation at the highest level.”
READ MORE: Everything We Know About the 2025 CMA Awards
Some of the genre’s largest-looming legends have received the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, beginning with its titular country performer in 2012.
Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson and George Strait are just a few of the stars who’ve won the trophy since.
Did Vince Gill Say Anything About His CMA Lifetime Achievement Award?
Gill hasn’t shared any of his personal reactions to the lifetime honor just yet. However, he did share the CMAs’ post announcing him as the recipient.
What CMA Awards Has Vince Gill Won in the Past?
Vince Gill is a decorated CMAs recipient.
In 1990, he took home the Single of the Year trophy for his song “When I Call Your Name.” The same song earned him Song of the Year at the CMAs the following year.
Between 1991 and 1996, Gill scooped up at least one trophy per year at the awards show. He won the event’s highest honor, Entertainer of the Year, back to back in 1993 and 1994.
All told, Gill has won 18 CMA Awards—not counting his newest Lifetime Achievement honor—and been nominated for many more.
His last regular-category win came in 1999, when he and Patty Loveless won Vocal Event of the Year with their hit “My Kind of Woman/My Kind of Man.”
When Are the 2025 CMA Awards?
The 2025 CMA Awards will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Once again, the show is set to air from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
Lainey Wilson is hosting the awards show solo this year, after triple-tackling hosting duties with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning in 2024.
Fans can watch the CMAs live on ABC, with streaming options available via ABC’s partners including Hulu+, Live TV Sling and YouTube TV.
Hulu will also stream the show on demand the following day.
All of the Women Who’ve Won Country Entertainer of the Year Awards
Entertainer of the Year is by and large the biggest award an artist can receive in the world of country music. To put it simply, winning that trophy means you crushed the country music game with music, touring, and festivals, and you likely also found mass appeal outside of the genre.
It’s a highly coveted award, and historically, it’s been handed out to more men than women. Just 10 women in country music have heard their names called at the end of the night at either the CMA Awards or the ACM Awards over the years.
Here’s a list of women who’ve won country Entertainer of the Year awards.
