Chairman's Award of Merit
Created in 2005 to honor outstanding careers and contributions to Country Music.
PAST WINNERS
- 2005 Chris LeDoux (posthumously)
CMA Chairman's Award
This award, given at the discretion of the incumbent Chairman of the Board, is not an annual award, but given when the Chairman feels an individual or individuals, through outstanding service to CMA, merits the recognition. The award may be given to a current Board member or non-board member.
PAST WINNERS
- 2010 Steve Moore to Jim Free
- 2010 Steve Buchanan to Randy Goodman
Founding President's Award (formerly Connie B. Gay Award)
This award was established by the Board of Directors in 1963. The award is given in recognition of that person (or persons) who is not currently serving as an Officer or Director, and who, in the Board's opinion, has rendered the most outstanding service to the Country Music Association in the current year. The award does not have to be presented annually.
PAST WINNERS
- 1963 Richard Frank
- 1964 Joe Allison
- 1965 Robert J. Burton 1966 Pack Ackerman
- 1967 Gene Nash LeRoy Van Dyke
- 1968 Owen Bradley
- 1969 Johnny Cash
- 1970 Frank Clement
- 1971 Ken Nelson
- 1972 Tex Ritter
- 1973 Frank Jones
- 1974 Jack Stapp
- 1975 Hubert Long (posthumously)
- 1976 Roy Horton
- 1977 Hal Cook
- 1978 Bob Tubert
- 1979 Ben Smathers
- 1980 Charlie Daniels
- 1981 Roy Acuff
- 1982 Bob Boatman
- 1983 Mary Ann McCready
- 1984 Frank Mull
- 1985 Jim Halsey
- 1986 Merrill Warner
- 1987 Paul Conroy
- 1988 Ron Huntsman
- 1989 Michael Sukin
- 1990 Allen Brown
- 1991 Bob Saporiti
- 1992 Jim Free
- 1993 Fred Rappoport
- 1994 Helen Farmer
- 1995 Cindy Wilson
- 1996 Marc Oswald
- 1997 Trisha Yearwood
- 1998 Pam Tillis
- 1999 Martina McBride
- 2000 Wayne Halper
- 2001 Mayor Bill Purcell
- 2002 Brad Paisley
- 2003 Wynonna Judd
- 2004 Terri Clark
- 2005 Blue County (Aaron Benward and Scott Reeves)
- 2006 – 2009 No Award given
CMA President's Award
This award, given at the discretion of the incumbent President, is not an annual award, but given when the President feels an individual or individuals, through outstanding service to CMA, merits the recognition. The award may be given to a current Board member or non-board member. Award was changed to the CMA Chairman's Award in 2010.
PAST WINNERS
- 1965 Tex Ritter to C.L. (Leo) Fender
- 1969 Bill Williams to Jack Stapp and Irving Waugh
- 1970 Harold Hitt to Frank Jones
- 1972 Bill Farr to A. Torio and Bob Neal
- 1973 Frances Preston to Irving Waugh
- 1975 Jerry Bradley to Terry Davis
- 1976 Ron Bledsoe to Gene Nash
- 1977 Dan McKinnon to Johnny Cash
- 1981 Tandy Rice to David Lieberman, Jerry Bradley, and Norm Anderson
- 1984 Dick McCullough to the Oak Ridge Boys
- 1985 Dick McCullough to Willie Nelson
- 1986 Rick Blackburn to subcommittee chairmen: Phil Graham, Ted Hacker, Mary Ann McCready, and Jack Weston
- 1987 Al Greenfield to Dick McCullough
- 1991 Thom Schuyler to Kitty Moon
- 1992 Roy Wunsch to Don Schlitz
- 1993 Paul Corbin to Jim Foglesong
- 1995 Tony Conway to Bob Saporiti and Wayne Halper
- 1996 Kitty Moon to Rick Blackburn and Jeff Walker
- 1997 Tim DuBois to Bud Wendell
- 1998 Tim DuBois to David Ross
- 1999 Not Presented
- 2000 Bud Wendell to Jerry Bradley
- 2001 Luke Lewis to Tony Conway
- 2002 Not Presented
- 2003 Charlie Anderson to Kix Brooks
- 2004 Kix Brooks to Robert Deaton
- 2005 Victor Sansone to Kitty Moon Emery
- 2006 Mike Dungan to Charlie Anderson
- 2007 Clarence Spalding to Walter Miller
- 2008 Randy Goodman to Joe Goodman
- 2009 Steve Moore to Clarence Spalding
Irving Waugh Award of Excellence
The Irving Waugh Award of Excellence is awarded to that individual who is the originator and caretaker of demonstrated ideas and actions that have dramatically broadened and improved Country Music's influence on a national or international level for the benefit of the industry as a whole. It is the intention that these ideas and actions typically will have run a course of years and shall have a proven historical impact on Country Music. The award shall not be presented more often than annually.
Candidates shall be considered when a letter of recommendation, signed by three or more CMA Officers or members of the Board, is submitted to the CMA President or Chairman prior to June 15 of the award year. The President and Chairman shall at that time appoint a select Committee consisting of the President and Chairman plus six current Directors and four current Officers to study the candidates. It shall require a majority of the Committee to certify the eligibility of the candidates, and a nomination shall require the vote of 80 percent of the Committee.
The nominee's name is then to be submitted to the CMA Officers and Directors by certified mail ballot sent to the home addresses no later than August 1, to be returned to the accounting firm supervising the elections. The winner of the award must receive an 80 percent affirmative vote of the total eligible voters and if so, is to be included during the broadcast of the CMA Awards.
If an Officer or Director of the Board is a nominee, he or she shall receive a dummy ballot to protect confidentiality.
PAST WINNERS
- 1983 Irving Waugh
- 1987 Frances Preston
- 1991 Jo Walker-Meador
- 2003 Johnny Cash
- 2009 Walter Miller
CMA Close Up Award of Merit
The Award was created in 2007 to honor the student who demonstrated the most creativity, dedication, and promise in covering the CMA Music Festival on assignment from CMA. Candidates for the CMA Close Up Award of Merit are chosen based on recommendations from department heads in Journalism or equivalent programs at universities and colleges in central Tennessee. The final team of five reporters cover all aspects of CMA Music Festival under direction from the Editor of CMA Close Up.
PAST WINNERS
- 2007 Courtney Drake
- 2008 Benjamin Kann
- 2009 Alyssa Smith
- 2010 Jodee Hammond
The CMA Media Achievement Award was established to recognize outstanding achievements in the media as they relate to Country Music. Print journalists, authors, editors, television writers and producers are eligible to win this award. A recipient shall be chosen to receive this award, to be presented only when it is deemed that a recipient is worthy of recognition. It is not a mandatory annual award. The award will be presented at the CMA Annual Membership Meeting, or at another appropriate place and time. The award does not have to be presented annually.
PAST WINNERS
- 1982 Jack Hurst
- 1983 Neil Hickey
- 1984 Dolly Carlisle
- 1985 Red O'Donnell
- 1986 No Award
- 1987 Dave Zimmerman
- 1988 Bob Oermann
- 1989 Bob Claypool
- 1990 Dick Heard
- 1991 No Award
- 1992 Mark McEwen
- 1993 Lynn Lester
- 1994 Judy Massa
- 1995 Clay Smith
- 1996 Tisi Aylward
- 1997 Jay Orr
- 1998 Chet Flippo
- 1999 Hazel Smith
- 2000 Neil Pond
- 2001 Harry Chapman
- 2002 Jim Patterson
- 2003 Denis Quan
- 2004 Alanna Nash
- 2005 Mark Bracco
- 2006 Donna Hughes
- 2007 Storme Warren
- 2008 Monica Escobedo
- 2009 Cynthia Sanz
- 2010 Beville Darden
Joe Talbot Award
This award is presented in recognition of outstanding leadership and contributions to the preservation and advancement of Country Music's values and tradition. The award may be presented to a person (living or deceased) in recognition of an initiative or long-term contribution deemed to qualify by the CMA Board of Directors. This is not intended to be an annual award, but rather one that may be presented at any time deemed to be appropriate.
PAST WINNERS
- 2001 Joe Talbot
- 2004 Janette Carter
- 2005 Louise Scruggs
- 2007 Marty Stuart