THE COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION HONORS GLOBAL ARTISTS AND LEADERS
WITH 2026 CMA INTERNATIONAL AWARDS
Dayna Bourgoin (iHeartRadio Canada/Pure Country Radio), Alex Hannaby (HYBE Global Label Services), Bob Harris (BBC Radio 2), James Johnston, Rachel Lloyd (AEG Presents UK) and Lainey Wilson Honored as 2026 CMA International Award Recipients
The Country Music Association (CMA) has announced the winners of the 2026 CMA International Awards, honoring the individuals whose work has helped carry Country Music to fans around the world. Honorees will be celebrated during a special reception on Tuesday, Nov. 17, in downtown Nashville, and recognized the following evening during the pre-telecast ceremony at “The 60th Annual CMA Awards.”
For this year’s honorees, the news came with a few surprises. On Wednesday, Sept. 23, Darius Rucker joined a Zoom call to surprise four of this year’s honorees—Dayna Bourgoin, National Music Director & Industry Relations, iHeartRadio Canada/Pure Country Radio; Alex Hannaby, SVP, International Marketing and Operations, HYBE Global Label Services; Bob Harris, Broadcaster, BBC Radio 2; and Rachel Lloyd, Promoter, AEG Presents U.K.—with the news that they had been selected for a 2026 CMA International Award. On Thursday, Sept. 24, Ashley McBryde surprised Australian Country artist James Johnston at the Grand Ole Opry, delivering the news on one of the genre’s most historic stages. Brittany Schaffer, CMA’s Incoming Chief Executive Officer, delivered a surprise of her own to Lainey Wilson on Monday, Sept. 28. Wilson joined a Zoom call with Schaffer expecting a routine conversation about her hosting duties for this year’s CMA Awards, notepad in hand, only to learn she had been selected for a 2026 CMA International Award of her own.
“Some of my favorite moments in this job have been standing in a crowd overseas and experiencing how deeply fans connect with Country Music,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “That kind of connection doesn’t happen without people who believe in this music and put in the work to share it. The Country Music community is global, and we are proud to celebrate them.”
Bourgoin receives the Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award, which recognizes outstanding achievements in the media as they relate to Country Music outside of the United States.
Bourgoin has built a distinguished career in Canadian Country Music. A 27-year veteran of the music and broadcasting industry, she oversees music programming and national content development for Pure Country Radio, where she leads the music strategy and artist relationships for the national Country Music brand. Since beginning her career in Country Music radio in 1999, she has championed the format and its artists, helping break acts including Dean Brody, High Valley and The Road Hammers during her time at CMT Canada, and helping launch Dallas Smith’s Country Music career at 604 Records. She was also part of the team that rebranded 16 stations across Canada as Pure Country, the nation’s first national Country Music radio brand. Bourgoin also serves as the Vice Chair of the CMA Canadian Task Force.
Hannaby earns the CMA Jo Walker-Meador International Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement by an individual in advocating and supporting Country Music’s marketing development in territories outside the United States.
With a career spanning Universal Music and Big Machine, Hannaby has spent more than a decade helping artists find their audiences in the U.K. As SVP, International Marketing and Operations at HYBE Global Label Services, she delivers sustained success for the Blue Highway Records roster including Thomas Rhett, Midland, Jackson Dean, and more; she has also played a key role in international marketing and promotion for Riley Green and the late Dolly Parton. A longtime advocate for the genre, she is the Vice Chair of the CMA’s U.K. Task Force, serves on the BPI Council, and recently led the launch of the U.K.’s first official Country Music radio chart.
Harris earns the International Country Broadcaster Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement by a radio broadcaster or syndicated radio reporter outside the United States who has made important contributions to the development of Country Music in their country.
For more than five decades, Harris has been one of the most influential broadcasters in music, championing emerging artists from Marc Bolan and David Bowie to Elton John. He joined the BBC in 1970 and introduced audiences to the world’s most celebrated artists as host of the iconic series “The Old Grey Whistle Test.” His long-running BBC Radio 2 Country Show has built a deep connection with Nashville and brought Country to listeners across the U.K. A four-time winner of the CMA International Broadcaster of the Year Award and a 2012 recipient of the CMA Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award, he was awarded an OBE in 2011 in recognition of his services to British music and culture.
Johnston takes home the Jeff Walker Global Country Artist Award, which recognizes outstanding achievements by a Country Music artist who is originally based internationally.
With sold-out headline shows across the U.K. and an expanding audience in North America and Europe, Johnston has helped bring Australian Country Music to new audiences around the world. A three-time Golden Guitar Award winner and ARIA Award nominee, he has earned more than 165 million global streams, and his debut album RAISED LIKE THAT spent 35 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the ARIA Australian Country Albums Chart.
Lloyd receives the Rob Potts International Live Music Advancement Award, which recognizes outstanding achievements by an individual who has significantly contributed to the live music industry by extending performance opportunities and building live audiences for Country Music outside of the United States.
Lloyd has spent her career helping Country Music find its audience in the U.K. As a Promoter with AEG Presents U.K. since 2021, she programs and develops the C2C U.K. Festival, bringing the genre’s biggest names and most exciting new acts to British fans. She also oversees a touring roster spanning club and academy shows to theaters and arenas, with a specialty in Country. Before her current role with AEG, she worked in the music department at WME’s London agency and at Warner Records.
Wilson earns the International Artist Achievement Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement by a U.S.-based artist who has demonstrated the most significant creative growth, development and promotion of the Country Music industry outside of the United States during the eligibility period.
With a sold-out Whirlwind World Tour spanning Europe and North America, Wilson is bringing Country Music to audiences around the world. A 12-time CMA Award winner and reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, she returns to host “The 60th Annual CMA Awards” for the third consecutive year. She was also inducted into the Grand Ole Opry earlier this year. Her latest album, Whirlwind, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album and debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and No. 13 on the U.K. Official Albums Chart.
“The 60th Annual CMA Awards” will broadcast internationally across five global territories, bringing Country Music’s Biggest Night™ to audiences around the world. Broadcast territories include Australia, Canada, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
About the Country Music Association
Founded in 1958, the Country Music Association is the first trade organization formed to promote a type of music. The organization serves as an educational and professional resource for the industry and advances the growth of Country Music worldwide. This is accomplished through CMA’s core initiatives: the CMA Awards, which annually recognize outstanding achievement in the industry; CMA Fest, which benefits music education through the CMA Foundation and is taped for a television special, “CMA Fest”; and “CMA Country Christmas.” CMA’s television properties are screened internationally in Australia, Canada, Mexico, Sweden, and the U.K. CMA brings music worldwide, by sponsoring live performances featuring artists on the CMA Spotlight Stage at C2C UK, C2C Berlin and C2C Rotterdam. CMA members are located around the globe. Through task forces with representation from Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the U.K., industry leaders work to further Country Music in these territories. CMA presents awards across six categories to acknowledge the efforts of individuals working to develop Country Music in markets across the world.
