Awards / Rising Female Artist of the Year
Recognizes a woman gaining real, measurable traction in country music during 2026, whether chart-tracked or independent. Finalists were selected under two explicit, parallel eligibility tracks, not editorial invention.
Winner · 2026Certified result · 2026
Winner
Harper Hayes is an independent Texas country singer-songwriter, raised outside Austin by a mechanic father who played guitar on weekends and a schoolteacher mother who loved classic country records. Now in her late 20s, she represents an independent wave of Texas country songwriting; her debut album, Dust on My Wedding Dress, released in 2026.
Certified 2026 · Certification methodology
The complete 2026 finalist field, in alphabetical order. Harper Hayes was named the winner.
A viral TikTok cover filmed in her bathtub for the acoustics led Parmalee's Matt Thomas to connect Avery Anna Rhoton with a manager and a 2022 deal with Warner Music Nashville. She made her Grand Ole Opry debut that year and released two albums, Breakup Over Breakfast (2024) and Let Go Letters (2025); she also co-wrote and is featured on Sam Barber's 2024 hit “Indigo.” She reached No. 43 on the Billboard Emerging Artists chart for the week of August 29, 2026, with a career peak of No. 18. View profile →
Independent track · winning work: Dust on My Wedding Dress (2026)
Megan Moroney studied music business at the University of Georgia before breaking through in 2022 with “Tennessee Orange,” which led to a Sony Music Nashville deal. Her debut album, Lucky (2023), helped earn her the CMA's New Artist of the Year in 2024, and her third album, Cloud 9 (Columbia Nashville, February 2026), gave her a first-ever No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 and an RIAA Gold certification. It reached No. 10 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart for the week of August 29, 2026. View profile →
Stella Lefkofsky studied public health at Tulane with no music-career plans, then began posting original songs to TikTok while studying abroad in Amsterdam. Her 2026 single “Boston,” built around a melodic interpolation of Noah Kahan's “Stick Season,” went viral and led to a deal with Atlantic Outpost; her debut album, Long Way Home, followed that August. “Boston” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and No. 3 on the Hot 100, and she has announced a 2027 headlining tour. View profile →
Finalists are identified under two explicit, parallel eligibility tracks. Chart-tracked track: women with current Billboard country chart activity for the week of August 29, 2026 (Top Country Albums, Hot Country Songs, Emerging Artists) who are not yet established chart veterans. Independent track: unsigned or self-released women with equivalent measurable public traction (active streaming presence, verified social following, a confirmed upcoming release) who are not chart-tracked because they lack the label or distribution infrastructure Billboard requires for chart eligibility, not because their traction is lesser. Neither track implies affiliation or endorsement by any finalist.
The 2026 winner was determined by the Country Music Awards program from the announced finalist field.
