Sam Hunt, Thomas Rhett Among 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards Nominees

The 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards air live on Sunday, March 11!

Written by Lauren Laffer
Sam Hunt, Thomas Rhett Among 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards Nominees
Sam Hunt and Thomas Rhett; Photo by Anna Webber/Getty Images for Crown Royal

After much anticipation, the nominations for the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards have been released. Announced Wednesday morning (Jan. 10), the top country nominees, earning two nods each, were revealed to be Sam Hunt, Thomas Rhett, Jon Pardi and Luke Combs.

Pulled from the most listened to songs across iHeartRadio platforms, the nominees represent a wide range of musical tastes and talents. This year, the awards show will include more than 50 categories, representing the vast array of popular music from genres including Pop, Country, Alternative Rock/Rock, Dance, Hip-Hop, R&B, Latin and Regional Mexican.

“We’ve expanded the iHeartRadio Music Awards categories each year to ensure it accurately reflects the tastes of the millions of listeners on our broadcast radio stations and on the iHeartRadio app,” said Tom Poleman, Chief Programming Officer for iHeartMedia, in a press release. “We’ve been thrilled with the response from both fans and artists and we can’t wait to celebrate the year in music by honoring its biggest songs and moments.”

To keep up with the large number of awards, iHeartRadio will present seven awards in the seven nights leading up to the telecast. Each night at 8 p.m. EST, an artist will be presented their award and allowed to give an acceptance speech.

The 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards will take place on Sunday, March 11 at the “Fabulous” Forum in Los Angeles. The event will simulcast live across multiple platforms: TBS, TNT and truTV at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT; on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide; the iHeartRadio app; and on the truTV, TNT & TBS Apps.

Voting for limited categories is open now.

See the full list of country nominees below.

Country Song of the Year:
“Body Like A Back Road” – Sam Hunt
“Dirt On My Boots” – Jon Pardi
“Hurricane” – Luke Combs
“Small Town Boy” – Dustin Lynch
“Unforgettable” – Thomas Rhett

Country Artist of the Year:
Blake Shelton
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Sam Hunt
Thomas Rhett

Best New Country Artist:
Brett Young
Jon Pardi
Kane Brown
Lauren Alaina
Luke Combs