Preparations for the 9th annual Nashville Songwriter Awards are underway, and The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) alongside presenting partner City National Bank are thrilled to reveal that No. 1 hit songwriter Blake Pendergrass will be honored at the September 22 Ryman Auditorium celebration.

Pendergrass has earned the honor of NSAI’s 2026 'Songwriter of the Year,' an award given to the Nashville-associated songwriter who achieved the most charting success on the Billboard Airplay chart in the Christian, Country, Mainstream Top 40 and/or Rock genres during the eligible period (May 1, 2025- April 30, 2026). Pendergrass's career has skyrocketed, having earned his first No. 1 in July of 2025 for “Just In Case” (Morgan Wallen) quickly followed by three additional No. 1s within the year, he topped the MusicRow Magazine Top Songwriter Chart for the first time on March 2, 2026, and received his first CMA Triple Play Award on April 13, 2026. Songwriter of the Year is another well-deserved honor recognizing Pendergrass’s immense and ever-growing success.

The night will include performances and stories to recognize his achievement, and he will be honored alongside previously announced honorees Riley Green (Songwriter-Artist of the Year Award), Vince Gill (Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award) and Paul Williams (NSAI President’s Keystone Award). Additional award recipients that will be revealed night-of include the 'Song of the Year' winner(s) and the songwriters for each of the '10 Songs I Wish I'd Written' awards.

On Wednesday, July 15, the first round of performers participating in the event will be revealed, and tickets for the ceremony will go on sale on Friday, July 17 at 10:00 a.m. CT at www.ryman.com.

In addition to the previously mentioned awards, the night will also recognize the 2026 Legendary Song award, honoring a song that is deemed legendary above all others and which has stood the test of time in the designated timeframe. The eligibility period for this year’s award was 1969-1985 and the NSAI Board of Directors carefully selected 10 impactful songs from that time for the pro membership to anonymously vote on to determine the top legendary song.

The event is produced each year by the Nashville Songwriters Association International, the world’s largest not-for-profit songwriters trade organization dedicated to protecting the rights of and serving aspiring and professional songwriters in all genres of music. Follow @nsaiofficial / #songwriterawards on Facebook, X, and Instagram to stay up-to-date on all announcements and news.

Thank you to our event sponsors: City National Bank, Loeb & Loeb, General Motors, Recording Industry Association of America, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, Jack Daniel's, Recording Academy Songwriters & Composers Wing, SoundExchange, Tennessee Association of Broadcasters, The Mechanical Licensing Collective.

For more information, please visit nashvillesongwriters.com.

ACM Awards’ Songwriter of the Year nominee Blake Pendergrass notches his fifth No. 1 single with his co-penned “Ain’t A Bad Life,” recorded by Thomas Rhett featuring Jordan Davis. The achievement follows a string of recent chart-toppers, including Jelly Roll’s “Heart of Stone,” Morgan Wallen’s “20 Cigarettes,” “I Got Better,” and “Just In Case,” with the latter holding the top spot on country radio for four consecutive weeks.

Tonight, Pendergrass will celebrate his first CMA Triple Play Award for “Just In Case,” “Heart of Stone,” and “I Got Better.”

“This entire last week has felt surreal,” says the man Wallen praised as “one of the best songwriters in Nashville.” “So many of my mentors, heroes and friends have experienced these firsts, and I’m fortunate to have such great champions in this town who continue to give me great advice along the way. The latest being: to sit in this moment as the kid arriving at Belmont with just two songs ever written to his name.”

Pendergrass’s momentum is palpable, with another hit penned by the North Carolina native sitting inside the Top 10, “Brunette,” recorded by ACM Top New Male nominee Tucker Wetmore, while also ranking inside the Top 5 of MusicRow Magazine’s Top Songwriter chart. The Tennessean praises Pendergrass’s “stunning run,” while Billboard recognizes the young writer on its Hot 100 Songwriters and Country Songwriters charts. His hits have now amassed more than one billion streams.

His recent work includes writing credits on seven tracks from Jelly Roll’s GRAMMY-winning album Beautifully Broken and contributions to two 2025 CMA Album of the Year nominees, including 15 songs on Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem and Lainey Wilson’s award-winning album Whirlwind. Pendergrass is also a 2025 MusicRow Awards nominee for Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year and was named Country Credits’ Songwriter of the Year 2025.

Blake Pendergrass Named NSAI's 'Songwriter of the Year' Ahead of 9th Annual Awards

ACM SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR NOMINEE BLAKE PENDERGRASS NOTCHES FIFTH NO. 1 WITH “AIN’T A BAD LIFE”