2015 ACM Awards New Artist of the Year Finalists Revealed

When you have Brett Eldredge, Thomas Rhett, Sam Hunt, Cole Swindell, Tyler Farr, Dan + Shay, Kip Moore and Chase Rice in the same category, it's a challenge to name a Top 3. But the fans have spoken, and the Academy of Country Music announced Wednesday (Feb. 18) that Hunt, Rhett and Swindell are the three final nominees for the 2015 ACM Award for New Artist of the Year.

All three artists made waves in the country music world in 2015 and are looking forward to even bigger things in 2015. Hunt is currently out on his headlining Lipstick Graffiti Tour, Rhett is spending time on the road with Florida Georgia Line (and wow'ing fans with his Bruno Mars covers!), and Swindell has signed on as one of Kenny Chesney's summer tour openers.

And what a year to be a finalist! This year's ACM Awards ceremony will also celebrate the awards' 50th anniversary. The 2015 ACMs will be co-hosted by country funnymen Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan (who won the award in 2010).

Plenty of New Artist of the Year winners have gone on to do great things: Country duo Florida Georgia Line nabbed the trophy in 2013, and Justin Moore was announced as the winner in 2014, although his nomination had some controversy surrounding it. Other previous winners include Scotty McCreery, the Band Perry, Dierks Bentley and more.

With a stacked category this year, it will be interesting to see who emerges as the winner. The final round of fan voting begins April 8 online and will close at 8PM ET on April 19, the day of the show.

The 2015 ACM Awards will air live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on April 19 at 8 PM ET on CBS.

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