Since 2014, The Boot has hosted the Golden Boot Awards, our very own fan-voted digital awards series, each spring. Beginning in 2018, however, the Golden Boot Awards are moving: Now, they will take place at the end of the year, to better align with the annual news cycle ... and to make way for the all-new Golden Mic Awards.

Recognizing the best in live country and Americana music, The Boot's Golden Mic Awards are debuting in 2018 with nine categories, each featuring staff-selected nominees who rule the stage. This week (April 23-27), The Boot will reveal 2018's Golden Mic Awards categories ... and then, it will be up to you, our readers, to crown the winners.

After each Golden Mic Awards category is revealed, readers will be able to vote for their preferred winner in each category as often as once per hour through 11:59PM ET on May 23. We'll announce the winners on the site the next day, May 24.

Summer concert season is (basically) here, and in 2018, that means a bevy of incredible tours, headlined by some of the biggest names in country music. Which of this year's treks is the one everyone is looking forward to? Read on for the 2018 Golden Mic Awards' Most-Anticipated Tour nominees.

Kenny Chesney has a reputation for action-packed live performances, and for good reason: From Miranda Lambert to Dierks Bentley, country artists consider going out on the road with Chesney as a rite of passage, and the country star is famous for his star-studded surprise guest lists. Chesney has mastered the art of selling out arenas and keeping massive audiences captivated throughout his set, and his 2018 Trip Around the Sun Tour promises to be a must-see event for all Chesney fans.

Speaking of Lambert, she will team with Little Big Town for the 2018 Bandwagon Tour this summer, giving fans the chance to see both acts at once. It's not the first time the country stars will showcase their prowess together, though: Lambert's 2015 single "Smokin' and Drinkin'" features the group, and the country superstar also made a surprise appearance onstage at a Little Big Town show in 2015, to perform that song as well as contribute vocals to their single "Girl Crush."

The long-anticipated Sugarland reunion will come to a head this summer with the duo's Still the Same Tour, which kicks off this May. In December of 2017, the group -- comprised of Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles -- released "Still the Same," their first single together in five years. Sugarland released five studio albums between 2004 and 2010, but took a break to focus on their solo projects, so the upcoming tour will be fans' first chance to reunite with the beloved duo.

The year 2018 has already been a busy one for Dierks Bentley, thanks to the upcoming release of his highly anticipated studio album The Mountain. In celebration of that project, the country star will hit the road this May with touring buddies Brothers Osborne and Lanco for over 40 stops of energy-packed performances. To cap it off, Bentley recently announced his first-ever Seven Peaks Music Festival, set to take place at 8,000 feet in Buena Vista, Colo., this fall.

Any time Willie Nelson plans to hit the road, it's a major event, and the country legend has announced that this year, he will be heading out on not one but two legs of his 2018 Outlaw Music Festival Tour, which begins in late May. This year's event will feature a star-studded lineup, including Sturgill Simpson, Alison Krauss, Elvis Costello, Old Crow Medicine Show, Brandi Carlile, Ryan Bingham and rockabilly singer-songwriter JD McPherson. For the second year in a row, the festival will be a traveling show, slotted to begin in North Carolina and move throughout the U.S., and head up north for a date in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Keith Urban has also announced plans to tour in support of his latest album, Graffiti Uwhich arrives on April 27; he gave fans a special preview of the excitement in store with a special listening party and fan Q&A on April 23. Along with opening act Kelsea Ballerini, Urban will be embarking on his massive Graffiti U World Tour this June, and concertgoers can expect plenty of surprises from the high-energy live show.

Another performer known for selling out stadiums and keeping audiences captivated from start to finish during his sets, Luke Bryan launched his What Makes You Country Tour this February, and plans to keep the party going well through September. Over the course of the trek's extensive run, Bryan will treat fans to performances from Kip Moore, Jon Pardi, Brothers Osborne, Carly Pearce, Morgan Wallen, the Cadillac Three and Granger Smith, along with other as-yet-unannounced artists.

Darius Rucker and Lady Antebellum will be spending their summer together this year, as they head out on the road for their co-headlining Summer Plays On Tour. Country up-and-comer Russell Dickerson will also be joining the party, which kicks off in July and runs through October. In a press release, Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley said he couldn't wait to get out onstage: "We're already brainstorming ways to shake things up and make each night all about just being in the moment," he adds.

After hinting about a possible tour run in 2017, Shania Twain officially announced that she will be embarking on her Shania Now Tour in the spring and summer of 2018, in support of her newest studio album, Now. The album came out in late 2017 and was the first new music that Twain had put out in 15 years. Patience will pay off for the fans who have been eagerly anticipating new music from the country star, as the tour will be her first chance to take the brand-new songs out on the road.

It's also shaping up to be a big summer for Lynyrd Skynyrd: The Southern rock legends have announced plans for their Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour. The group is set to bring plenty of big-name backup from both country and Southern rock artists, featuring performances from Kid Rock, Hank Williams Jr., Bad Company, the Marshall Tucker Band and many more acts.

Which of these tours is 2018's biggest and best? Vote for your pick below!

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