POLL: Who Should Win New Artist of the Year at the 2015 ACM Awards?

With past winners including Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, the Band Perry, Florida Georgia Line and Justin Moore, winning New Artist of the Year at the ACM Awards is a pretty big deal. The category's three nominees in 2015 are Sam Hunt, Thomas Rhett and Cole Swindell; here's how they stack up.

Hunt, a Georgia native, released his debut album Montevallo in 2014. His first single, "Leave the Night On," hit No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart and was certified platinum by the RIAA. Before he ventured fully into a solo career, Hunt wrote hits for Billy Currington, Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney. His own headlining Lipstick Graffiti Tour is currently underway.

Three of Rhett's singles from his debut record It Goes Like This have charted at No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart: "Get Me Some of That," "Make Me Wanna" and the title track. A prolific songwriter, Rhett has penned tunes for FGL, Jason Aldean and Lee Brice. Plus, he has last year's New Artist winner Moore on his side, who says, "I don’t really know the other guys. And I’m not saying they don’t deserve it. They do. But personally, I’m pulling for T.R."

Since his 2013 breakout hit "Chillin' It" and eponymous debut album, Swindell has been making a big impact on country music, with his debut single receiving gold and platinum certifications.

"You only get a first single once,” he remarks. “The fact that it was accepted by not only radio but over one million fans is beyond anything I could ever have dreamed up. This is something I will never forget."

Swindell embarked on a winter headlining tour in November and also opened for Bryan on his That's My Kind of Night Tour.

Official fan voting for New Artist of the Year begins on April 8 at 3PM ET and closes at 8PM ET on April 19 -- right when the 2015 ACM Awards begin. However, you can tell us who you'd like to see win New Artist of the Year at the 2015 ACM Awards by voting in the poll below as often as once an hour from now until the end of the day on April 15. We’ll tabulate the results and use them for our 2015 ACM Awards winners predictions the week before the show.

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