10 Stars Who Should Have Been Nominated for a CMA Award

The 2018 CMA Awards nominees have been announced, with veteran artists like Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert joining several first-time nominees, including Dan + Shay, Chris Janson and Luke Combs.

But although the artists are all well-deserving of the recognition, we can't help but think of several artists who should have also been nominated.

Carly Pearce had a banner year, and her omission from the list seems glaring – and unfair. Pearce released Every Little Thing last October, which soared to the top of the charts. The record included her chart-topping hit, "Every Little Thing," and her second single, "Hide the Wine," which is inching closer to the top as well. Pearce also joined four major tours this year (Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Rascal Flatts and Luke Bryan), making her one of the hardest-working artists of the year.

It's unclear why she didn't receive a nod for New Artist of the Year, or at least Single of the Year, and a Female Vocalist of the Year nomination wouldn't have seemed premature.

Speaking of Rascal Flatts, it's mind-boggling how they continue to evade being nominated. The trio, made up of Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney and Jay DeMarcus, haven't won a CMA Award for Vocal Group of the Year since 2008, and didn't even receive a mention this year. Their platinum-selling Back to Us record was released last year, and included the No. 1 hit, "Yours If You Want It." The bright side is that their omission likely paved the way for LANCO to receive their first-ever CMA Award nod – but it's unfortunate that the Flatts seem to be pushed aside in this category yet again.

Brett Eldredge and Jake Owen both had great years also. Eldredge released his self-titled No.1 album last year, and launched his own tour, while Owen, although he hasn't recently released an album, did have a No. 1 single with "I Was Jack (You Were Diane)," and headlined his own tours.

This has seemed to be Russell Dickerson's year, and it seemed certain that his acceleration would continue right into the 2018 CMA Awards. The singer has, perhaps surprisingly, yet to receive a CMA nomination, in spite of his platinum-selling "Yours" single, the title track of his freshman album. He's a fan favorite – hopefully that will soon extend to the music industry as well.

Dustin Lynch had a four-week, platinum-selling No. 1 hit with "Small Town Boy," and had a gold-selling No. 1 single, "Seein' Red," both from his 2017 Current Mood album. Lynch's first album was released in 2012. Since then he's headlined tours and had seven Top 20 singles. If Lynch is scratching his head at his absence from the nominees again, so are we.

Other deserving artists whose names are noticeably absent include Blake Shelton, Chris Young, Garth Brooks and Cole Swindell. Who do you think should have been nominated? Let us know in the comments!

Photo Credit: Getty images/Jason Davis