NSAI’s Nashville Songwriter Awards to Honor Vince Gill & Paul Williams
The event will be held in September.
Black News 
The Nashville Songwriter Awards, an annual celebration of Music City’s top tunesmiths, is set to honor Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill and ASCAP president/chairman of the board Paul Williams with special accolades.
Gill will be honored with the Kris Kristofferson lifetime achievement award, which honors a songwriter who has made indelible contributions to the American songbook and who has inspired the careers of others. The Kris Kristofferson lifetime achievement award has been previously given to artists including Alabama (2025), Alan Jackson (2024), Bobby Braddock (2023), Garth Brooks (2022), Loretta Lynn (2019), Bill Anderson (2018) and Willie Nelson (2013).
Williams will be presented with NSAI’s president’s keystone award, recognizing his significant contributions to the industry to support and advocate for songwriters and creators. Williams was personally selected for the award by NSAI board president Lee Thomas Miller.
“Having grown up loving and studying songs and the craft of songwriting, it is an immeasurable honor to call Paul Williams a friend,” Miller said in a statement. “On a personal note, he has always been one of the warmest, classiest and most professional rock stars of my career. As a BMI writer myself, it has been a joy to wage the copyright advocacy wars for the American songwriter alongside Paul, who has so often sat in the ASCAP seat. It is a great thrill to present this year’s NSAI President’s Keystone Award to our American treasure, Paul Williams.”
Established by the Nashville Songwriters Association International, the awards ceremony will return on Sept. 22 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. City National Bank returns as the presenting partner alongside NSAI to celebrate Nashville songwriters who are creating impactful songs.
“City National Bank is honored to celebrate the remarkable achievements of this year’s honorees at the Nashville Songwriter Awards,” said Diane Pearson and Lori Badgett, senior vice presidents, Entertainment & Sports Banking — Nashville, City National Bank, via a statement. “The president’s award and the Kris Kristofferson lifetime achievement award represent the highest levels of excellence in songwriting, and we are proud to join NSAI in recognizing the extraordinary Vince Gill and Paul Williams whose work has inspired audiences and shaped the music industry.”
Other accolades to be awarded during the evening include song, songwriter and songwriter-artist of the year, as well as the “10 Songs I Wish I’d Written” awards. Songwriter and songwriter-artist of the year are contingent on chart performance, while other awards categories are peer-voted and determined by NSAI’s professional membership of songwriters.
The first round of Nashville Songwriter Awards performers will be revealed July 15, and tickets go on sale July 17 at 10 a.m. CT at ryman.com.
