Jessie Jo Dillon Wins Second Consecutive ACM Songwriter Of The Year Award, Honors Music City In Heartfelt Speech

For the second year in a row, hit songwriter Jessie Jo Dillon earned the ACM Songwriter of the Year Award. While accepting the award during the 2025 ACM Honors on Wednesday, August 20, Dillon opened up about the sanctuary she finds in the songwriting room, gushed over the supportive community she’s built in Music City.

The ACM Songwriter of the Year Award honors an individual primarily recognized as a songwriter, who is chosen by a professional panel of industry experts. Five nominees are submitted, and ACM members in key categories vote for the winner. This marks Jessie Jo Dillon’s second ACM Award and second consecutive win in the category after earning the title in 2024.

Kelsea Ballerini surprised Dillon with the news of her latest award on stage during ACM Country Kickoff in Frisco, Texas prior to the coveted ACM Awards in May. Last night, she finally got to celebrate the honor while surrounded by friends and peers at the star-studded ceremony.

The night’s tribute continued at The Pinnacle when rising artist Carter Faith teamed up with Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild to honor Dillon with a performance of her recent No. 1 hit writes, Morgan Wallen’s “Lies Lies Lies.”

Following the performance, Dillon took the stage to give a heartfelt speech in front of the sold-out crowd. She began by sharing her heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to receive this honor twice in the past two years.

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“To be back this year is just unbelievably surreal to me,” she noted.

She went on to say that while thinking about what she wanted to say when she got up on stage, a memory of her time in therapy came to mind as it directly spoke to her passion for her songwriting craft.

“They asked us to draw a picture of a place we felt safe, real, or imaginary, and I haven’t felt safe a lot in my life. So it kind of stumped me for a minute until I thought, oh, I’ll just draw a write room with my co-writers. And so I did,” Dillon explained. “And that honestly kind of says it all for me. I don’t know if I’m ever more content or safe feeling than when I’m working on a song with people I love. That would even be a reality for me if it weren’t for the people that have always believed in me when things didn’t always look like they have the past couple of years.”

The hit songwriter then offered a few heartfelt shout-outs to the people who have shaped her career along the way.

“Scott Borchetta, I love you…everyone at Big Machine Music, I cannot not do any of this without you. I know you know that, but it’s just true. All my co-writers and producers and artists I get to work with, thank you. You’re truly the joy of my life. Every single day we work our asses off in the pursuit of a song or an album in hopes it touches someone listening out there in the big wide world.”

Dillon took this opportunity to highlight a bigger issue close to hear heart as she recognized all the organizations who continue to advocate for fair compensation for songwriters. She ended by gushing over her “big family” in Music City and the love she has for the community of people who share her passion for music and sharing their talent with the world. The speech came to a close with a final message to all songwriters of the past, present and future.

“To all the songwriters that came before me and everyone coming up now, this community is built on soul and storytelling, and I’m so proud to be a part of it and to quote Frank Liddell from many years ago when he was accepting an award, ‘tell the truth. It’s more interesting.’ Thank you again.”

Jessie Jo Dillon was among the elite group of honorees who were celebrated during the 2025 ACM Honors. The night also highlighted the efforts of Lori Badgett, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Mac McAnally, Rissi Palmer, Randy Travis, and “Twisters,” and Ben Vaughn.