Miranda Lambert set for another top year at Academy of Country Music Awards

Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, Keith Urban, and Garth Brooks are among the stars set to compete for top prizes at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

The Mama's Broken Heart singer ruled the 2015 ceremony, winning awards including Female Vocalist of the Year for the sixth consecutive year, and she looks set to be a major contender at this year's (16) event.

Miranda, who divorced fellow country star Blake Shelton last summer (15), is nominated for Entertainer of the Year alongside Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, and last year's (15) winner Luke Bryan.

She will compete for the Female Vocalist prize with Carrie Underwood, Kacey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini, and Jana Kramer, and in the Vocal Event Of The Year category for the song Smokin' And Drinkin', her collaboration with Little Big Town.

Dierks Bentley, who is slated to host the ceremony, is nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year along with Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Chris Stapleton, and Brett Eldredge.

Terminally ill country star Joey Feek received a nod in the Vocal Duo category along with her husband Rory for their double-act Joey + Rory, competing with Florida Georgia Line, Dan + Shay, Brothers Osborne, and Maddie & Tae.

The coveted Album of the Year prize will be a fight between Chris Stapleton (Traveler), Chris Young (I'm Comin' Over), Sam Hunt (Montevallo), Eric Church (Mr. Misunderstood), and Thomas Rhett (Tangled Up).

Single Record Of The Year will be battled out by Cam, (Burning House), Chris Janson (Buy Me A Boat), Thomas Rhett (Die A Happy Man), Little Big Town (Girl Crush), Chris Young (I'm Comin' Over), and Sam Hunt (Take Your Time).

The awards will be handed out during a ceremony in Las Vegas on 3 April (16) co-hosted by Bentley and Luke Bryan.