Las Vegas: Miranda Lambert won four prizes at the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday but lost the coveted entertainer of the year honour to Taylor Swift in a major surprise.
Swift, who picked up four nominations, had watched from her seat throughout the ceremony as rivals Lambert and Lady Antebellum went up to the stage. She was stunned when her name was finally called for the final prize, a fan-voted honour.
"This is the first time that I've ever won this and I'm just losing my mind," Swift said, as she fought back tears.
Lambert retained her crown as top female vocalist and her wistful tune The House That Built Me was honoured for single, song and video of the year at the 46th annual awards ceremony. The award for single goes to the artist and producer, whereas the trophy for best song is given to the artist and composer.
Lambert, a 27-year-old Texan, went into the ceremony with a leading seven nominations, including two in the video category. The country trio Lady Antebellum won trophies for album and vocal group of the year and Brad Paisley was named top male vocalist for the fifth consecutive year.
The award for top new artist went to The Band Perry, a sibling trio from Mississippi. Kenny Chesney, with five nominations, and Keith Urban, with three, went home empty-handed.
The announcement of winners took second place to a string of performances divided between two hotel venues, the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay. The winner of the first award was not revealed until almost an hour into the three-hour ceremony.
The show was hosted by Reba McEntire for the 13th year. She was joined by first-timer Blake Shelton, Lambert's fiance.
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