2026 GRAMMY Awards Will Now Include Best Album Cover and Best Traditional Country Album Categories
The Recording Academy also announced the date of the 2026 ceremony.
Summary
- The 68th GRAMMY Awards will be held on February 1, 2026
- New categories include Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover
- Eligibility rules were updated for Best New Artist and physical product categories
The Recording Academy announced the date for the 68th GRAMMY Awards, as well as unveiled the new Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover categories.
With the addition of Best Traditional Country Album, the current Best Country Album category is renamed to Best Contemporary Country Album. Meanwhile, the existing Best Recording Package and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package categories have merged into Best Recording Package.
In addition to the introduction of the new categories, the Recording Academy shared a number of updated eligibility requirements. Nominees for Best New Artist can now include artists previously nominated for Album of the Year, but whose work is below the 20% playing time margin. Artists featured on a project nominated for Album of the Year in the past can also still be eligible for Best New Artist.
Physical product eligibility requirements for Best Recording Package, Best Album Notes and Best Historical Album now include physical album packages sold directly via the artist or label’s website. In the Classical categories, composers and lyricists/librettists are also now eligible for nominations.
In Classical Categories, composers and lyricists/librettists are now eligible for GRAMMY recognition alongside all other key creative personnel including artists, producers, and engineers on winning albums.
The 68th GRAMMY Awards will take place on February 1, 2026. Stay tuned for a list of nominees.
