The 2026 Grammy Awards are set for Feb 1 with new rule changes, including a best album cover category and updates for composers, lyricists, and new artists
Grammy Awards. Pic/AFP
Grammy Awards are getting some changes. Yes, you read it right.
On Thursday, the Recording Academy revealed the key dates for this 2026 ceremony and also announced a few updates to its rules and categories, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
The 68th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Feb. 1, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, with nominations set to be announced on November 7, 2025.
Perhaps most interesting among these new awards is best album cover, which, like the introduction of a best songwriter award three years ago, was a surprisingly long-time omission, especially considering the longtime presence of best liner notes and "packaging" awards (the two separate packaging awards have been combined into one).
"The Academy's top priority is to represent the music people that we serve each year," said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. "That entails listening carefully to our members to make sure our rules and guidelines reflect today's music and allow us to accurately recognize as many deserving creators as possible. As we kick off another exciting GRAMMY Season, we look forward to celebrating the amazing power of music and its ability to bring so many people together."
As per The Hollywood Reporter, in the general field, the Academy has changed a rule for the best new artist category so that artists who were previously featured on a record nominated for album of the year can still be nominated for best new artist if their contributions on the album were 20 percent or less.
In the packaging field, the Academy is introducing a new category for best album cover, while best recording package and best boxed or special limited edition package are being consolidated into one category. And in the classical category, the Academy said "composers and lyricists/librettists are now eligible for GRAMMY recognition alongside all other key creative personnel including artists, producers, and engineers on winning albums."
Music released between August 31, 2024 and August 30, 2025 will be eligible for Grammy consideration for the 68th Grammy Awards. The online entry period will run from July 16 to August 29, The Academy said.
The first round of voting will run from October 3 through October 15, with nominations announced November 7, and the final round of Grammy voting runs from December 12 to January 5, 2026.
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