Grammys announce new Award Categories, Key Dates
The Grammys announce new Award categories, dates and deadlines for the 68th GRAMMY Awards. 2026 winners will be announced live at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 1.
Gammy 2026 changes include expansions of Best New Artist and Classical eligibility and new Country and Cover Art awards.
Grammys announce new Award Categories, Updates & Key Dates
General: Eligibility for Best New Artist has been expanded to include artists who have been previously nominated in Album Of The Year, but whose contributions fell below the current 20 percent playing time threshold. This update allows acts who were credited as featured artists on projects that were GRAMMY nominated for Album Of The Year in a previous awards cycle to be eligible for Best New Artist consideration.
Classical: 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.
Country: The existing Best Country Album Category has been renamed Best Contemporary Country Album, and a new Best Traditional Country Album category has been added.
Packaging: The existing Best Recording Package and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package Categories have been combined into one single Category: Best Recording Package. A new Best Album Cover award has been added.
The physical product eligibility requirement for Best Recording Package, Best Album Notes, and Best Historical Album has also been expanded to be more representative of today’s marketplace.
Additionally, the Craft Committee serving in this field is transitioning from a regional to a national model.
Category Definition, Eligibility, & Criteria Updates: Minor updates to definitions, eligibility and criteria across multiple fields and awards have been reviewed and revised to be more expansive and inclusive. A full list of those changes can be found on page six of the rulebook.
GRAMMY 2026 Key Dates
Aug. 31, 2024 – Aug. 30, 2025
Product Eligibility Period
July 7, 2025 – Aug. 22, 2025
Media Company Registration Period: Media companies must apply for registration with the Recording Academy to submit recordings.
July 16, 2025 – Aug. 29, 2025
Online Entry Period: All eligible recordings must be entered prior to the close of the Online Entry Period, regardless of the public release date.
Oct. 3, 2025 – Oct. 15, 2025
First Round Voting: First Round Voting determines all the GRAMMY nominees for each GRAMMY Awards year.
Nov. 7, 2025
Nominees Announced for the 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards
Dec. 12, 2025 – Jan. 5, 2026
Final Round Voting: Determines the GRAMMY winners across all categories revealed on GRAMMY night
Feb. 1, 2026
Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, a Berklee College Of Music professor and founder of the Skyline Artists Agency
