The Recording Academy has tweaked some of its rules for the 2026 Grammy Awards, which includes a stand-alone category for best album cover.
The academy announced that the best recording package and the best boxed or special limited edition package categories will be combined into the best recording package category, with best album cover spun out on its own.
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 — allowing for 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.
In addition: the existing Best Country Album Category has been renamed Best Contemporary Country Album, and a new Category, ‘Best Traditional Country Album,’ has been added.
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 Category, ‘Best Album Cover,’ has also been added.
Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement: “The Academy’s top priority is to represent the music people that we serve each year. 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.”
The Grammys will be held Feb. 1 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, with nominations set to be announced on Nov. 7.
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