The Recording Academy has shared updates to its rulebook and announced new categories for the upcoming 2026 Grammy Awards.
The Best Country Album category has been divided into two awards — the original category has been renamed to Best Contemporary Country Album, and a new Best Traditional Country Album award has been added. Notably, Beyoncé won the Best Country Album award for COWBOY CARTER at the 2025 Grammys.
The Academy has also announced the creation of a new category in the packaging field with Best Album Cover. They have also merged the Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package category with Best Recording Package.
Additionally, the Best New Artist eligibility criteria have also expanded. Previously, contributors to records nominated for Album of the Year were ineligible for Best New Artist in the future. This rule remains true with new exceptions — in 2023, the Recording Academy outlined its Album of the Year eligibility criteria to exclude contributors who feature on less than 20 percent of the record. If a contributor's prior Album of the Year nomination was not eligible under the new parameters, they are once again eligible for Best New Artist.
"The Academy's top priority is to represent the music people that we serve each year," Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. shared in a release [per The Hollywood Reporter]. "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 68th Grammy Awards will take place on February 1, 2026. Nominations will be announced on November 7.