Grammy Awards 2026 Sets Key Dates Adds New Categories

The 68th Annual Grammy Awards are scheduled for February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, with nominations announced on November 7, 2025, and the eligibility period ending August 30, 2025. The ceremony will be broadcast live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+, marking the final Grammy telecast on CBS before the show moves to Disney. Significant changes include the introduction of two new categories: Best Album Cover, recognizing visual artists for the first time, and Best Traditional Country Album, alongside the renaming of the existing Best Country Album to Best Contemporary Country Album. Eligibility expansions for Best New Artist now include artists previously credited on Album of the Year nominees with under 20% playing time, while classical categories now acknowledge composers, lyricists, and librettists as recipients. Additionally, packaging awards have been streamlined, combining previous categories, and eligibility rules have adapted to include albums sold directly through artists' or labels' websites, reflecting evolving market trends. Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. emphasized the Academy's commitment to inclusivity and modernizing rules to better represent the diverse music community.