What's new at the 2026 Grammys? Key dates, fresh categories, and more explored

The official date for the 2026 Grammys has been announced, along with two new categories and a few updates on rules. The 2026 Grammys will be held on Sunday, February 1, 2026. The location for the music award ceremony will be the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.

As mentioned, the 2026 Grammys will include two new categories. These are:

• Best Traditional Country Album
• Best Album Cover

Other changes implemented for the upcoming Grammys include updates on how certain nominations will work. These changes are being brought about because of Academy member-submitted proposals, as well as the Recording Academy's decision to grow alongside the dynamic music industry. Keep reading to learn more about the updated rules and new categories.

Fresh new categories and updated rules for the 2026 Grammys

These are some of the new updates to the rules for the 2026 Grammys:

A change has been made to the eligibility for Best New Artist. If an artist is nominated for Album of the Year, they are now eligible to be nominated for the Best New Artist award as well. However, this will be considered only if their contribution to the Grammy-nominated album is less than 20%.

The introduction of a new category, Best Traditional Country Album, has resulted in a name change of a previous category. The Best Country Album Category is renamed as Best Contemporary Country Album for the 2026 Grammys.

Under the Classical Field, individuals who are composers and lyricists/librettists are also eligible to win a Grammy, along with other creatives such as artists, producers, and engineers on winning albums.

Under the Packaging Field, two categories have been clubbed together. The Best Recording Package and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package Categories will now be called the Best Recording Package category.

Under the same field, a new category called Best Album Cover has been added too.

To be considered for the Grammys in 2026, only music that is released between August 31, 2024, to August 31, 2025, will be eligible. The entry or registration period starts from July 16 to August 29, 2025.

The first round of voting will begin from October 3 to October 15, and the nominees will be announced on November 7. Finally, the final voting round for the Grammys will begin from December 12, 2025, to January 5, 2026.

Recording Academy CEO speaks about the 2026 Grammys updates

Harvey Mason jr., who is the Recording Academy CEO, stated during an exclusive interview with Grammys.com:

"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."

He elaborated on how the Grammys work on improving their set of rules and guidelines every year. The Recording Academy CEO continued:

"Each year during our Awards & Nominations review, our focus is on refining our rules, uncovering anything that is no longer working, and ensuring we are celebrating our creative community in the most meaningful way... I'm thrilled that many of this year's changes … allow us to honor even more creators. That's always a positive outcome for me."

He concluded:

"But even more importantly, these are much-needed updates that ensure those who are making significant contributions to the musical process are properly recognized and have the opportunity to be celebrated on Music's Biggest Night."

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The 2026 Grammys will take place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 1, 2026. The Recording Academy has introduced two new categories for the upcoming ceremony and made changes to a few of their previous rules.

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