Photo Credit: alerkiv
The Recording Academy has added a new Country category and rule amendments for the 68th annual Grammy Awards.
The 2026 Grammys will feature a new category, Best Traditional Country Album, and the return of an old category, Best Album Cover. Additionally, two existing categories will be consolidated—Best Recording Package and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package—into a single category called Best Recording Package. Overall, there will be 95 total categories, the most since 2010.
The Recording Academy also announced key dates for the 68th annual Grammy Awards season, with the show date set for Sunday, February 1, 2026. The event will be broadcast live on CBS and will stream live and on demand on Paramount+. Notably, this will be the final Grammy telecast on CBS—home of the Grammys since 1973.
Beginning in 2027, the Grammys will be exclusively simulcast on ABC, Hulu, and Disney+. This is thanks to a new 10-year global deal announced in 2024 by Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. The Grammys aired on ABC in 1971 and 1972 in its first two years as a live telecast, before moving to CBS.
The existing Best Country Album category has been renamed Best Contemporary Country Album to make room for the new category, Best Traditional Country Album.
“Country music has evolved in a major way over the past decade, with traditional country experiencing a massive resurgence, growing in popularity and volume,” said Harvey Mason Jr. “Traditional country has a timeless, distinct sound that’s inspired generations of musicians throughout the years. It’s an important part of the country music story and deserves to be celebrated and recognized with intention.”
The rules for Best Traditional Country Album cover country recordings that “adhere to the more traditional sound structures of the country genre, including rhythm and singing style, lyrical content, as well as traditional country instrumentation such as acoustic guitar, steel guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, piano, electric guitar, and live drums. It also includes sub-genres such as Western, Western Swing, and Outlaw Country.”
Meanwhile, the rules for the newly renamed Best Contemporary Country Album cover contemporary country music recordings which “utilize a stylistic intention, song structure, lyrical content, and/or musical presentation to create a sensibility that reflects the broad spectrum of contemporary country style and culture.” The goal is to recognize country music that “remains reminiscent and relevant to the legacy of country music’s culture, while also engaging in more contemporary music forms.”
Additionally, the Recording Academy has made changes to provide more recognition for composers and lyricists 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.
The physical product eligibility requirement for Best Recording Package, Best Album Notes, and Best Historical Album has been expanded to better represent “today’s marketplace.” The change ensures that physical album packages sold directly to fans through an artist’s or label’s website are eligible for Grammy consideration.
Other changes announced include updated language around Best Progressive R&B Album, Best Dance Pop Recording, Best American Roots Performance/Song, and Best Regional Roots Music Album. Eligibility requirements for Best New Artist and Best Musical Theater Album have also been expanded.
The 68th Grammy Awards telecast kicks off on Sunday, February 1, 2026. Product eligibility period runs from August 31, 2024 to August 30, 2025. The media company registration period will run from July 7 to August 22, while the online entry period will be from July 16 to August 29. First round voting takes place between October 3 and October 15, while the nominations announcement will be on Friday, November 7. Final round voting takes place from December 12, 2025, through January 5, 2026.
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