The Recording Academy has announced two new Grammy Award categories set to debut at the 2026 ceremony. The new awards for Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover are part of several updates designed to better represent the evolving music industry and honor a wider range of creators.
The introduction of Best Traditional Country Album specifically addresses the growing diversity within the country music scene. Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. explained that the change came from the music community itself. He stated that the community of people making country music in different subgenres submitted a proposal asking for more variety in how their music is honored. The goal is to create more space for different styles of country music to be celebrated.
What is the New Best Traditional Country Album Award?
This new category is designed to recognize albums that adhere to the traditional sound structures of country music. This includes specific rhythms, singing styles, lyrical content, and the use of classic instrumentation.
Eligible albums will feature instruments like acoustic guitar, steel guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, piano, electric guitar, and live drums. The category will also include sub-genres such as Western, Western Swing, and Outlaw country.
To accommodate this new award, the existing Best Country Album category has been renamed Best Contemporary Country Album. This separation helps bring the country music categories in line with other genres like R&B and pop, which already have distinct awards for traditional and contemporary styles.
The hope is that the new category benefits artists who fall outside of mainstream, commercial country music. It provides a dedicated space for musicians who focus on a more traditional sound.
Who Are the First Nominees?
The Recording Academy has revealed the five artists nominated for the first-ever Best Traditional Country Album award. The nominees are Charley Crockett for his album Dollar A Day, Lukas Nelson for American Romance, Margo Price for Hard Headed Woman, country legend Willie Nelson for Oh What A Beautiful World, and Zach Top for Ain’t In It For My Health.
In a notable family moment, Lukas Nelson is nominated alongside his father, Willie Nelson. This highlights how traditional country music continues to be passed down through generations. Meanwhile, breakout star Zach Top represents a bridge between classic sounds and the modern mainstream, having achieved a number one album with his neo-traditional style.
The Return of the Best Album Cover Award
The other new category, Best Album Cover, honors the creativity and cultural impact of album art. The award will recognize excellence in the design, illustration, photography, and graphic art of an album’s cover.
This is not the first time the Grammys have honored visual art. A Best Album Cover award existed in various forms from the first Grammy Awards in 1959 until 1973. Its reintroduction acknowledges that in today’s digital world, album covers remain hugely impactful. An iconic cover can be instantly recognizable, even if a listener never owned the physical album.
Harvey Mason jr. noted that members of the art director community and the Awards & Nominations committee felt this category was necessary to properly recognize this specific creative contribution.
Other Key Changes for the 2026 Grammys
Beyond the new categories, the Recording Academy has implemented other updates for the 2026 awards. The eligibility for the prestigious Best New Artist award has been expanded. Artists who were previously nominated as featured artists on an Album of the Year nominee, but whose contribution was below a 20 percent playing time threshold, are now eligible.
In the packaging field, the previous two categories for Best Recording Package and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package have been combined into a single Best Recording Package award. The physical product eligibility requirement has also been expanded. Now, physical albums sold directly to fans through an artist’s or label’s website are eligible for consideration, making the rules more representative of today’s music marketplace.
When to Watch the 2026 Grammys
Music’s Biggest Night, the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, will take place on Sunday, February 1, 2026. The ceremony will be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and broadcast live on CBS. The nominations for all categories, including the new ones, were announced on Friday, November 7, 2025.
The product eligibility period for recordings is from August 31, 2024, to August 30, 2025. The winners will be determined through final round voting from December 12, 2025, to January 5, 2026.
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