68th Grammy Awards Update
• The Recording Academy® has revealed the key dates, deadlines and rule amendments leading up to the 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards®, scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, at Crypto .com Arena in Los Angeles, with nominations to be announced on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. Please make a note of it. Along with several rule changes, the Academy has added two new Grammy categories. Read on for details:
General Field (Big Four): Eligibility for Best New Artist has been expanded to include artists who have been previously nominated in Album Of The Year, but whose contributions fell below the current 20% playing time threshold. This update allows acts who were credited as featured artists on projects that were GRAMMY nominated for Album Of The Year in a previous awards cycle to be eligible for Best New Artist consideration.
Country: The existing Best Country Album Category has been renamed Best Contemporary Country Album, and a new Category, Best Traditional Country Album, has been added.
Classical: Composers and lyricists/librettists are now eligible for GRAMMY recognition alongside all other key creative personnel including artists, producers and engineers on winning albums.
Packaging: The existing Best Recording Package and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package Categories have been combined into one single Category: Best Recording Package. A new Category, Best Album Cover, has also been added.
Key dates for the 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards season — Aug. 31, 2024-Aug. 30, 2025: Product Eligibility Period • July 7-Aug. 22, 2025: Media Company Registration Period • July 16-Aug. 29, 2025: Online Entry Period • Oct. 3-Oct. 15, 2025: First Round Voting • Nov. 7, 2025: Nominees Announced • Dec. 12, 2025-Jan. 5, 2026: Final Round Voting • Feb. 1, 2026: 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards, broadcasting live on CBS and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+. Questions? Answers HERE.
