Recording Academy reveals 2026 Grammy Awards will add Traditional Country Album category, implement new Best New Artist criteria, and more changes.

Five months ahead of nominations for the 2026 Grammys, the Recording Academy has retuned the rulebook. While some of the shifts come down to little more than tweaks to the minutiae regulating existing categories and nomination rules (librettists and composers are now eligible in Classical categories!

The Recording Academy’s decision to add a new music category called "best traditional country album" has sparked criticism online, with some speculating it’s in response to Beyoncé’s best country album win at the 2025 Grammy Awards.