According to pitchfork.com, the Recording Academy has updated their rulebook for the 2026 Grammy Awards. Key changes include the division of the Best Country Album category into two awards: The original category is now called Best Contemporary Country Album and a new one, Best Traditional Country Album, has been added.

A shakeup in the packaging field has led to the creation of the new category, Best Album Cover, as well as the merging of the Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package category, which Jeff Mangum was a surprise 2024 nominee, with Best Recording Package. Albums sold directly to fans will also qualify for packaging Grammys from now on.

Also, Best New Artist eligibility has expanded and in the past contributors to records nominated for Album of the Year would be ineligible for Best New Artist in the future. That remains the case, with some exceptions because in 2023, the Recording Academy tightened its Album of the Year eligibility criteria to exclude contributors who feature on less than 20 percent of the album. If your prior Album of the Year nomination would not have been eligible under the new, tighter parameters are eligible for Best New Artist.