The Grammy Awards are embracing traditional country music with a new category in 2026. Begining next year, Traditional Country Album, will be part of the ballot. In addition, the existing Best Country Album Category will now be Best Contemporary Country Album.
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The only other new category in 2026 is Best Album Cover.
"The Academy's top priority is to represent the music people that we serve each year," says Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, per Grammy.com. "That entails listening carefully to our members to make sure our rules and guidelines reflect today's music and allow us to accurately recognize as many deserving creators as possible. As we kick off another exciting Grammy Season, we look forward to celebrating the amazing power of music and its ability to bring so many people together."
The 2026 Grammy Awards will take place on February 1 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. An announcement of the nominees will take place on November 7.
Why The Grammy Awards Added A New Category
A specific occasion isn't given as a reason for the new category. But it could be at least in part because of the backlash over Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter winning in 2025 for Best Country Album. Beyoncé beat several other artists with Grammy-worthy albums, including Lainey Wilson's Whirlwind record.
Country music fans might have been disappointed, but Wilson praises Beyoncé for her win.
"I got an opportunity to meet her at the Grammys," Wilson recalls. "I walked up to her like seven- foot-tall security guy and I'm like, 'Can I meet her?' We both share a deep appreciation for what each other does and I think that she's introduced a lot of people to the country genre that maybe ever even knew that they liked it, and country's on fire right now."
Refreshingly, Wilson also says it's truly an honor just to receive a nomination.
"At the end of the day, when I first started doing this and dreaming about doing this, I never in a million years was thinking, like, 'I'm doing this just for the awards. You know, just to have the shiny stuff up on the shelf,'" Wilson explains. "I'm doing this to play shows, and put butts in seats. And, make people feel something."
Wilson already has one Grammy. In 2024, Wilson won the Grammy for Best Country Album, for Bell Bottom Country.
