The Recording Academy has made changes to its Grammy Awards rules for 2026. The biggest update is creating a separate category just for the best album cover.
This comes right after singer Sabrina Carpenter shared what many believe is the cover for her new album, Man’s Best Friend.
The Academy combined the previous categories for best recording package and best boxed or special limited edition package into one called best recording package.
But the best album cover will now have its own award. The last winner in this area was the album Brat by Charli XCX, known for its unique cover art.
Sabrina Carpenter’s new album cover shows her in a dog-like pose while someone pulls her hair. Some fans feel the image is demeaning, while others say it is satirical.
If Carpenter releases Man’s Best Friend on August 29 as planned, it will be eligible for the new album cover Grammy.
Other changes include splitting the country album category into best traditional country album and best contemporary country album.
Also, the best new artist category now allows artists who appeared on other nominated albums to be considered, as long as they contribute less than 20% of the music.
The 2026 Grammy Awards will take place on February 1 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Nominations will be announced on November 7.
