Why the album cover Grammy is making a comeback after more than 50 years

Sometimes an medium screen could beryllium worthy a 1000 words. And the Grammys yet agree.

The 2026 ceremonial volition beryllium the archetypal clip successful 53 years that the grant for champion medium screen volition beryllium presented. Previously, the grant for a signaling bundle included the album’s visuals and carnal materials. Last year, Charli XCX earned the accolade for the virality of “brat” and its chiseled mucus-y green.

However, this year, the categories for boxed/special limited-edition packages volition beryllium combined into a azygous signaling bundle category, with medium covers receiving their ain trophy.

This class isn’t precisely new. At the archetypal Grammys successful 1959, Frank Sinatra’s “Only the Lonely” received the grant for medium cover. It was presented each twelvemonth until 1973, erstwhile the Siegel-Schwall Band won for its self-titled album. After that, the class was renamed medium bundle and past changed again successful 1994 to signaling package.

The nominated albums for creation screen see Tyler the Creator’s “Chromakopia,” Djo’s “The Crux,” Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” Perfume Genius’ “Glory” and Wet Leg’s “Moisturizer.” From the nostalgic achromatic integrative chairs that grace Bad Bunny’s sixth workplace medium to Tyler the Creator’s masked longing regard connected his cover, an album’s artwork is often indispensable to the listening experience.

“When a screen successful a run hits right,” said nominated lensman Neil Krug to the Associated Press, “it’s portion of the connection and the cloth of what makes a large grounds a large record.”

Krug has a past of photographing covers for artists similar Lana Del Rey and Tame Impala. He’s nominated for shooting the screen of “The Crux, ” by Joe Keery (“Stranger Things”), who goes by the philharmonic moniker Djo. The representation includes a chaotic menagerie of an aged edifice and a crowded street, including everything from Djo himself hanging from a window, a kissing mates and a parking summons dispute.

“Anything that we could travel up with, we were conscionable similar throwing it astatine the canvas,” Krug told the Associated Press.

This divided of categories is meant to amended admit euphony successful the integer age. Grammy rules authorities that albums bash not request to beryllium physically to beryllium considered for this category, dissimilar successful the signaling bundle category. (Though this twelvemonth each medium nominated for the grant is disposable connected vinyl and CD).

“In today’s integer world, medium covers are arguably much impactful than ever. Chances are, there’s an iconic screen that’s instantly recognizable to you, adjacent if you ne'er owned the carnal album. Their taste value is undeniable,” said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., successful an interrogation with Grammy.com.

Recording Academy voters are tasked with judging the cover’s creativity and plan elements. Once the victor is determined, trophies volition spell to the album’s creation manager and the designers, photographers and illustrators volition person a certificate.

In summation to the medium screen category, the state medium class has besides been divided into 2 groups: accepted state and modern country. (Last year, Beyoncé won state medium for “Cowboy Carter.”) The caller creator class has besides been expanded to see performers who were featured connected erstwhile medium of the twelvemonth nominees, if they are featured connected little than 20% of the album.

The Grammys footwear disconnected connected Feb. 1 astatine Crypto.com Arena.