List of Grammy Award categories

The Grammy Awards are awarded in a series of categories, each of which isolate a specific contribution to the recording industry. The standard awards list nominees in each category from which a winner is selected. 28 Grammys were awarded in the first award ceremony, but the number of awards has grown and fluctuated over time as new categories are added and some older ones removed, at one time over 100 awards were given.[1]

Changes in recent years

2012

On 6 April 2011 the Recording Academy announced a major overhaul of many Grammy Award categories.[2] In 2012, the number of categories fell from 109 to 78. Some categories were discontinued, others were merged or renamed.

2013

On 8 June 2012, the Academy announced a few changes as of 2013, including the addition of three new categories: Best Classical Compendium, Best Latin Jazz Album and Best Urban Contemporary Album. This meant the number of categories in 2013 rose to 81.

According to the Academy, the Best Classical Compendium is "for an album collection containing (...) newly recorded material of performances (vocal or instrumental) by various soloist(s) and/or ensemble(s) involving a mixture of classical subgenres."[3] Albums entered in this category cannot be entered in other classical album categories, but individual tracks can.

The intent for the newly formed Best Latin Jazz Album is "to recognize recordings that represent the blending of jazz with Latin, Iberian-American, Brazilian, and Argentinean tango music."[2]

The new Best Urban Contemporary Album category is for albums with contemporary songs derivative of R&B. It is for artists who blend contemporary styles with R&B music, such as urban (euro)pop, urban rock and/or urban alternative.

Other changes for the 2013 Grammy Award season were:

2014

From 2014, there will be further changes. One is the introduction of a new category, Best American Roots Song, which will encompass all of the subgenres in the American Roots Music field such as Americana, bluegrass, blues, folk and regional roots music. The award will be presented to the songwriter(s). The Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance category, introduced in 2012, will be split and will recognise metal performances only. Hence it will be renamed Best Metal Performance (returning to the situation prior to 2012). Hard rock performances will now be screened in the Best Rock Performance category, thus losing its own genre award. The two Music Video categories will be renamed. The Best Short Form Music Video will become the Best Music Video category, while the Best Long Form Music Video will now be known as Best Music Film. The rules and description of these two categories will not change. Also new for 2014 is the Music Educator Award per the Grammy Website "...to recognize current educators (kindergarten through college, public and private schools) who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools..."[4]

2015

The Recording Academy introduced further changes beginning on the 2015 ceremony: particularly allowing samples or interpolations of previously written songs in all songwriting categories, most notably the Song of the Year category.[5] Additional changes include:

The introduction of the changed will push the total number of categories to 83.[5]

Special awards

There are special awards which are awarded without nominations, typically for achievements of longer than the past year, which the standard awards apply to:

General Field

The General Field (also known as the 'Big Four') are four standard awards for musical works which do not restrict nominees by genre or some other criterion:

Awards

2016 Grammy Awards

Pop
Dance/Electronic
Contemporary Instrumental
Rock
Alternative
R&B
Rap
Country
New Age
Jazz
Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music
Latin
American Roots
Reggae
World Music
Childrens
Spoken Word
Comedy
Musical Theatre
Music for Visual Media
Composing
Arranging
Packaging
Notes
Historical
Engineered Album
Producer
Remixer
Surround Sound
Classical
Music Video/Film

Previously awarded

Pop
Rock
R&B
Rap
Country
Jazz
Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music
Latin
American Roots Field
World Music
Spoken Word
Children's
Comedy
Musical Theater
Composing/Arranging
Crafts
Production/Engineering
Classical
Music Video/Film
Disco
Folk
Polka

References

  1. ↑ "Grammys history and winners through the years". Los Angeles Times. January 28, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Recording Academy Awards Category Restructuring
  3. ↑ "THE RECORDING ACADEMY®'S BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING RESULTS IN CONTINUED EVOLUTION OF GRAMMY® CATEGORIES". The GRAMMYs. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "A TOTAL OF 25 SEMIFINALISTS FROM ACROSS THE U.S. ANNOUNCED FOR FIRST-EVER MUSIC EDUCATOR AWARD PRESENTED BY THE RECORDING ACADEMY® AND THE GRAMMY FOUNDATION®". The GRAMMYs. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  5. 1 2 "The Recording Academy Announces GRAMMY Awards Process Changes". The Recording Academy. June 12, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  6. ↑ "The Grammy Awards Makes Changes to the Christian/Gospel Categories". Music Times. June 12, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014.


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