Album Covers Are Officially Grammys-Eligible

The 68th Annual Grammy Awards race just got a little more interesting. On June 12, the Recording Academy announced a series of category updates, including an exciting change to an oft-forgotten field.

Starting next year, the Academy will be extending its Packaging Field to feature a brand-new category: Best Album Cover, which joins Best Recording Package — a combination of Best Recording Package and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package — as new classifications. No further details are known at this time, but we hope to see faves like Addison Rae, Haim, and Sabrina Carpenter snag nominations.

Other changes include a major shake-up in one of the four major categories: Best New Artist. With the update, artists who have been previously nominated for Album Of The Year will now be eligible again, but only if their contributions fall below the “current 20% playing time threshold.” According to the Academy, this update will benefit acts who were credited as featured artists on Album Of The Year-nominated projects.

And in a timely revamp, Best Country Album has been renamed Best Contemporary Country Album, with the addition of a Best Traditional Country Album trophy.

The 68th Annual Grammy Award nominations will be announced Nov. 5.