The Latin GRAMMY® Awards Process

THE PROCESS | THE CATEGORIES | THE MANUAL | SPECIAL AWARDS

Presented by the Latin Recording Academy, the LATIN GRAMMY is the recording industry’s most prestigious award. Latin GRAMMY Awards recognizes artistic and/or technical achievement, not sales figures or chart positions, and the winners are determined by the votes of their peers-the qualified voting members of THE ACADEMY. The chief aim of the LATIN GRAMMY Awards is to recognized excellence and create a greater public awareness of the cultural diversity and contributions of recording artists. The LATIN GRAMMY Awards are chosen through a four-stage process: entering, screening, nominating, and final voting.

ENTERING:
Academy members and record companies are invited to enter recordings released during the awards eligibility year (July 1, 2012– June 30, 2013) that they feel merit consideration of a Latin GRAMMY Award.

SCREENING:
Reviewing sessions by experts in various fields are held to ensure that entered recordings meet specific qualifications and are placed in appropriate fields such as Pop, Rock, Urban, Tropical, Jazz, Brazilian and Classical, among others. The purpose of screening is not to make artistic or technical judgments about the recordings, but rather to make sure that each entry is eligible and placed in its proper category.

NOMINATING:
Nominating occurs after the Academy’s voting members receive the first round of ballots, and entry lists for all categories. A blue ribbon committee of voting members then reviews final nominations. Members’ votes result in five nominations in each category, and these finalists are announced at the LARAS nominations press conference.

VOTING:
The voting process consists of two ballots. The first ballot is mailed to active voting members for the selections of nominees. The second ballot determines the LATIN GRAMMY WINNERS. An independent accounting firm tabulates ballots in both rounds. The final results are not known until the LATIN GRAMMY Awards telecast presentation ceremony, where the firm delivers the winners in sealed envelopes. This internationally televised event where Latin GRAMMY winners are revealed for the first time will feature performances by many nominees, as well as appearances by other top recording artists.