Nominations will be announced on Sept. 16, and streamed across all social channels
MIAMI (MARCH 25, 2026) – The Latin Recording Academy® announced several category and eligibility changes for the 27th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards®, taking place on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with nominations set to be announced on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026.
These changes to the Awards Process, from the music creators and professionals that make up its membership body, are part of The Latin Academy’s commitment to evolve with the ever-changing musical landscape, and to best serve its approximately 7,000 members from 62 countries around the world. All updates go into effect immediately for the upcoming 27th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards.
“As our Academy continues to evolve, our focus remains firmly on our membership and the integrity of our Awards Process,” said Manuel Abud, CEO of The Latin Recording Academy. “These updates are driven by our members, whose participation each year ensures the Latin GRAMMY Awards continue to stand as a benchmark for excellence in Latin music.”
CATEGORY CHANGE
- Best Portuguese Language Urban Performance category will evolve to an album category as Best Portuguese Language Urban Album (Portuguese Language Field).
CATEGORY NAME CHANGES
Best Latin Electronic Music Performance category will evolve to Best Electronic Music Performance (Electronic Field)
Best Urban/Urban Fusion Performance category will evolve to Best Urban Performance (Urban Field)
Best Classical Contemporary Composition category will evolve to Best Classical Composition (Classical Field)
AMENDMENTS TO ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SEVERAL CATEGORIES
Eligibility requirements for Producer of the Year category:
A minimum of five (5) total producer credits, achieved through any combination of album credits, single/track credits or co-production percentage credits. Alternatively, a producer credit on 100% of at least five (5) singles or tracks.
Co-production rule: credits are divided evenly among all producers. Example: four (4) producers = 0.25 credits each per track.
Eligibility requirements for Best New Artist category:
- An artist is not eligible for consideration if they have released more than three (3) albums, or 25 singles, or a combination of albums and singles that surpasses these limits. Singles that are subsequently included as tracks on an album shall not be counted towards the single total.
Eligibility requirements for Best Instrumental Album category:
- Vocals can be used in up to 40% of the total playing time, while requiring that at least 60% of the work remain instrumental. If vocals are present, 60% of the vocal content must be performed in one of The Latin Academy’s accepted languages.
Eligibility requirements for Singer-Songwriter categories:
A singer-songwriter may compose and perform some songs with a colleague, provided the required participation percentages are met.
For a singer-songwriter album to be eligible, the artist(s) must both write and perform together on at least 75% of the album.
In cases where two singer-songwriters collaborate, eligibility applies only when both artists jointly write and perform the same material; artists who perform together but do not write together are not eligible. “Live” albums may be eligible if they contain at least 51% new material.
The statuette is presented only to eligible singer-songwriter artists, with eligibility strictly requiring both songwriting and performance contributions, ensuring consistent interpretation.
Eligibility requirements for Best Contemporary Tropical Album category:
- Category now includes and accepts recordings influenced by or belonging to Kompa Haitiano.
Eligibility Requirements for Best Music for Visual Media category:
- Category now requires eligible submissions to include supporting video materials.
USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
The Latin GRAMMY Awards® recognize creative excellence. Only human creators are eligible to be submitted for consideration for, nominated for, or win a Latin GRAMMY®. A work that contains no human authorship is not eligible in any category. A work that features elements of A.I. material (i.e. material generated by the use of artificial intelligence technology) is eligible in applicable categories, however: (1) the human authorship component of the work submitted must be meaningful and more than de minimis; (2) such human authorship component must be relevant to the category in which such work is entered (e.g. if the work is submitted in a songwriting category, there must be meaningful and more than de minimis human authorship in respect of the music and/or lyrics; if the work is submitted in a performance category, there must be meaningful and more than de minimis human authorship in respect of the performance); and (3) the author(s) of any A.I. material incorporated into the work are not eligible to be nominees or Latin GRAMMY recipients insofar as their contribution to the portion of the work that consists of such A.I material is concerned. De minimis is defined as lacking significance or importance; so minor as to merit disregard.
LABEL COPY CREDITS AND UPDATED FEES
All requests for label copy credit corrections must include the following:
A formal statement detailing what information was inaccurately submitted or omitted.
Updated (final) label copy.
Call sheets or studio logs confirming that the additional individual(s) worked on the recording and specifying their roles.
Confirmation that credits have been updated across all applicable DSPs.
All requests must be submitted in writing by the person who made the entry.
Changes or corrections to credits will be accepted from the time of submission until the announcement of nominations. If a nominated recording or video requires a credit correction after nominations are announced, a fee will be implemented. New fees and payment requirements are as follows: Record labels: USD $5,000 per label copy and Latin Recording Academy members: USD $1,000 per label copy.
ENTRY PROCESS UPDATED FEE
Early bird entry pricing model for record labels will now be replaced with a single,
set entry fee of USD $2,000 that applies regardless of submission date within the eligibility period.
For complete category descriptions and eligibility requirements, please refer to the new Rules & Guidelines document. And to view this year’s Awards calendar, visit https://www.latingrammy.com/en/awards/calendar.
Key dates for this year’s Awards Process include:
June 1, 2025 - May 31, 2026: Product Eligibility Period
April 1 - May 31, 2026: Online Entry Process (OEP)
July 27 - Aug. 10, 2026: First Round of Voting
Sept. 16, 2026: Nominees announced for the 27th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards
Oct. 1 - 12, 2026: Final Round of Voting
Nov. 12, 2026: 27th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards airing live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Univision. Additional broadcasting partners will be announced in the Fall.
For the latest news, visit the official Latin Recording Academy site at LatinGRAMMY.com. Follow us on Facebook (LatinGRAMMYs), X (@LatinGRAMMYs) or Instagram (@LatinGRAMMYs), and join the conversation using our official hashtag #LatinGRAMMY on all popular social media platforms.
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ABOUT THE LATIN RECORDING ACADEMY:
The Latin Recording Academy® is an international nonprofit dedicated to nurturing, celebrating, honoring and elevating Latin music and its creators. Established as the global authority on Latin music, the membership-based organization composed of music professionals produces the annual Latin GRAMMY Awards®, The Biggest Night in Latin Music®, which honors excellence in the recording arts and sciences, in addition to providing educational and outreach programs for the music community through its Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation®. For more information, please visit LatinGRAMMY.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
The Latin Recording Academy
Iveliesse Malavé
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