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You may or may not have listened to the most iconic albums in history, but you’ve surely seen their cover art. Think The Beatles’ Abbey Road, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, Rumors by Fleetwood Mac, Green Day’s American Idiot, or Brat by Charlie XCX. After all, on top of encapsulating the album’s spirit and giving it a visual identity, they are works of art in their own right. To honor the work surrounding brilliant album covers, the Grammy Awards have created a Best Album Cover category, with the inaugural trophy being handed out at the 2026 ceremony.
Rather than going to the performer, the Grammy award for Best Album Cover goes to the art directors behind the cover art. However, four out of the five nominees for this year’s award are (or include) the artists themselves.
The nominees for the first ever Grammy for Best Album Cover are Debí Tirar Más Fotos by Bad Bunny, for which the Puerto Rican singer also served as art director; Chromakopia by Tyler, the Creator, with creative direction by the rapper himself; The Crux by DJO, with art direction by singer Joe Kerry in collaboration with producer Jake Hirshland, photographer Neil Krug, creative producer Taylor Vandergift, and production designer William Wesley II; Moisturizer by Wet Leg, whose cover was created by singer Rhian Teasdale alongside photographer Iris Luz and visual artist Lava La Rue; and Glory by Perfume Genius, with art direction by visual artist Cody Critcheloe and creative director Andrew J.S.
“Cover art has always been an integral, visual part of experiencing an album,” says the Grammy Awards. “From photoshoots and creative direction to choices of typeface and color, album artwork adds an additional sensory experience to coincide with the music. And now, for the first time in its 68-year history, album covers are also part of the Grammys.”
The award is meant to complement the Best Recording Package Category, which considers all physical materials and images related to an album rather than just the cover art. “In today’s digital world, album covers are arguably more impactful than ever,” adds Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. “The Packaging Field has always thrived, but we expect this to be one of our most inclusive Categories to date.”
The 2026 Grammy Awards are taking place on Sunday, February 1, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. You can watch the ceremony live on CBS and Paramount+. To get live updates and learn more, you can follow the Grammys on Instagram.
Check out the nominees for the first ever Grammy award for Best Album Cover.
Bad Bunny, Debí Tirar Más Fotos
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DJO, The Crux
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Perfume Genius, Glory
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Tyler the Creator, Chromakopia
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Wet Leg, Moisturizer
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Sources: 2026 GRAMMYS: See The Full Nominations List; 2026 GRAMMYS Nominations: Best Album Cover Nominees; Four of the Five 2026 Grammy Nominees for Best Album Cover Are the Recording Artists Themselves
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