The Grammy Awards are introducing a standalone category honoring best album cover for the first time in more than 50 years, highlighting the creative power of visual storytelling in the digital music era.
The revived award recognizes the artists and creative teams behind album artwork, separating cover design from the broader best recording package category, which evaluates all physical materials. Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said the change reflects the growing cultural impact of cover art and the academy’s aim to acknowledge more of the creators who shape music today.
Among the first nominees are album covers by Wet Leg, Bad Bunny, Tyler, the Creator, Perfume Genius and Djo. The prize goes primarily to art directors, with recording artists included as nominees in most cases.
British indie band Wet Leg earned a nomination for the cover of its sophomore album Moisturizer, art-directed by lead singer Rhian Teasdale alongside Iris Luz and Lava La Rue. Teasdale described the image as deliberately balancing the “girly and feminine” with the unsettling, reflecting the album’s tension between love, longing and raw, feral moments.
Other nominated works include Tyler, the Creator’s Chromakopia, featuring a stark monochrome portrait with the artist’s face partially concealed; Perfume Genius’ Glory, which visually explores the contrast between private introspection and public performance; and Djo’s The Crux, a meticulously staged, cinematic scene set in a fictional hotel inspired by classic Hollywood imagery. Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos, art-directed by the artist himself, uses a minimalist, nostalgic composition evoking Puerto Rico and diasporic memory.
Industry creatives say the renewed focus elevates the role of album covers in defining a record’s identity. Photographer Neil Krug, nominated for The Crux, said a successful cover becomes part of the “language” of a great album.
According to Grammy rules, albums do not need to exist physically to be eligible, a key distinction from the recording package category. Still, all nominees this year are available on vinyl or CD, underscoring the continued resonance of physical formats.
Voters assess creativity, design and visual execution, with trophies awarded to art directors and certificates to designers, illustrators or photographers. Despite minor nominee list adjustments ahead of voting, the new category signals a broader recognition of album cover art as an essential and enduring element of music culture.
