The 2026 Grammy nominations for Best Traditional and Contemporary Country Albums highlight a mix of established and emerging artists, with notable nominations for Charley Crockett, Margo Price, Lukas Nelson, and Zach Top in traditional categories, and Tyler Childers, Miranda Lambert, and Jelly Roll in contemporary categories, reflecting a positive split that benefits both traditional and modern country music fans.
The Grammy Awards are introducing a traditional country category alongside the contemporary one, aiming to recognize the genre's diverse styles and address longstanding tensions within the country music community, including issues of authenticity and representation.
The Grammys have introduced a new Traditional Country category following proposals from the country music community, aiming to better recognize the genre's diversity and traditional sounds, as explained by Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.
The Grammy Awards are adding a new category for best traditional country album in 2026, alongside renaming the existing best country album to best contemporary country album, to better reflect the diversity within the country music genre and provide more specific recognition for traditional and sub-genre artists.
