Grammy Nominees Are Named Nov. 16; Final Voting Closes Jan. 7 for the 69th Awards

The Grammy Awards are decided by the Recording Academy’s voting members in two rounds, and the process starts months before any nominee is named. For the 69th Grammy Awards, first-round voting runs Oct. 12 to 22, 2026, and nominees are announced Nov. 16. Final-round voting runs Dec. 10, 2026 to Jan. 7, 2027, and the ceremony is set for Feb. 7, 2027 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

A recording must fall inside a release window and be entered during the online entry period. Staff confirm eligibility, committees sort entries into categories, and only a defined group of members can vote. The sections below follow that order.

The Release Window Runs From Aug. 31, 2025 to Aug. 28, 2026

For the 69th Awards, recordings must be released between Aug. 31, 2025 and Aug. 28, 2026. The Recording Academy’s Grammy FAQ says a recording must be sold commercially through nationwide distribution, such as physical stores, third-party online retailers or qualifying streaming services, or offered as a digital release. Every entry needs an ISRC or UPC code.

The FAQ describes qualifying streaming services as paid, full-catalogue, on-demand platforms that had operated in the U.S. for at least one full year before the submission deadline. Digital releases need audio quality comparable to at least 16-bit, 44.1 kHz. Submissions also need the original audio file and label credits, such as producer, mixer and songwriter, in the metadata.

Album entries have a length requirement. An album needs at least five different tracks and a total playing time of 15 minutes, or a total playing time of at least 30 minutes with no minimum track requirement. The FAQ says recordings must be available to the public as standalone purchases or audio-only streams by Aug. 28, 2026. Opera and music video or film are exceptions.

Availability continues after the window closes. The Academy’s 2027 submission guide says releases must stay available to the public through at least the current year’s final ballot voting deadline.

Key Dates for the 69th Grammys
Nominees for the 69th Grammy Awards are announced Nov. 16, 2026, and final-round voting closes Jan. 7, 2027, according to the Recording Academy. The ceremony airs Feb. 7, 2027.

Entry Closes Aug. 21, and Staff Vet Each Submission

Online entry for the 69th Awards ran from July 7 to Aug. 21, 2026. The window opened at 9 a.m. PT and closed at 6 p.m. PT. The entry window closes one week before the eligibility period does, so releases dated Aug. 28 or earlier still had to be entered by Aug. 21. The guide says all eligible recordings must be entered by the close, regardless of public release date.

The guide says works not formally submitted cannot be considered for nominations or appear on a ballot. A recording that was never entered during the online window will not be included on a Grammy voting ballot.

Only Professional and Voting Members, plus registered media companies, may submit entries. Media companies had their own registration period, June 25 to Aug. 14, 2026, closing at 6 p.m. PT, and the guide says each registration review can take up to two to three days. A media company must be a legitimate business whose core function is creating, aggregating and promoting audio or video content for commercial purposes.

Awards staff manually vet each entry for eligibility. Submitters are encouraged to include an Artist Intent statement explaining the recording’s context, such as its genre or category. Staff and screening committees may consider that statement for eligibility and category placement.

Committees of More Than 150 Experts Sort Entries Into Categories

Once eligibility is confirmed, committees place each entry in the correct category. The FAQ says more than 150 experts across musical fields serve on them. Their role is placement only, and according to the FAQ they do not make artistic or technical judgments.

Craft categories follow a different path. In select Craft Categories, nominations are decided by specialized Craft Committees. Album Cover is one such category, and the FAQ lists Engineered Album among the others.

The FAQ says the Awards department confirms each entry’s eligibility before the committees begin sorting.

Who Can Vote and How Voting Membership Is Earned

Only Voting Members can vote in either round. The membership page describes that tier as performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, instrumentalists and other active recording creators. Registered media companies, Professional Members and Grammy U Members cannot vote. Voters must also be current, active members and agree to the vote solicitation guidelines before voting online.

Professional Membership covers full-time professionals who directly support music creators, such as music executives, creator representatives, industry writers, music educators and live performance professionals. It requires two recommendations and verifiable career documentation, and the Academy decides suitability at its sole discretion. Grammy U is a program for emerging professionals and creatives.

The membership page lists twelve commercially distributed, verifiable credits in a single creative profession, with at least five earned in the last five years. Applicants also need two recommendations from music industry peers, and all tracks must be commercially available in the U.S. through recognized online retailers, streaming services or physical stores. The membership FAQ sets March 1 of the year before the ceremony as the deadline for recommendations and a complete application.

A Vydia guide published Aug. 22, 2025 gives six credits as the threshold. The Academy’s membership page and FAQ give twelve.

Past nominees follow a different path. If a candidate was nominated for a Grammy in the past five years, the credit requirement is waived. Current-year nominees and winners need no recommendations. Candidates who do not meet the standard criteria can still be considered if their body of work has achieved unique distinction or special merit.

A recording that was never entered during the online window will not be included on a Grammy voting ballot.

The First Round Sets Nominees and the Final Round Picks Winners

The first round of voting runs Oct. 12 to 22, 2026. It determines nominees for most categories, and voters select the entries they believe should be nominated. Nominees are announced Nov. 16, 2026.

The final round runs Dec. 10, 2026 to Jan. 7, 2027. Voters select the entries they believe should win, and the round determines winners across all categories. The 2027 submission guide says only Voting Members may vote in either round.

The final ballot is made available to all current Voting Members, according to the vote solicitation guidelines, and ballots are tabulated confidentially by an independent accounting firm.

The ceremony is set for Feb. 7, 2027 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The guide says it airs on ABC, Disney+ and Hulu.

Promotion Rules Limit How Members Campaign for Entries

Members and their designated publicists may promote only their own recordings, according to the vote solicitation guidelines. Promotional communications must include an opt-out option, and there is no lobbying on behalf of other members.

The guidelines also bar phone contact to promote an eligible product, accepting money for votes and forming voting blocs.

The guidelines say the Grammy.com listing feature for entries runs only during the first round voting period and is not available in the final round.