Starting next year, the Recording Academy will introduce five new categories to the Grammys including an award for Songwriter of the Year.
As announced on the official Grammys website, the 2023 edition of the annual awards show will see the introduction of multiple categories including Songwriter of the Year (Non-Classical), Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media, Best Alternative Performance, Best Spoken Word Poetry Album, and Best American Performance. The Academy is additionally set to introduce a Special Merit Award for Best Song for Social Change, which will honor music that addresses timely social issues.
"We're so excited to honor these diverse communities of music creators through the newly established awards and amendments, and to continue cultivating an environment that inspires change, progress and collaboration," Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said. "The Academy's top priority is to effectively represent the music people that we serve, and each year, that entails listening to our members and ensuring our rules and guidelines reflect our ever-evolving industry."
While most of the new awards will honor specific songs, performances, and albums, the Songwriter of the Year award will recognize the work of prolific songwriters in the industry. That means non-performing and non-producing songwriters will be able to submit their full body of work released within the eligibility year. The new awards bring the total number of categories to 91.
To coincide with the announcement of the new categories, the Recording Academy also tweaked album eligibility rules. Previously, albums were required to contain 50 percent or more newly recorded or previously unreleased recordings to be eligible for nomination, but that number will now rise to 75 percent. The 65th annual Grammy Awards ceremony is currently scheduled for Jan. 31, 2023.
The Grammys introduced two new awards categories last year, with Best Global Music Performance and Best Música Urbana Album.
