Grammys Revive Album Cover Category After 50 Years To Celebrate Visual Art

Album covers are finally getting their own moment at the Grammys — and not as a side note. From eerie portraits to nostalgic minimalism, the visuals that shape how we experience music are now being celebrated

with a dedicated award, marking the first time in more than five decades that album artwork is being recognised in its own category.

When Wet Leg began shaping the visual identity of their second album, Moisturizer, the process was anything but conventional. The British indie band gathered an assortment of strange and playful props — including velvet worms stitched by guitarist Hester Chambers, a giant head of hair from a past video shoot, and reptile-like gloves — before heading to an Airbnb to experiment.

Lead singer Rhian Teasdale, who art-directed the cover alongside Iris Luz and Lava La Rue, explained the idea behind the image. “I wanted it to be something that was both super girly and feminine, but then at the same time, just totally repulsive,” she said. “That juxtaposition, I don’t know, it just creates something that’s evocative.”

That photograph went on to earn Teasdale, Luz and La Rue a Grammy nomination for best album cover — a newly revived category that will be presented at the 2026 awards, more than 50 years after it was last given independently.

Joining Moisturizer in the category are Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos, Tyler, the Creator’s Chromakopia, Perfume Genius’ Glory, and Djo’s The Crux. The award is presented to the album’s art directors, with recording artists included among the nominees in all cases except Glory.

Previously, album visuals were judged under the best recording package category, which evaluates all physical components tied to a release. That category awarded Charli XCX, Brent David Freaney and Imogene Strauss last year for Brat, whose bold green aesthetic became a pop culture fixture.

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. told Grammy.com that separating album covers into their own category reflects how visuals function today. The move is intended to acknowledge the influence of cover art in the digital era and support the Academy’s aim of recognising more contributors behind music.

For creative teams, the revival feels long overdue. Photographer Neil Krug, nominated for The Crux, said strong cover art becomes inseparable from the music itself. “When a cover in a campaign hits right,” he said, “it’s part of the language and the fabric of what makes a great record a great record.”

Tyler, the Creator’s Chromakopia features a stark, monochrome close-up with his face hidden behind a mask. Director of photography Luis “Panch” Perez said the final image was captured at the very end of the shoot, with Tyler’s eyes making the lasting impression. The shoot drew from surrealist imagery and old Hollywood references, built on years of collaboration. “Tyler knows exactly how to move his body, he’s so well in control of that. I just have to be ready for whatever he’s going to do in front of the lens,” Perez said.

For Glory, Perfume Genius collaborated with art directors Cody Critcheloe and Andrew J.S. The cover places the artist inside a dim, intimate interior, stretched across a patchwork carpet, with stiletto boots pointed toward a sunlit window. Cords snake across the floor, echoing microphone cables. The artist said the image reflects a tension explored while making the album — between a quiet, inward life and the confidence demanded onstage. “How do I have each of those things season my life?”

Critcheloe, who photographed the cover, said the aim wasn’t to freeze a moment or stage a scene. “It was mostly about an energy,” he said. He added, “People have said to both of us that they can’t figure out what the aesthetic of the album cover is. That’s the best thing to hear.”

That sense of friction also defines Moisturizer. Teasdale appears crouched and creature-like, staring into the camera with an unsettling grin. “The album explores themes of love and longing. But also, there are a couple moments on the album that are so, you know, just feral,” she said.

Djo’s The Crux was staged on a Paramount Studios backlot designed to resemble Brooklyn, imagined as a fictional hotel. Krug, Djo — the musical project of actor Joe Keery — and collaborator Jake Hirshland drew inspiration from densely layered scenes such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. After considering real locations in New York and Atlanta, they settled on the backlot.

The scene was built piece by piece. “Anything that we could come up with, we were just like throwing it at the canvas,” Krug said. The cover includes vignettes of everyday drama — a couple kissing, a man arguing over a parking ticket — while Djo is shown from behind, suspended from a window in a white suit.

Art director William Wesley II oversaw production elements, including the neon hotel sign that bears the album’s name. “Everything is intentional,” he said. “It’s really a sum of its parts and it’s the sum of many people’s contributions.”

Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos, which translates to I should have taken more photos, takes a stripped-down approach. The cover shows just two white plastic chairs and plantain trees, photographed by Puerto Rican photographer Eric Rojas. The trees reference Puerto Rico while also evoking the wider Caribbean and Latin America. The image carries a quiet nostalgia, echoing themes of memory, migration and storytelling that run through the album. Both Debí Tirar Más Fotos and Chromakopia are also nominated for album of the year.

According to official Grammy rules, albums do not need a physical release to qualify for the category — a key distinction from the recording package award. Despite that, all of this year’s nominees are available on vinyl or CD.

Krug said physical formats remain central to creative discussions. “When you have the physical vinyls in your home or your apartment, that stuff lives with you. It’s out in your space, whether you’re having a good day or a bad day, you’re getting married or breaking up with whomever,” he said. “There’s this rediscovery of the art form.”

Voters will assess creativity and design, along with photography, illustration and graphic elements. Trophies will go to the art directors, while certificates will be issued to designers, illustrators or photographers where applicable.

As with many new Grammy categories, the nominee list underwent changes ahead of voting. For The Crux, Djo, Krug, Hirshland and Taylor Vandergrift were added alongside Wesley. For Chromakopia, Perez and photographer Shaun Llewellyn were removed, leaving Tyler as the sole credited nominee. Luz and La Rue were added for Moisturizer, while several others — including Wet Leg band members — were removed.

Critcheloe said the nomination came as a surprise. “I was super surprised and really excited because I wasn’t aware that it was a category,” he said. “I love the idea of making things that are strange and subversive and irreverent, and having an audience that is bigger than it’s supposed to be.”

The 68th Grammy Awards will take place on February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The ceremony will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+.

(With inputs from AP)