The race for the 2026 Grammy Awards is heating up as over 1,000 songs are competing for only eight nomination spots in the Song of the Year category.
Billboard reports that the category received 1,015 entries this year, making it the most competitive category in the entire awards. In contrast, Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media had only 48 submissions, the lowest number recorded.
Voting for the 68th Grammys opened on Friday, October 3. Members of the Recording Academy have until October 15 to make their choices.
Nominations will be announced on November 7, while the main ceremony will take place on February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Several categories recorded an increase in entries compared to last year. Record of the Year climbed to 894, Song of the Year rose from 978 to 1,015, Best New Artist grew to 337, and Songwriter of the Year (Non Classical) increased to 63.
Album of the Year and Producer of the Year (Non Classical) both saw a decline. Album of the Year dropped from 707 to 686 entries, while Producer of the Year fell from 200 to 161.
Two new categories have also been introduced this year. They are Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover. Interestingly, the traditional country category attracted 68 entries, which is more than the contemporary country category with 62 entries.
Although no category fell below the 40 entry minimum required to sustain five nominees, the soundtrack category is close to that threshold.
Five specialised categories, including Best Album Cover, Best Recording Package, Best Album Notes, Best Historical Album and Best Immersive Audio Album, will be decided by committees rather than voters.
Final round voting will take place from December 12 to January 5. The winners will be announced live on the awards night.
