The Grammys Unveil Five New Categories, Including One To Honor Songwriters

The Recording Academy reported Thursday (June 9) a couple of brand-new Grammy categories: Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical; Best Option Music Performance; Best Americana Music Performance; Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games And Other Interactive Media; Best Spoken Word Poetry Album; and the unique merit award for Best Song for Social Change. All categories will go into effect in next year’s 2023 ceremony.


"We're so excited to honor these diverse communities music creators by way of the newly traditional awards and amendments, and to continue cultivating an environment that inspires change, progress and teamwork Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. Mentioned in an official statement. "The Academy's top priority is to effectively define the music people that we serve, and a year, that entails listening to our members and ensuring our guidelines and regulations mirror our ever-evolving industry."


The Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical award will be the initial time non-producing and non-performing songwriters who do a significant quantity of work will receive a prestigious, honorary award for their major work and impact in the music industry. Without these writers, we would not have several of your preference hits and bops — something songwriters have been reminding the Recording Academy about in recent years.


In 2022, a stipulation was removed from the Album of the Year category that required songwriters and collaborators to have contributed to at least 33 percent of a LP’s contents group in attempt to be included in the nomination. The removal allowed for more songwriters to have a chance at being honored with those awards, especially on releases with numerous co-writers. The addition of a Songwriter of the Year award in the pop realm furthers this recognition.


“My background is songwriter along with a creator, so it really made a lot of sense to me that we would honor somebody like the Songwriter of the Year similar to the way we do a producer, best engineered album, things like that,” Mason Jr. Mentioned to Rolling Stone. “What’s crucial is the songwriting community felt like it wanted to be heard, and the Academy agreed wholeheartedly and is excited about this award.”


According to the Grammys website, the Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical award honors “the most prolific non-performing and non-producing songwriters,” in a task to spotlight those whose work often happens beyond the scenes. Best Option Music Efficiency and Best Americana Efficiency were created to give shine to tracks and singles in those respective genres. Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media celebrates the original scores in gaming, and Best Spoken Word Poetry Album highlights artists and their work either on its own or set to music.


Notably, the Recording Academy has also introduced a “special merit award” for Best Song for Social Change. The award “will be decided by a Blue Ribbon Committee and ratified by the Recording Academy Board of Trustees. Submissions must contain lyrical content that addresses a timely social supply and promotes understanding, peacebuilding and empathy.”


Find more about all of the new changes right here.