Grammy Award for Best Album Cover
(Redirected from Best Album Cover)
| Grammy Award for Best Album Cover | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Chromakopia by Tyler, the Creator is the most recent recipient | |
| Awarded for | Quality album covers |
| Presented by | National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |
| First award | 1959 |
| Currently held by | Tyler, the Creator – Chromakopia (2026) |
| Most wins | Robert M. Jones (6) |
| Most nominations | Robert M. Jones (21) |
| Website | grammy |
The Grammy Award for Album Cover is an award presented by the Recording Academy to honor quality album covers in any given year. The award was presented for the first time at the 1st Annual Grammy Awards in 1959. It was retired in the 1970s, but returned in 2026. It is a complement to the Best Recording Package category, and sits in the Package, Notes & Historical field.[1]
The academy announced the new category in June 2025, stating that the award "recognizes excellence in cover art for albums or recordings of any genre of music released for the first time during the eligibility year. The elements judged in this category include the creativity, design, illustration, photography, and/or graphic art of the album cover." The eligibility criteria stipulates that the cover must be "predominantly new", and that reissued recordings with minor artwork changes are not eligible. Submissions for this category are also able to be submitted to the Best Recording Package category.[2]
The award goes to the art director(s) of the album.
Background
[edit]The category for Best Album Cover was given at the inaugural Grammy Awards in 1959 and was won by Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely. The category was split into Classical and Non-Classical divisions from 1962 to 1965, and then into Graphic Arts and Photography divisions from 1966 to 1968. It returned back to Best Album Cover in 1969 until 1973. From 1974 onwards, the category was known as Best Album Package (1974-1993) and then its current name Best Recording Package (1994-present).[3]
In 2026, the reestablishment of a Best Album Cover category was announced.[4] Regarding the need for a specific category honoring album covers, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. stated: "In today's digital world, album covers are arguably more impactful than ever. Chances are, there's an iconic cover that's instantly recognizable to you, even if you never owned the physical album. Their cultural significance is undeniable. That's one of the reasons members of the art director community and our Awards & Nominations members felt this Category was necessary. The Packaging Field has always thrived, but we expect this to be one of our most inclusive Categories to date."[5]
Winners and nominees
[edit]1950s
[edit]| Year[I] | Work | Art Director(s) | Performing artist(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 [6] | |||
| Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely | Frank Sinatra | Frank Sinatra | |
| Come Fly with Me | Marvin Schwartz | Frank Sinatra | |
| For Whom the Bell Tolls | Ray Rennahan | Ray Heindorf | |
| Ira Ironstrings Plays Music for People with $3.98 | David Rose | Ira Ironstrings | |
| Julie | Charles Ward | Julie London | |
1960s
[edit]| Year[I] | Work | Art Director(s) | Performing artist(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 [7] | ||||
| Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 | Robert M. Jones | Howard Mitchell | ||
| Anatomy of a Murder | Saul Bass | Duke Ellington | ||
| For LP Fans Only | Tom Parker | Elvis Presley | ||
| Porgy and Bess | Acy Lehman | Lena Horne and Harry Belafonte | ||
| The South Shall Rise Again | Acy Lehman and Robert L. Yorke | Phil Harris | ||
| 1961 [8] | ||||
| Latin ala Lee! | Marvin Schwartz | Peggy Lee | ||
| Bean Bags | Marvin Israel | Milt Jackson | ||
| Carlos Montoya | Robert M. Jones | Carlos Montoya | ||
| Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book | Sheldon Marks | Ella Fitzgerald | ||
| Now! Fred Astaire | Irving Werbin | Fred Astaire | ||
| Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky | Robert M. Jones | Fritz Reiner | ||
| Stravinsky: Petrouchka | Pierre Monteux | |||
| Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite Excerpts | Fritz Reiner | |||
| Wild Percussion and Horns A'Plenty | Dick Schory | |||
| 1962 [9] |
Best Album Cover — Other Than Classical | |||
| Judy at Carnegie Hall | Jim Silke | Judy Garland | ||
| Breakfast at Tiffany's | Robert M. Jones | Henry Mancini | ||
| Jackie's Bag | Reid Miles | Jackie McLean | ||
| New Orleans: The Living Legend | Ken Deardoff | Peter Bocage | ||
| A Touch of Elegance | Bob Cato | André Previn | ||
| Best Album Cover — Classical | ||||
| Puccini: Madame Butterfly | Marvin Schwartz | Gabriele Santini | ||
| Albéniz: Iberia/Ravel: Rapsodie Espagnole | Robert M. Jones | Jean Paul Morel | ||
| Beethoven: 9 Symphonies | Marvin Schwartz | Otto Klemperer | ||
| Golden Age of English Lute Music | Meyer Miller | Julian Bream | ||
| Gould Ballet Music: Fall River Legend, Interplay, Latin American Symphonette | Reid Miles | Morton Gould | ||
| 1963 [10] |
Best Album Cover — Other Than Classical | |||
| Lena...Lovely and Alive | Robert M. Jones | Lena Horne | ||
| The Comedy | Loring Eutemey | Modern Jazz Quartet | ||
| The First Family | Bill Longcore | Vaughn Meader and Other Artists | ||
| The Great Years | Jim Silke | Frank Sinatra | ||
| Jazz Samba | John Murello | Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd | ||
| Lonely Woman | Loring Eutemey | Modern Jazz Quartet | ||
| My Son, the Folk Singer | Ken Kim | Allan Sherman | ||
| Potpourri Par Piaf | Ed Thrasher | Édith Piaf | ||
| Best Album Cover — Classical | ||||
| The Intimate Bach | Marvin Schwartz | Laurindo Almeida, Virginia Majewski and Vincent DeRosa | ||
| Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin/Shostakovich: The Age of Gold | Jim Silke | Robert Irving | ||
| Beethoven: Fidelio | Marvin Schwartz | Otto Klemperer | ||
| Fauré: Requiem | Roger Wagner | |||
| Otto Klemperer Conducts (Weill: Three Penny Opera Suite and Others) | Otto Klemperer | |||
| Wagner: Prelude and Love Death/R. Strauss: Death and Transfiguration | Erich Leinsdorf | |||
| 1964 [11] |
Best Album Cover — Other Than Classical | |||
| The Barbra Streisand Album | John Berg | Barbra Streisand | ||
| Aloha from Norman Luboff | Robert M. Jones | The Norman Luboff Choir | ||
| Bach's Greatest Hits | Jim Ladwig | The Swingle Singers | ||
| Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks at the Cannes Film Festival | Edward L. Thrasher | Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks | ||
| Hollywood My Way | Jim Silke | Nancy Wilson | ||
| Honey in the Horn | Robert M. Jones | Al Hirt | ||
| Night Train | John Murello | Oscar Peterson | ||
| Best Album Cover — Classical | ||||
| Puccini: Madama Butterfly | Robert M. Jones | Erich Leinsdorf | ||
| Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67 | John Berg | Leonard Bernstein | ||
| Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 ("Pastorale") | Robert M. Jones | Fritz Reiner | ||
| Evening of Elizabethian Music | Dorle Soria | Julian Bream Consort | ||
| Granada (Albéniz: Granada/Granados: Spanish Dance in E Minor/Ponce, Tansman, Aguado: Eight Lessons for Guitar/Sor: Four Studies) | Vladmir Bobri | Andres Segovia | ||
| Puccini: Tosca | Dorle Soria | Herbert von Karajan | ||
| Strauss: Don Quixote | Bob Cato | Eugene Ormandy | ||
| 1965 [12] |
Best Album Cover — Other Than Classical | |||
| People | Bob Cato and Don Bronstein | Barbra Streisand | ||
| Getz/Gilberto | Acy Lehman | Stan Getz and João Gilberto | ||
| Guitar from Ipanema | George Osak and George Jerman | Laurindo Almeida | ||
| Oscar Peterson Plays My Fair Lady | Acy Lehman | Oscar Peterson | ||
| Poitier Meets Plato | Ed Thrasher | Sidney Poitier | ||
| The Sound of Harlem: Jazz Odyssey, Vol. 3 | Bob Cato and Milton Glaser | Various Artists | ||
| Best Album Cover — Classical | ||||
| Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals/Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra | Robert M. Jones | Arthur Fiedler | ||
| Court and Ceremonial Music of the 16th Century | William S. Harvey | Roger Blanchard Ensemble with the Poulteau Consort | ||
| Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C Sharp Minor | Robert M. Jones and David Hect | Erich Leinsdorf | ||
| Mexico (Legacy Collection) | Bob Cato | Carlos Chávez | ||
| Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathurstra | John Berg | Eugene Ormandy | ||
| Verdi: Requiem Mass | Marvin Schwartz | Carlo Maria Giulini | ||
| 1966 [13] |
Best Album Cover — Graphic Arts | |||
| Bartók: Concerto No. 2 for Violin/Stravinsky: Concerto for Violin | George Estes | Erich Leinsdorf and Joseph Silverstein | ||
| Concert in the Virgin Islands | Ed Thrasher | Duke Ellington | ||
| Gould: Spirituals for Orchestra/Copland: Dance Symphony | Georges Estes | Morton Gould | ||
| Horowitz at Carnegie Hall — An Historic Return | John Berg | Vladimir Horowitz | ||
| Solo Monk | Jerry Smokler | Thelonious Monk | ||
| William Tell and Other Favorite Overtures | John Berg | Leonard Bernstein | ||
| Best Album Cover — Photography | ||||
| Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts | Robert M. Jones and Ken Whitmore | Paul Horn | ||
| The Aznavour Story | Ed Thrasher and Sherman Weisburd | Charles Aznavour | ||
| Bringing It All Back Home | John Berg and Dan Kramer | Bob Dylan | ||
| Guitar Forms | Acy Lehman and Rudolph Regname | Kenny Burrell and the Gil Evans Orchestra | ||
| Monk | Jerry Smokler and W. Eugene Smith | Thelonious Monk | ||
| My Name Is Barbra | Bob Cato and Sheldon Streisand | Barbra Streisand | ||
| Whipped Cream & Other Delights | Peter Whorf | Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass | ||
| 1967 [14] |
Best Album Cover — Graphic Arts | |||
| Revolver | Klaus Voormann | The Beatles | ||
| Baroque Fanfares and Sonatas for Brass | William S. Harvey | Joshua Rifkin | ||
| Christmas Carols for Solo Guitar | John Berg and Bob Cato | Charlie Byrd | ||
| Color Me Barbra | Barbra Streisand | |||
| Ives: Symphony No. 1 in D Minor | Georges Estes | Morton Gould | ||
| Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra | George Osaki | Stan Kenton | ||
| Talk That Talk | Woody Woodward | The Jazz Crusaders | ||
| Best Album Cover — Photography | ||||
| Confessions of a Broken Man | Robert M. Jones and Les Leverette | Porter Wagoner | ||
| Blonde on Blonde | John Berg, Bob Cato and Gerald Schatsberg | Bob Dylan | ||
| Guantanamera | Peter Whorf | The Sandpipers | ||
| Sammy Davis Jr. Sings and Laurindo Almeida Plays | Ed Thrasher and Tom Tucker | Sammy Davis Jr. and Laurindo Almeida | ||
| The Time Machine | Robert M. Jones and Tom Zimmerman | Gary Burton | ||
| Turn! Turn! Turn! | John Berg, Bob Cato and Guy Webster | The Byrds | ||
| What Now My Love | Peter Whorf and George Jerman | Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass | ||
| 1968 [15] |
Best Album Cover — Graphic Arts | |||
| Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | Peter Blake and Jann Haworth | The Beatles | ||
| The Gold Standard Collection | Ed Thrasher | Hank Thompson | ||
| Haydn: Symphony No. 84 in E Flat Major andSymphony No. 85 in B Flat Major ("La Reine") | John Berg, Bob Cato and Henrietta Condak | Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic | ||
| Nashville Cats | Robert M. Jones | Homer and Jethro | ||
| Straight, No Chaser | John Berg and Bob Cato | Thelonious Monk | ||
| Up, Up and Away | Woody Woodward | The 5th Dimension | ||
| Best Album Cover — Photography | ||||
| Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits | John Berg, Bob Cato and Roland Scherman | Bob Dylan | ||
| Bravo, Bravo, Aznavour | Ken Kim | Charles Aznavour | ||
| The Doors | William S. Harvey, Joel Brodsky and Guy Webster | The Doors | ||
| Earthwords and Music | Robert M. Jones and New World Photography | John Hartford | ||
| From Mexico with Laughs | Robert M. Jones and Howard Cooper | Don Bowman | ||
| Suburban Attitudes in Country Verse | Robert M. Jones and Jimmy Moore | John Loudermilk | ||
| That Man, Robert Mitchum, Sings | Ken Kim | Robert Mitchum | ||
| 1969 [16] | ||||
| Underground | John Berg, Richard Mantel and Horn Grinner Studio | Thelonious Monk | ||
| Ives: Holiday Symphony | John Berg, Bob Cato and Don Huntstein | Leonard Bernstein | ||
| Rhinoceros | William S. Harvey | Rhinoceros | ||
| Road Song | Sam Antupit and Pete Turner | Wes Montgomery | ||
| Wow | Bob Cato | Moby Grape | ||
1970s
[edit]| Year[I] | Work | Art Director(s) | Performing artist(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 [17] | |||
| America the Beautiful | Evelyn J. Kelbish and David Stahlberg | Gary McFarland | |
| Blind Faith | Bob Seidman | Blind Faith | |
| Led Zeppelin II | David Juniper | Led Zeppelin | |
| Pidgeon | Tom Lazarus and Gene Brownell | Pidgeon | |
| Richard Pryor | Gary Burden and Henry Diltz | Richard Pryor | |
| 1971 [18] | |||
| Indianola Mississippi Seeds | Ivan Nagy | B. B. King | |
| Chicago | John Berg and Nick Fasciano | Chicago | |
| Hand Made | Ed Thrasher | Mason Williams | |
| Mason Proffit | Peter Whorf and Christopher Whorf | Mason Proffit | |
| The Naked Carmen | Desmond Strobel | Various Artists | |
| Schubert: "Unfinished" Symphony/Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven)/Beethoven: Fifth Symphony | Peter Whorf and Fred Poore | Artur Rodziński | |
| Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy | Woody Woodward and William E. McEuen | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | |
| The World's Greatest Blues Singer | John Berg | Bessie Smith | |
| 1972 [19] | |||
| Pollution | Gene Brownell and Dean O. Torrence | Pollution | |
| B, S & T; 4 | John Berg and Norman Seeff | Blood, Sweat & Tears | |
| Bark | Nick Sangiamo | Jefferson Airplane | |
| Black Pearl | Norman Seeff | Jimmy McGriff | |
| Hot Platters | Ed Thrasher | Various Artists | |
| The Music of Erik Satie: Through a Looking Glass | Vincent J. Biondi | Camarata Contemporary Chamber Orchestra | |
| Sharepickers | Ed Thrasher and Terry Paul | Mason Williams | |
| Sticky Fingers | Andy Warhol | The Rolling Stones | |
| 1973 [20] | |||
| The Siegel-Schwall Band | Acy Lehman | Siegel-Schwall Band | |
| Chief | Aaron Schumake | Dewey Terry | |
| Five Dollar Shoes | Ron Levine | Five Dollar Shoes | |
| Flash | Hipgnosis | Flash | |
| Historical Figures and Ancient Heads | Norman Seeff | Canned Heat | |
| School's Out | Robert Otter | Alice Cooper | |
| Sunset Ride | Ed Thrasher, Christopher Wolf and Dave Willardson | Zephyr | |
| Virgin | Bill Levy and Fred Marcellino | The Mission | |
2020s
[edit]| Year[I] | Work | Art Director(s) | Performing artist(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 [21] | |||
| Chromakopia | Tyler Okonma | Tyler, the Creator | |
| The Crux | Jake Hirshland, Joe Keery, Neil Krug, Taylor Vandergift and William Wesley II | Djo | |
| Debí Tirar Más Fotos | Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio | Bad Bunny | |
| Glory | Cody Critcheloe, Mike Hadreas and Andrew J.S. | Perfume Genius | |
| Moisturizer | Iris Luz, Lava La Rue and Rhian Teasdale | Wet Leg | |
References
[edit]- ↑ Millman, Ethan (June 12, 2025). "Grammys Reveal Key Dates for 2026 Awards, Unveil New Rules and Categories". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
- ↑ "68th Grammy Awards Rules & Guidelines". NARAS. June 12, 2025. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
- ↑ Jones, Abby (June 12, 2025). "Grammys Add A Best Album Cover Category". Stereogum. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
- ↑ "2026 GRAMMYs To Take Place Sunday, Feb. 1; Two New GRAMMY Categories Added: Best Traditional Country Album & Best Album Cover | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ↑ "Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. Discusses 2026 GRAMMYs Changes: New GRAMMY Categories, More GRAMMY Nominees & More Expansive Representation". grammy.com. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ↑ "1958 GRAMMY WINNERS". www.grammy.com. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Grammy Awards 1959". IndiaServer. Retrieved April 28, 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "Grammy Awards 1959". IndiaServer. Retrieved April 28, 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "Grammy Award Nominees 1962 – Grammy Award Winners 1962". www.awardsandshows.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ↑ "Grammy Award Nominees 1963 – Grammy Award Winners 1963". www.awardsandshows.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ↑ "Grammy Award Nominees 1964 – Grammy Award Winners 1964". www.awardsandshows.com. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ↑ "Grammy Award Nominees 1965 – Grammy Award Winners 1965". www.awardsandshows.com. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ↑ "Grammy Awards Nominees 1966 – Grammy Award Winners 1966". www.awardsandshows.com. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ↑ "Grammy Awards Nominees 1967 – Grammy Award Winners 1967". www.awardsandshows.com. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ↑ "Grammy Award Nominees 1968 – Grammy Award Winners 1968". www.awardsandshows.com. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ↑ "Grammy Awards Nominees 1969 – Grammy Award Winners 1969". www.awardsandshows.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
- ↑ "Grammy Award Ceremony 1970 – Grammy Award Winners 1970". www.awardsandshows.com. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ↑ "Grammy Award Nominees 1971 – Grammy Award Winners 1971". www.awardsandshows.com. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ↑ "Grammy Award Nominees 1972 – Grammy Award Winners 1972". www.awardsandshows.com. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ↑ "Grammy Award Nominees 1973 – Grammy Award Winners 1973". www.awardsandshows.com. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ↑ Faulkner, Clara (November 7, 2025). "2026 GRAMMYS: See The Full Nominations List". Grammy.com. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
