Lady Gaga and Kendrick Lamar have emerged as the top contenders for the 2026 Grammy Awards, leading this year’s nominations across multiple major categories.
On Friday, the Recording Academy announced the full list of nominations for the upcoming 68th Grammy Awards, which is set to happen on Feburary 1, 2026.
Leading the pack with nine nominations, Kendrick Lamar was trailed by Lady Gaga and hitmakers Cirkut and Jack Antonoff, who each received seven.
Bad Bunny, Leon Thomas, and Sabrina Carpenter picked up six apiece, while Doechii, SZA, Andrew Watt, Tyler, the Creator, and Clipse’s Pusha T & Malice followed with five.
Past Grammy winners like Carpenter, Doechii, Lizzo, Chappell Roan, and Sam Smith helped announce the 2026 nominees during a livestream on Grammy.com.
Notably, this year’s ceremony adds two new categories — Best Album Cover and Best Traditional Country Album — while renaming Best Country Album to Best Contemporary Country Album.
“Each year during our Awards & Nominations review, our focus is on refining our rules, uncovering anything that is no longer working, and ensuring we are celebrating our creative community in the most meaningful way,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. recently told Grammy.com.
Mason added, “I'm thrilled that many of this year's changes … allow us to honor even more creators. That's always a positive outcome for me. But even more importantly, these are much-needed updates that ensure those who are making significant contributions to the musical process are properly recognized and have the opportunity to be celebrated on Music's Biggest Night."
To note, Taylor Swift and Lily Allen missed out on nominations as their albums dropped after the eligibility window (August 31, 2024–August 30, 2025).
