The Latin Grammy Awards are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been released in Ibero-America. Ibero-America, as defined by the Latin Recording Academy, encompasses Latin America, Spain, Portugal, and the Latino population in Canada and the United States. Submissions of products recorded in languages, dialects or idiomatic expressions recognized in Ibero America, such as Catalan, Basque, Galician, Valencian, Nahuatl, Guarani, Quechua or Mayan may be accepted by a majority vote. Both the regular Grammy Award and the Latin Grammy Award have similar nominating and voting processes, in which the selections are decided by peers within the Latin music industry.
The Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally. The award is given to the performers, producers, audio engineers and mastering engineer for new songs in Spanish or Portuguese language. The songs included on an album released the previous year of submission are also eligible only if they have not been submitted to competition before. Instrumental songs are also eligible. Due to the increasing musical changes in the industry, from 2012 the category includes 10 nominees, according to a restructuration made by the academy for the four general categories: Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Best New Artist and Record of the Year.
The Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally. The award is given to the performers, producers, audio engineers and mastering engineers for vocal or instrumental albums with 51 percent of new recorded songs. Albums of previously released recordings, such as reissues, compilations of old recordings and greatest hits albums packages are not eligible. Due to the increasing musical changes in the industry, from 2012 the category includes 10 nominees, according to a restructuration made by the academy for the four general categories: Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best New Artist and Album of the Year. Beginning in 2018, songwriters are eligible for the accolade if 33% of the playing time are composed by them.
The Latin Grammy Award for Song of the Year is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence, creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally. The award is given to the songwriters of new songs containing at least 51% of lyrics in Spanish or Portuguese language. Instrumental songs or a new version of a previously recorded track are not eligible. Due to the increasing musical changes in the industry, from 2012 the category includes 10 nominees, according to a restructuration made by the academy for the four general categories: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best New Artist and Song of the Year.
The Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists, nationally and internationally. The award is given to solo artists or groups that first establish an identity to the public as a performer and release a Spanish or Portuguese language recording during the period of eligibility. In 2012, the Academy announced the category would include ten nominees to reflect changes within the music industry.
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally. The award has been given since the 1st Latin Grammy Awards in 2000 to artists, directors and producers of an individual promotional music video released for the first time during the award eligibility year.
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an honor presented annually by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and promotes a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally. According to the category description guide for the 2012 Latin Grammy Awards, the award is for vocal or instrumental alternative albums containing at least 51 percent newly recorded material. It is awarded to solo artists, duos or groups.
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and promotes a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally. According to the category description guide for the 13th Latin Grammy Awards, the award is for video albums consisting of more than one song or track and is awarded to artists, video directors and/or producers of at least 51% of the total playing time. If the work is a tribute or collection of live performances, the award is presented only to the directors or producers.
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Urban Music Album is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and promotes a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally. According to the category description guide for the 13th Latin Grammy Awards, the award is for vocal or instrumental merengue house, R&B, reggaeton and rap music albums containing at least 51 percent playing time of newly recorded material. The award was first presented as the Best Rap/Hip-Hop Album until it received its current name, Best Urban Music Album, at the 5th Latin Grammy Awards ceremony in 2004.
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Urban Song is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and promotes a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally. According to the category description guide for the 13th Latin Grammy Awards, the award is for new songs that contain at least 51% of the lyrics in Spanish or Portuguese. The accolade is awarded to the songwriter(s) of said song. Instrumental recordings and cover songs are not eligible for the category.
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Singer-Songwriter Album is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally. According to the category description guide for the 13th Latin Grammy Awards, the award is reserved for solo artists or duos and they "must compose and interpret 75 percent of the album on their own to be eligible in this category". Additionally, live albums are eligible if they contain at least 51 percent of new unreleased material released within the eligibility period.
The Latin Grammy Award for Producer of the Year is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists, in the United States and internationally. The award is given to a producer whose recordings released during the eligibility period represent extraordinary creativity in the area of record production. Six individual songs, or 51% of the duration of an album, are the minimum for a producer to be eligible. Two or more producers can participate as a team only if they have worked together during the period of eligibility.
The Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year is an award presented annually by the Latin Recording Academy, the same organization that distributes the Latin Grammy Awards, to commend musicians for their "artistic achievements in the Latin music industry as well as their humanitarian efforts". Award recipients are honored during "Latin Grammy Week", a string of galas just prior to the annual Latin Grammy Awards ceremony. Until 2023, the award was only presented to artists of Ibero-American heritage, when Laura Pausini became the first Italian artist to be presented with the honor.
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Rock Album is an honor presented annually by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and promotes a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally. According to the category description guide for the 2012 Latin Grammy Awards, the award is for vocal or instrumental rock albums containing at least 51 percent of newly recorded material. It is awarded to solo artists, duos or groups.
Leila Cobo is a Colombian journalist, writer, novelist, pianist and television show host. She is noted for her coverage of Latin music for Billboard where she is currently the Chief Content Officer for Latin Music and Español, overseeing the brand's coverage and development of Latin music across all its platforms. These include billboard.com and billboardespanol.com, which Cobo launched, podcasts and video. Cobo also programs the annual Billboard Latin Music Week, widely regarded as the premiere gathering for the Latin industry, where she has hosted guests like Shakira, Romeo Santos, Peso Pluma and Carlos Santana.
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Norteño Album is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally.
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Pop/Rock Album is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally. It is one of the new categories added for the Latin Grammy Awards of 2012
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Urban/Fusion Performance is an honor presented annually by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and promotes a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally.
The Latin Grammy Trustees Award is an award presented annually by the Latin Recording Academy, the same organization that distributes the Latin Grammy Awards, to individuals "who have made significant contributions, other than performance, to Latin music during their careers". Recipients can include producers, songwriters, composers, record label executives, and journalists. Award recipients are honored during "Latin Grammy Week", a string of galas prior to the annual Latin Grammy Awards ceremony. Since its inception, the award has been presented to recipients originating from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, the United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The award was first presented to Mexican composer and musician Manuel Esperón. Since 2005, the Trustees Awards have been presented to more than one recipient. Pierre Cossette is the only recipient of the Latin Grammy Trustees Award to also receive the Grammy Trustees Award in 1995. The accolade, along with the Person of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement awards, were not presented in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Pop Song is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and promotes a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally.
