Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album recognizes excellence in contemporary instrumental music. Eligible albums emphasize instrumental performance, arrangement, and melodic content, containing contemporary stylistic elements that set them apart from well-established instrumental styles.
68th Annual Grammy Awards • 2026
Honoring recordings released between Aug 31, 2024 and Aug 30, 2025
ARKAI won the 2026 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album with "Brightside"
Winners & Nominees 2026
Winner
Nominees
-
Brightside
-
Ones & Twos
-
BEATrio
-
Shayan
Previous Winners
| Year | Winner | Work | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | ARKAI | Brightside | All Nominees |
| 2025 | Taylor Eigsti | Plot Armor | All Nominees |
| 2024 | Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer, Rakesh Chaurasia | As We Speak | All Nominees |
| 2023 | Snarky Puppy | Empire Central | All Nominees |
| 2022 | Taylor Eigsti | Tree Falls | All Nominees |
| 2021 | Snarky Puppy | Live At The Royal Albert Hall | All Nominees |
| 2020 | Rodrigo y Gabriela | Mettavolution | All Nominees |
| 2019 | Steve Gadd | Steve Gadd Band | All Nominees |
| 2018 | Jeff Lorber | Prototype | All Nominees |
| 2017 | Snarky Puppy | Culcha Vulcha | All Nominees |
| 2016 | Snarky Puppy, Metropole Orkest | Sylva | All Nominees |
| 2015 | Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer | Bass & Mandolin | All Nominees |
