# Grammy Award for Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical

The Grammy Award for Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical is a new category in the annual Grammy Awards show, introduced in the 65th edition held in February, 2023. The award comes after the launch of a special Songwriters & Composers Wing in the Recording Academy, which "elevates, supports and advocates on behalf of all songwriters and composers within (...) the industry at large".
According to the Wing's chair Evan Bogart, the new award is proof that composers and songwriters are now "able to make this dream of having an award that honors the compendium of an artist's yearly output and the impact it has each year on the musical landscape in the way the GRAMMYs have been honoring producers since 1975. I think the time to do that is now (...) People in the songwriting world have been calling for this award for more than a decade (...) We just came to the right moment in time to put the weight of the new Wing behind it and create it."
Nominated songwriters can come from any musical field, except Classical, as those composers are recognized in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition category. As of 2024, the category is part of the General Field and is voted on by the entire Academy voting membership.

## Eligibility

To qualify for the award, writers “must have written a minimum of five songs in which they are credited ‘solely’ as a songwriter or co-writer” and that “songs in which the songwriter was also credited as a primary or featured artist, producer or any other supporting role do not qualify to achieve a minimum song threshold for consideration”, a distinction that was mandated in order ensure that the award honored songwriting and prevents big-named artists who write and perform or produce the majority of their own music from dominating the category. If a writer meets the threshold with external songs, they are permitted to submit up to four additional songs in which they are also the performer. According to Evan Bogart, CEO of the Recording Academy's Songwriters & Composers Wing, “we were able to strike the right balance and tone between people who are professional songwriters, who wake up every day and think about crafting songs for artists, and not just make this another award for a producer or an artist to win”.
Prospective nominees can submit up to nine songs that they have written or co-written during the eligibility period of each Grammy year that demonstrate their skill and talent.
As of the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in 2025, the number of submissions required where a writer is "solely" credited as a song/co-writer was reduced from five to four songs, and the number of additional songs where they are credited as an artist/producer was increased from four to five. The Recording Academy stated that these amendments were implemented with the hopes of allowing a "wider representation of the songwriter community" .

## Winners and nominees

| Year | Winner | Work | Nominees |
| 2023 | Tobias Jesso Jr. | "Boyfriends" "Can I Get It" "Careless" "C'mon Baby Cry" "Dotted Lines" "Let You Go" "No Good Reason" "Thank You Song" "To Be Loved" | Amy Allen – "For My Friends", "The Hardest Part", "If We Were A Party", "If You Love Me", "Magic Wand", "Matilda", "Move Me", "Too Bad", "Vicious" Nija Charles – "Cozy", "Ex for a Reason", "Good Love", "IYKYK", "Lobby", "Ride for You", "Sweetest Pie", "Tangerine", "Throw It Away" The-Dream – "Break My Soul", "Church Girl", "Energy", "I'm That Girl", "Mercedes", "Rock N Roll", "Rolling Stone", "Summer Renaissance", "Thique" Laura Veltz – "Background Music", "Feed", "Humble Quest", "Pain", "29" |
| 2024 | Theron Thomas | "All My Life" "Been Thinking" "Cheatback" "How We Roll" "Make Up Your Mind" "Pretty Girls Walk" "Seven" "Told Ya" "You And I" | Edgar Barrera – "Cuestion De Tiempo", "Falsa Alarma (En Vivo)", "Gucci Los Paños", "La Despedida", "Mi Ex Tenía Razón", "Que Vuelvas", "Un Cumbión Dolido", "Un x100to", "Yo Pr1mero" Jessie Jo Dillon – "Buried", "Girl in the Mirror", "Halfway to Hell", "I Just Killed a Man", "Memory Lane", "Neon Cowgirl", "Screen", "The Town in Your Heart", "Up Above The Clouds (Cecilia's Song)" Shane McAnally – "Come Back to Me", "Good with Me", "He's Never Gunna Change", "I Should Have Married You", "Independently Owned", "Never Grow Up", "Start Nowhere", "Walmart", "We Don't Fight Anymore" Justin Tranter – "Gemini Moon", "Honey! (Are You Coming?)", "I Want More", "Jersey", "A Little Bit Happy", "Pretty Girls", "River" |
| 2025 | Amy Allen | "Chrome Cowgirl" "Espresso" "High Road" "Please Please Please" "Run for the Hills" "Scared of My Guitar" "Selfish" "Sweet Dreams" "Taste" | Jessi Alexander – "Ain't No Love in Oklahoma", "All I Ever Do Is Leave", "Chevrolet", "Make Me a Mop", "Never Left Me", "No Caller ID", "Noah", "Remember Him That Way", "Roulette on the Heart" Édgar Barrera – "Atencion", "(Entre Paréntesis)", "It Was Always You (Siempre Fuiste Tú)", "No Se Vale", "The One (Pero No Como Yo)", "Por el Contrario", "Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido", "Sincere", Tommy & Pamela", Jessie Jo Dillon – "Am I Okay?", "Go to Hell", "Heaven by Noon", "Lies Lies Lies", "Messed Up as Me", "Never Left Me", "No Caller ID", "Sorry Mom", "Two Hearts Raye – "Ask & You Shall Receive", "Because I Love You", "Dear Ben Pt. II", "Genesis", "Mother Nature", "Paralyzed", "Riiverdance", "You're Hired" |

## Multiple nominations

2 nominations
* Amy Allen
* Édgar Barrera
* Jessie Jo Dillon