In 2023, the Grammy Awards created a new category called Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical, in order to reward the folks behind the scenes who write the biggest songs of the year.
The category is specifically designed for songwriters who are not performers themselves. So acclaimed singer-songwriters like Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan are not eligible. This award goes to people who are professional songwriters without releasing their own music.
Songwriter of the Year was created to be a sister category to the Producer of the Year award, which has existed for decades and recognizes the folks who produce the best music of the year.
The “non-classical” part of the category title simply means that those who work in the genre of classical music are not eligible, as they have their own related category, called Best Contemporary Classical Composition.
The category is welcome since there is no Best Pop Song category at the Grammys, to reward the songwriters of pop songs.
Tobias Jesso, Jr. won the first award in 2023, having co-written hits like Adele’s “To Be Loved,” Harry Styles’ “Boyfriends,” Orville Peck’s “C’Mon Baby Cry,” and FKA Twigs’ “Careless.”
In 2024, Theron Thomas claimed the gramophone for his work with R&B acts like Tyla, Chloe, Ciara, and Lil Durk. Amy Allen has won the last two awards.
Most career Songwriter of the Year nominations
Amy Allen 3
Edgar Barrera 3
Jessie Jo Dillon 3
Tobias Jesso Jr. 2
Laura Veltz 2
Most career Songwriter of the Year wins
Amy Allen 2
Winners and Nominees By Year
Winners in bold; other nominees listed beneath.
2026: Amy Allen
Edgar Barrera
Jessie Jo Dillon
Tobias Jesso Jr.
Laura Veltz
2025: Amy Allen
Jessi Alexander
Edgar Barrera
Jessie Jo Dillon
Raye
2024: Theron Thomas
Edgar Barrera
Jessie Jo Dillon
Shane McAnally
Justin Tranter
2023: Tobias Jesso Jr.
Amy Allen
Nija Charles
The-Dream
Laura Veltz
Songwriter of the Year: Previous Grammy Prediction
It only took four years for the Songwriter of the Year category to settle into a period of stasis. All five nominees this year have been nominated before.
Voters are already rewarding familiar names from past years instead of seeking out new talent. Welp, that’s how the Grammys often go!
Last year’s winner, Amy Allen, figures to be a leading contender again. Her credits this year include “APT.”, “Tears,” and “Manchild.” Edgar Barrera gets his second nod for his Spanish-language songs, written for Karol G, Shakira, and Santana. He didn’t write for Bad Bunny, though, which might have put him over the top.
Tobias Jesso Jr. may have the most impressive resume from the past year, with credits including Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need,” Bon Iver’s “From,” and Justin Bieber’s “Daisies.” That’s a wide range of genres. And he’s a former winner as well.
Jessie Jo Dillon and Laura Veltz both had strong years writing for country artists, but their votes will likely cancel each other out.
The guess is that it comes down to Jesso and Allen again, with Amy Allen prevailing.
Songwriter of the Year 2026 Grammy prediction
Should win: Tobias Jesso Jr.
Will win: Amy Allen
Should have been nominated: Justin Tranter
Previous 2025 Grammy Prediction
The 2025 crop of nominees features an aberration. One of the contenders is British singer-songwriter Raye, an acclaimed performer whose album My 21st Century Blues won the Brit Award for Album of the Year. In fact, she set an all-time record with six Brit Awards in one year.
We love Raye, but quite frankly, she shouldn’t be nominated here, because she’s known as a performer. The category is supposed to exclude those who are performers, so that they don’t have an unfair advantage.
It should be noted that in 2023, producer-singer-rapper The-Dream also got nominated, so this is not the first time that the Academy relaxed its definition of who is eligible. The-Dream did not win the award, though.
Raye wrote songs for Beyonce, Rita Ora, and Jennifer Lopez as well, but her name recognition as an artist gives her a leg up in this category.
Her competition includes repeat nominees Amy Allen and Edgar Barrera. Allen co-wrote three big hits for Sabrina Carpenter (“Taste,” “Espresso,” and “Please Please Please”), plus hits for Justin Timberlake and Olivia Rodrigo. Barrera has been the biggest songwriter in the Latin pop genre, penning for Peso Pluma, Karol G, and others.
Either Allen or Barrera probably deserves to win. Two country songwriters, Jessie Jo Dillon and Jessi Alexander, are worthy nominees but probably longer shots to win this award.
Ultimately, we think that Allen’s success with Sabrina Carpenter will be enough for her to edge out Raye and Barrera to claim the trophy.
Songwriter of the Year 2025 Grammy prediction
Should win: Amy Allen
Will win: Amy Allen
Should have been nominated: Tobias Jesso Jr.
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Last Updated on July 8, 2026