What Are Grammy Awards?

The Grammy Awards are one of the most prestigious awards in the field of music. They are presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) which is an organization based in the United States comprising of professional artists of the music world.

The awards honor achievements in the recording industry and along with the Billboard Music Awards and the American Music Awards are considered the premier awards in the music world. However the Grammy's are awarded according to the ratings of the judges who are themselves a part of the recording industry unlike the other awards which are based on sales and popularity chart ratings and hence are highly esteemed, deemed equivalent to the Oscars.

The Grammy's are awarded for excellence in 108 categories spread over 30 genres like pop and rap with the Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist awards being the most coveted. The Academy was founded on May 28, 1957 and would be conducting the 49th Awards ceremony on February 11, 2007; the trophy awarded is a miniature glided gramophone.