The Latin Grammy Awards are awarded in a series of categories, each of which isolate a specific contribution to Latin music. The standard awards list nominees in each category from which a winner is selected. These categories have been added and removed over time.

There are special awards which are awarded without nominations, typically for achievements of longer than the past year, which the standard awards apply to:

• Person of the Year is a Special Merit Award presented to an individual who has had a significant effect on Latin music and has taken part in extensive philanthropy.
• Lifetime Achievement Award: is a Special Merit Award presented to performers who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording during their careers.
• Trustees Awards: is a Special Merit Award presented to individuals who have made significant contributions, other than performance, to the field of recording during their careers.
• Hall of Fame Award honors recordings that are at least twenty-five years old that have made significant contributions

The General Field consists of four standard awards representing the best over-all achievements in performance, production, and songwriting in Spanish and Portuguese languages:

• Record of the Year is awarded to the performer and the production team of a single song.
• Album of the Year is awarded to the performer and the production team of a full album.
• Song of the Year is awarded to the writer(s)/composer(s) of a single song.
• Best New Artist is awarded to an artist without reference to a song or album.

• The Latin GRAMMY Award Categories
• The Latin GRAMMY Award Category Guidelines
• The Latin GRAMMY Special Awards