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:
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.
is a Special Merit Award presented to individuals who have made significant contributions, other than performance, to the field of recording during their careers.
The General Field consists of four standard awards representing the best over-all achievements in performance, production, and songwriting in Spanish and Portuguese languages:
Note: The field was originally called "Brazilian" before it was changed to "Portuguese Language" in 2016.