Excellence in Music Ceremony 2026 expands Grammy certificate event in New Kingston

Back 2 Da Future Music Limited says its yearly event honouring music contributors will now operate with a wider scope and a new identity, the Excellence in Music Ceremony 2026.

The function, previously called the Grammy Certificate Ceremony, is scheduled to be staged again in Jamaica on September 15 at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston. Organisers say the change in title signals that the programme has moved past one area of acknowledgement, while keeping focus on people whose work has influenced reggae, dancehall and music internationally.

Kennedy Mensah, founder of Back 2 Da Future Music Limited, said the renamed ceremony gives the organisation more room to recognise the industry. "The Excellence in Music Ceremony allows us to widen the lens," Mensah said. "This is about the people behind the music, the players of instruments, writers, producers, engineers, singers and visionaries whose work has travelled across borders and generations. The name has changed because the mission has grown, but the heart of the ceremony remains the same: giving unsung contributors their night in the spotlight."

For the 2026 edition, the event will still honour persons linked to Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated works. It will also add British Phonographic Industry-certified discs to the presentation. Some awardees are to be presented with Silver, Gold and Platinum BPI-certified discs, in addition to Grammy Certificates.

The BPI disc component was tested on a smaller level in 2025 for Steely and Clevie, and was later included for Robert Browne at the Florida staging in January.

Through the Excellence in Music Ceremony 2026, the company is framing the occasion as a wider cultural space covering legacy, rights recognition, music education, industry storytelling and global exposure.