De 45e uitreiking van de jaarlijkse Grammy Awards vond plaats op 23 februari 2003 in Madison Square Garden in New York. Het was voor het eerst sinds 1998 dat de uitreiking in New York plaatsvond, en niet in Los Angeles. Bovendien was het voor het eerst sinds 1970 dat er geen vaste presentator van de show was.

Wat nog wél gewoon was gebleven, was het grote aanbod van winnaars van de Grammy. De meest succesvolle winnaar van de avond was Norah Jones die met haar debuutalbum Come Away with Me vijf Grammy's won, inclusief voor Album of the Year en Record of the Year. Verder won ze de prijs voor Best New Artist, voor beste vrouwelijke pop-album en beste pop-uitvoering voor een zangeres. Haar doorbraakhit Don't Know Why werd ook nog onderscheiden voor Song of the Year, waarvan de prijs ging naar de componist ervan, Jessie Harris. Het was voor het eerst sinds 2002 (en pas voor de derde keer in de Grammy-geschiedenis) dat een vrouw vijf Grammy's won op één avond.

Winnaars

Algemeen
 Album of the Year
"Come Away with Me" - Norah Jones
Jay Newland & S. Husky Höskulds (technici/mixers); Ted Jensen (mastering engineer); Arif Mardin, Jay Newland & Norah Jones (producers)
Record of the Year
"Come Away with Me" - Norah Jones
Jay Newland (technicus/mixer); Arif Mardin, Jay Newland & Norah Jones (producers)
Song of the Year
Jessie Harris (componist) voor Don't Know Why, uitvoerende: Norah Jones
Best New Artist
Norah Jones

Pop
Best Pop Vocal Performance (zangeres)
"Don't Know Why" - Norah Jones
Best Pop Vocal Performance (zanger)
"Your Body Is A Wonderland" - John Mayer
Best Pop Vocal Performance (duo/groep)
"Hey Baby" - No Doubt
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals (beste eenmalige samenwerking)
"The Game of Love" - Santana & Michelle Branch
Best Pop Instrumental Performance
"Auld Lang Syne" - B.B. King
Best Pop Instrumental Album
"Just Chillin'" - Norman Brown
Paul Brown (technicus/mixer/producer)
Best Pop Vocal Album
"Come Away with Me" - Norah Jones
Jay Newland & S. Husky Höskulds (technici/mixers); Ted Jensen (mastering engineer); Arif Mardin, Jay Newland & Norah Jones (producers)

Dance
Best Dance Recording
"Days Go By" - Dirty Vegas

Country
Best Country Vocal Performance (zangeres)
"Cry" - Faith Hill
Best Country Vocal Performance (zanger)
"Give My Love to Rose" - Johnny Cash
Best Country Vocal Performance (duo/groep)
"Long Time Gone" - Dixie Chicks
Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (beste eenmalige samenwerking)
"Mendocino County Line" - Willie Nelson & Lee Ann Womack
Best Country Instrumental Performance
"Lil' Jack Slade" - Dixie Chicks
Best Country Song
Alan Jackson (componist) voor Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning), uitvoerende: Alan Jackson
Best Country Album
"Home" - Dixie Chicks
Gary Paczosa (technicus/mixer); Lloyd Maines (producer)
Best Bluegrass Album
"Lost in the Lonesome Pines" - Jim Lauderdale, Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys
David Castle (technicus/mixer)

R&B
Best R&B Vocal Performance (zangeres)
"He Think I Don't Know" - Mary J. Blige
Best R&B Vocal Performance (zanger)
"U Don't Have to Call" - Usher
Best R&B Vocal Performance (duo/groep)
"Love's in Need of Love Today" - Stevie Wonder & Take 6
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
"What's Going On" - Chaka Khan & The Funk Brothers
Best Urban/Alternative Performance
"Little Things" - India.Arie
Best R&B Song
Erykah Badu, Glenn Standridge, James Poyser, Madukwu Chinwah, Raphael Saadiq, Rashid Lonnie Lynn & Robert Ozuna (componisten) voor Love of My Life (Ode to Hip Hop), uitvoerenden: Erykah Badu & Common
Best R&B Album
"Voyage to India" - India.Arie
Alvin Speights (technicus/mixer); Shannon Sanders (producer)
Best Contemporary R&B Album
"Ashanti"- Ashanti
Marcus Vest, Brian Springer & Milwaukee Buck (technici/mixers); Marcus Vest & Irv Gotti (producers)

Rap
Best Rap Solo Performance (vrouw)
"Scream a.k.a. Itchin'" - Missy Elliott
Best Rap Solo Performance (man)
"Hot in Herre" - Nelly
Best Rap Performance (duo/groep)
"The Whole World" - OutKast ft. Killer Mike
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
"Dilemma" - Nelly ft. Kelly Rowland
Best Rap Album
"The Eminem Show" - Eminem
Steve King (technicus/mixer)

Rock
Best Rock Vocal Performance (zangeres)
"Steve McQueen" - Sheryl Crow
Best Rock Vocal Performance (zanger)
"The Rising" - Bruce Springsteen
Best Rock Vocal Performance (duo/groep)
"In My Place" - Coldplay
Best Hard Rock Performance
"All My Life" - Foo Fighters
Best Metal Performance
"Here To Stay" - Korn
Best Rock Instrumental Performance
"Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon (Utopia Planitia)" - The Flaming Lips
Best Rock Song
Bruce Springsteen (componist) voor The Rising, uitvoerende: Bruce Springsteen
Best Rock Album
"The Rising" - Bruce Springsteen
Brendan O'Brien & Nick Didia (technici/mixers); Brendan O'Brien (producer)

Traditional Pop
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
"Playin' With My Friends - Bennett Sings the Blues" - Tony Bennett
Joel Moss & Tom Young (technici/mixers); Phil Ramone (producer)

Alternative
Best Alternative Music Album
"A Rush of Blood to the Head" - Coldplay
Ken Nelson & Mark Phythian (technici/mixers); Ken Nelson (Producer)

Blues
Best Traditional Blues Album
"A Christmas Celebration of Hope" - B.B. King
Anthony Daigle & John Holbrock (technici/mixers)
Best Contemporary Blues Album
"Don't Give Up On Me" - Solomon Burke
S. Husky Höskulds (technicus/mixer); Joe Henry (producer)

Folk
Best Traditional Folk Album
"Legacy" - Doc Watson & David Holt
Steven Heller (mixer/technicus/producer)
Best Contemporary Folk Album
"This Side" - Nickel Creek
Gary Paczosa (technicus/mixer); Alison Krauss (producer) 
Best Native American Music Album
"Beneath The Raven Moon" - Mary Youngblood
Thomas A. Wasinger (producer)

Polka
Best Polka Album
"Top of the World" - Jimmy Sturr
Jeremy Welch, Joe Donofrio, Kenneth R. Irwin & Tom Pick (technici/mixers); Kenneth R. Irwin & Tom Pick (producers)

Latin
Best Latin Pop Album
"Caraluna" - Bacilos
Bob St. John, Eric Schilling, Gonzalo Vasquez, Gustavo Afont, Iker Gastraminsa, Jaime Lagueruela & Jon Fausty (technici/mixers); Gonzalo Vasquez & Luis Ochoa (producers)
Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album
"Revolución de Amor" - Maná
Benny Faccone (technicus/mixer)
Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album
"El Arte del Sabor" - Bebo Valdés Trio & Israel Lopéz "Cachao" & Carlos "Patato" Valdés
Catherine Miller (technicus/mixer); Nat Chediak (producer)
Best Salsa Album
"La Negra Tiene Tumbao" - Celia Cruz
Jon Fausty & Maria DeJesus (technici/mixers); Sergio George (producer)
Best Merengue Album
"Latino" - Grupo Mania
Manuel Antonio Tejada Tabar, Raphael Peña & Rolando Alejandro (technici/mixers); Jose Lugo (producer)
Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album
"Lo Dijo El Corazón" - Joan Sebastian
Benny Faccone, Franco Giordani & John Karpowich (technici/mixers)
Best Tejano Album
"Acuérdate" - Emilio Navaira
Gustavo Alphonso Miranda (technicus/mixer); Manuel Herrera Maldonado (producer)

Reggae
Best Reggae Album
"Jamaican ET" - Lee "Scratch" Perry
Roger Lomas (technicus/mixer/producer)

Gospel
Best Rock Gospel Album
"Come Together" - Third Day
James J. Dineen III (technicus/mixer); Monroe Jones (producer)
Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
"The Eleventh Hour" - Jars of Clay
Jack Joseph Puig & Vance Powell (technici/mixers)
Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album
"We Called Him Mr. Gospel Music - The James Blackwood Tribute Album" - The Jordanaires, Larry Ford & the Light Crust Doughboys
Adrian Payne, Chuck Ebert, Philip W. York, Robb Tripp & Tim Cooper (technici/mixers)
Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album
"Higher Ground" - The Blind Boys of Alabama
Jimmy Hoyson (technicus/mixer); John Chelow (producer)
Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album
"Sidebars" - Eartha
Chris Puram, Glaurys Ariass & Helsa Ariass (technici/mixers); Glaurys Ariass & Helsa Ariass (producers)
Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album
"Be Glad" - The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
Carol Cymbala (dirigent); B.J. Gross (technicus/mixer)

Jazz
Best Contemporary Jazz Album
"Speaking of Now" - Pat Metheny Group
Rob Eaton (technicus/mixer)

Video
Best Short Form Music Video (korte video, b.v. videoclip)
"Without Me" - Eminem (artiest), Joseph Kahn (regisseur), Greg Tharp (producer)
Best Long Form Music Video (lange video, b.v. documentaire, concertverslag, film, etc.)
"Westway To The World" - The Clash (artiest), Don Letts (regisseur)

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