The 2026 MAMA Awards announced nominees on October 12 at 6 p.m. KST through a special broadcast titled 2026 MAMA AWARDS Nomination. Fans were waiting to find out which singers, groups, songs, and albums will compete for this year’s awards as the ceremony approaches.
Organized by CJ ENM, the annual awards show will take place over two days in Osaka, Japan.
The broadcast was aired on Mnet and was available on Mnet Smart+ and Mnet Plus, alongside official K-pop YouTube channels.
Jang Ye Won and music critic Kim Yoonha hosted the nomination broadcast.
The announcement will also mark the start of the first round of voting for the FANS’ CHOICE category. Fans will be able to participate through Mnet Plus and X hashtag voting, with the official platform providing the applicable rules and schedule.
The final nominations will determine which artists compete for the awards, while fan participation will play a role in the FANS’ CHOICE race.
MAMA Awards 2026 Nominations
Here is a complete list of 2026 MAMA Awards nominees:
Grand Prize
Artist of the Year
- aespa
- ALPHA DRIVE ONE
- AND2BLE
- ATEEZ
- BABYMONSTER
- BIGBANG
- BLACKPINK
- BTS
- CORTIS
- Doh Kyung Soo
- ENHYPEN
- EVAN
- H//PE Princess
- Hearts2Hearts
- hrtz.wav
- Hwasa
- ILLIT
- Irene
- IVE
- LE SSERAFIM
- LNGSHOT
- MODYSSEY
- NCT WISH
- NMIXX
- OURBIRTHDAY
- Soyeon
- Stray Kids
- Taeyang
- Taeyeon
- Taeyong
- TUIDE
- TXT
- UNCHILD
- Yena
- Yeonjun
- Young K
Song of the Year
The top 10 songs in the Best Song category will be nominated for Song of the Year.
Album of the Year
- “Mark on Me” by &TEAM
- “ARIRANG” by BTS
- “7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns” by TOMORROW X TOGETHER
- “LEMONADE” by aespa
- “EUPHORIA” by ALPHA DRIVE ONE
- “GOLDEN HOUR: Part.5” by ATEEZ
- “DEADLINE” by BLACKPINK
- “The Action” by BOYNEXTDOOR
- “GREENGREEN” by CORTIS
- “THE SIN: VANISH” by ENHYPEN
- “REVERXE” by EXO
- “REVIVE+” by IVE
- “Beat It Up” by NCT DREAM
- “Ode to Love” by NCT WISH
- “Caligo Pt.2” by PLAVE
- “II” by RIIZE
- “THIS & THAT” by Stray Kids
- “NO TRAGEDY” by TWS
Main Awards
Best Male Group
- BTS
- TOMORROW X TOGETHER
- ATEEZ
- BIGBANG
- CORTIS
- ENHYPEN
- NCT WISH
- Stray Kids
Best Female Group
- ILLIT
- aespa
- BABYMONSTER
- BLACKPINK
- Hearts2Hearts
- IVE
- LE SSERAFIM
- NMIXX
Best New Artist
- EVAN
- Hiipe Princess
- ALPHA DRIVE ONE
- AND2BLE
- hrtz.wav
- LNGSHOT
- MODYSSEY
- OURBIRTHDAY
- TUIDE
- UNCHILD
Best Male Artist
- Doh Kyungsoo
- Yeonjun
- Taeyang
- Taeyong
- Young K
Best Female Artist
- Soyeon
- Irene
- Taeyeon
- Hwasa
- Yena
Best Dance Performance – Male Group
- “Suddenly” by I.O.I
- “It’s Me” by ILLIT
- “LEMONADE” by aespa
- “RUDE!” by Hearts2Hearts
- “BANG BANG” by IVE
- “404 (New Era)” by KiiiKiii
- “SPAGHETTI” by LE SSERAFIM feat. j-hope of BTS
- “Blue Valentine” by NMIXX
Best Dance Performance – Female Group
- “BAD” by ATEEZ
- “BiiiG” by BIGBANG
- “Hollywood Action” by BOYNEXTDOOR
- “REDRED” by CORTIS
- “Do your dance” by RIIZE
- “This & That” by Stray Kids
- “OVERDRIVE” by TWS
- “TOP 5” by ZEROBASEONE
Best Dance Performance – Male Solo
- “Ice Cream” by Yeonjun
- “TOUGH LOVE” by ONEW
- “FLOAT” by Taemin
- “LIVE FAST DIE SLOW” by Taeyang
- “WYLD” by Taeyong
Best Dance Performance – Female Solo
- “What’s a girl to do” by DAYOUNG
- “BUMPA” by BIBI
- “I’m gonna TOESA” by Soyeon
- “Ice Cream” by Yuna
- “Catch Catch” by YENA
Best Vocal Performance
- “No Words Can Say” by Roy Kim
- “Unknown Planet” by IU
- “Less than a lover” by JENNIE
- “Good Goodbye” by HWASA
- “CINEMA” by WOODZ
Best Collaboration
- “Flirty” by DAYOUNG, Jay Park
- “Always” by NMIXX’s Sullyoon, Parc Jaejung
- “WDA (Whole Different Animal)” by aespa, G-DRAGON
- “SPAGHETTI” by LE SSERAFIM, j-hope
- “ICONIC BY MISTAKE” by KATSEYE, ILLIT, LE SSERAFIM
Best Rap & Hip Hop Performance
- “Yarrr” by HAON
- “Nostalgia” by BIG Naughty
- “KOLOK COLOK” by NOWIMYOUNG
- “IF I” by TREASURE
- “DUET” by ZICO, Lilas
Best Music Video
- “2.0” by BTS
- “Good Goodbye” by HWASA
- “BiiiG” by BIGBANG
- “Mono” by i-dle feat. skaiwater
- “DDI RO RI” by MEOVV
Best Choreography
- “It’s Me” by ILLIT
- “BAD” by ATEEZ
- “REDRED” by CORTIS
- “BANG BANG” by IVE
- “Catch Catch” by YENA
Best Band Performance
- “BIG VOID” by Silica Gel
- “Just Kids” by JANNABI
- “All Ages” by LUCY
- “CEREMONY” by QWER
- “Voyager” by Xdinary Heroes
Best OST
- “Love Language” by Kim Min Seok (MeloMance) (“Can This Love Be Translated?”)
- “My Flavor” by Migak Boys (“The Legend of Kitchen Soldier”)
- “Anytime anyhow” by Sung Si Kyung (“Surely Tomorrow”)
- “A Day” by Suzy (“EXchange 4”)
- “Season of Us” by Young K of DAY6 (“My Royal Nemesis” OST)
Popularity Awards
Fans’ Choice Female Category
- aespa
- AKMU
- ALLDAYPROJECT
- Apink
- APOKI
- ARTMS
- AtHeart
- BabyDONTCry
- BABYMONSTER
- BIBI
- Billlie
- BLACKPINK
- Chuu
- CSR
- DAVICHI
- DAYOUNG
- dodree
- EJel
- FIFTYFIFTY
- fromis_9
- HANRORO
- Hearts2Hearts
- idle
- ILLIT
- IOI
- ITZY
- IVE
- izna
- Kep1er
- KiiiKiii
- KISSOFLIFE
- LE_SSERAFIM
- LeeYoungJi
- MAMAMOO
- MEOVV
- MIMI
- NMIXX
- RedVelvet
- RESCENE
- TAEYEON
- TUIDE
- TWICE
- UNIS
- VVUP
- XIN
- YENA
- YoonA
- yoonmirae
- YOUNHA
- YUJU
Fans’ Choice Male Category
- 82MAJOR
- 8TURN
- AEN
- AHOF
- ALPHADRIVEONE
- AND2BLE
- andTEAM
- ATEEZ
- AxMxP
- B1A4
- BIGBANG
- BOYNEXTDOOR
- BTS
- CLOSEYOUREYES
- CNBLUE
- CORTIS
- CRAVITY
- DAY6
- ENHYPEN
- EVAN
- EVNNE
- EXO
- FLAREU
- hrtzwav
- HUI
- IDID
- JANNABI
- JayPark
- KickFlip
- LNGSHOT
- NCT127
- NCTDREAM
- NCTWISH
- NEXZ
- NouerA
- PARKJIHOON
- PLAVE
- RIIZE
- SEVENTEEN
- SHINee
- StrayKids
- SUPERJUNIOR
- TOMORROWXTOGETHER
- TREASURE
- TWS
- WOODZ
- XLOV
- XODIAC
- ZEROBASEONE
- ZICO
MAMA Awards 2026: Final Winner Selection Criteria
The winners of the MAMA Awards 2026 will be determined using different evaluation methods depending on the category.
- Artist of the Year and Artist Category Awards: 40% jury scores, 30% streaming and download performance (15% domestic and 15% global), and 30% physical album sales.
- Song of the Year and Genre Category Awards: 50% jury evaluation and 50% streaming and downloads, split equally between Korean and global performance.
- Album of the Year: 40% jury scores and 60% physical album sales. Only albums that have sold at least one million copies will qualify.
- Best Music Video and Best Choreography: Winners will be selected entirely based on jury evaluations.
- Best Song Top 10: Rankings will depend solely on streaming and download figures, with domestic and global performance each accounting for 50%.
For the Fans’ Choice Male and Fans’ Choice Female categories, voting will account for 90% of the results through Mnet Plus and 10% through X in both rounds. The Fans’ Choice of the Year award will follow the same voting split, with an additional 10% allocated to live voting on Mnet Plus.
The first round of voting for the Fans’ Choice nominees will remain open until October 22 at 11:59 p.m. KST. The top 20 artists in each of the male and female categories will advance to the second round, scheduled to run from October 28 at 6 p.m. KST to November 18 at 11:59 p.m. KST.
To qualify for the 2026 awards, eligible music releases must fall within the period from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026.
MAMA Awards 2026 Venue and Dates
The 2026 MAMA Awards will be held at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Osaka, Japan, on November 20 and 21. CJ ENM confirmed the dates and venue in March. This will be the third time the awards have taken place at the venue, following the 2022 and 2024 ceremonies.
The event will be presented by Visa, which continues as the title sponsor. Fans around the world will also be able to watch the ceremony through a global livestream on Mnet Plus.
This year’s main concept is A MUSIC INTERSTELLAR. The organizers have also revealed a new visual identity for the event, suggesting a space-inspired theme for the 2026 edition.
CJ ENM plans to expand the experience with online and offline activities designed to connect K-pop artists and fans worldwide.
The 2026 ceremony will introduce MAMA FAN FESTA, a new fan-focused celebration scheduled to begin on November 9, ahead of the main awards on November 20 and 21.
The initiative is part of CJ ENM’s plan to extend MAMA beyond the stage through additional online and offline experiences and special collaborations.