The 2026 Melon Music Awards (MMA) revealed its nominees on Friday, October 30. BTS, IVE, AKMU, I.O.I, ILLIT, KiiiKiii, and CORTIS are among the artists competing for major prizes, including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year.
Melon announced the nominees on October 30, along with the start of voting for the category awards. Fans can vote until November 13, while the winners will be announced at the ceremony on November 14 and 15.
aespa, BTS, CORTIS, ILLIT, and YENA each earned four nominations, the highest total this year. IVE, KiiiKiii, and Hearts2Hearts follow with three nominations each. AKMU, I.O.I, BOYNEXTDOOR, NCT WISH, IU, Jennie, and PLAVE each received two nominations.
This year’s event is the 18th edition of the Melon Music Awards. It will take place over two days at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea. Here is everything to know about the 2026 MMA nominees, voting, award criteria, and ceremony.
2026 MMA Nominees
The list includes major K-pop acts, solo singers, rookies, international pop artists, and musicians from different genres.
Album Of The Year
- “LEMONADE” by aespa
- “FLOWERING” by AKMU
- “ALLDAY PROJECT” by ALLDAY PROJECT
- “ARIRANG” by BTS
- “GREENGREEN” by CORTIS
- “I.O.I: LOOP” by I.O.I
- “MAMIHLAPINATAPAI” by ILLIT
- “REVIVE+” by IVE
- “Delulu Pack” by KiiiKiii
- “LOVE CATCHER” by YENA
Song Of The Year
- “LEMONADE” by aespa
- “Paradise of Rumors” by AKMU
- “SWIM” by BTS
- “REDRED” by CORTIS
- “RUDE!” by Hearts2Hearts
- “Suddenly” by I.O.I
- “It’s Me” by ILLIT
- “404 (New Era)” by KiiiKiii
- “BANG BANG” by IVE
- “Catch Catch” by YENA
Artist Of The Year
- AKMU
- BTS
- CORTIS
- Hearts2Hearts
- I.O.I
- ILLIT
- IVE
- KiiiKiii
- NCT WISH
- PLAVE
Top 10 (Bonsang winners)
- PLAVE
- NCT WISH
- KiiiKiii
- IVE
- I.O.I
- ILLIT
- CORTIS
- Hearts2Hearts
- BTS
- AKMU
Best Pop Artist
- Ariana Grande
- Bruno Mars
- Charlie Puth
- KATSEYE
- Tame Impala
Best Male Group
- BOYNEXTDOOR
- BTS
- CORTIS
- NCT WISH
- PLAVE
Best Female Group
- aespa
- Hearts2Hearts
- ILLIT
- IVE
- KiiiKiii
Best Male Solo
- BIG Naughty
- Lee Chang Sub
- Lim Young Woong
- SoonSoonHee (Jihwan)
- Young K
Best Female Solo
- BOL4
- IU
- JENNIE
- TAEYEON
- YENA
Best New Artist
- ALPHA DRIVE ONE
- HADES
- LNGSHOT
- SYSTEM SEOUL
- TUIDE
Best OST
- Love Language (Can This Love Be Translated?) by Kim Min Seok (MeloMance)
- Love Is Enough (Original) (Sold Out On You) by PLAVE
- Anytime anyhow (Surely Tomorrow) by Sung AI Kyung
- Love is (Wild Sing) by TRIANGLE
- EVERGLOW (Perfect Crown) by WOODZ
Global Top 10
- aespa
- BABYMONSTER
- BIGBANG
- BLACKPINK
- BOYNEXTDOOR
- BTS
- CORTIS
- ENHYPEN
- EXO
- G-DRAGON
- Hearts2Hearts
- i-dle
- ILLIT
- IU
- IVE
- Jennie
- LE SSERAFIM
- NCT DREAM
- NCT WISH
- NewJeans
- NMIXX
- RESCENE
- RIIZE
- Rosè
- SEVENTEEN
- Stray Kids
- TWICE
- TWS
- TOMORROW X TOGETHER
- YENA
TrackZero Choice
- DeVita – Tricycle
- Electron Sheep – Kids Return
- Goat’s Horn, Dog’s Heart – Goat’s Horn, Dog’s Heart
- Haepa – Model Citizen
- Kangziwon – lemon
- NokeNok – Summer Break
- Silica Gel – BIG VOID
- SUMIN – +82
- wave to earth – courage
- youra – BATHTUB
Voting and Winner Selection Criteria
Winners in most categories are determined by a weighted formula combining digital music performance, judge evaluations, and fan votes. According to the published breakdown, the standard split is 60% digital score, 20% judge panel review, and 20% fan voting.
The Track Zero Choice category uses a different formula: 20% digital score, 60% judge review, and 20% fan voting.
Certain awards, including Record of the Year and Global-K of the Year, are determined entirely by judge panel review at 100%.
Fan voting for the TOP10 category closed on October 29. Voting for the remaining categories stays open through November 13.
The general eligibility period covers digital tracks released between November 20, 2025, and October 14, 2026.
Where to Watch the 2026 Melon Music Awards
International fans will also be able to watch the ceremony through official streaming platforms, although availability depends on the country.
The announced broadcast platforms include:
- South Korea: Melon and Wavve
- Japan: U-NEXT
- Taiwan: TVBS
- Global audience: 1theK and the Melon YouTube channel
Some countries may not have access to every streaming option.