The 61st Baeksang Arts Awards are coming up in May and fans can’t wait to see who takes home the top honors. From film to TV, this prestigious awards show celebrates the best of the best in Korean entertainment.
The ‘61st Baeksang Arts Awards with Gucci’ Date
The ’61st Baeksang Arts Awards with Gucci’ will take center stage on May 5 at 8 PM KST at COEX D Hall in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Gucci returns for the third year in a row as the event’s partner, and fans can catch all the action live on JTBC, JTBC2, and JTBC4.
Starting this year, the ‘TV category’ will be renamed to the ‘Broadcast category’. They will expand its judging scope to include not only the three major terrestrial broadcasters but also cable, general programming, and OTT platforms.
Judging Period and Eligibility
The judging period for this year’s awards covers content aired or released between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025, including:
- TV shows and programs on terrestrial, general, cable, and OTT channels
- Korean feature films released in domestic theaters
- Stage plays performed during this time frame
To ensure fairness, works that overlapped with last year’s judging period will be considered for this year’s awards instead.
Broadcasting Category
- To be eligible, TV shows must have aired at least 4 episodes.
- For serialized content, only shows that aired for more than 1/3 of the judging period will be considered.
Nomination Criteria
- Rookie Award: Actors with 3 or fewer lead and supporting roles in their respective category (broadcasting or film) are eligible. Note that this is not related to the year of debut.
- Rookie Director Award (Film Category): Directors who made their feature film debut during the judging period are eligible.
- The “Gucci Impact Award” – It returns for its third year, recognizing directors across various genres who tackle social issues and promote positive change through their work.
- Theater Category – The theater category will also be evaluated within the same period. Awards in this category include Young Theater Award, Acting Award, and Baeksang Theater Award.
To achieve fairness, the organizers will start by gathering feedback from 60 industry experts through a preliminary survey. Then, a panel of judges – handpicked from recommendations by broadcasting, film, and theater insiders, will carefully select the finalists and winners.