Nominations Land for the 2026 MAMA AWARDS
Soompi reported on October 12 that the 2026 MAMA AWARDS nominations have been announced. The ceremony will take place in Osaka on November 21 and 22. The first round of voting for the Fans' Choice nominees is already open and runs through October 22 at 11:59 p.m. KST.
For K-pop fans, this marks the start of the year-end awards season, with a direct opportunity to influence one set of winners. The nominations cover a wide range of categories, from Best New Artist to Album of the Year, and they reflect music released between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026. That eligibility window sets the competitive field for every category except those determined by fan votes alone.
The announcement also signals the beginning of a month-long voting period that will culminate in the two-night ceremony in Osaka. As the source notes, the MAMA AWARDS has returned for another year, continuing its role as a major fixture in the K-pop calendar.
The Eligibility Window That Shapes the Race
The eligibility period for the 2026 MAMA AWARDS is a crucial detail. Only music released between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026 can be considered. That roughly year-long window means the awards will honour a specific slice of K-pop output, and the timing of a release can matter as much as its reception.
An album or single that arrived early in the window had more time to accumulate streams, downloads and physical sales, while a release in September 2026 had less time to build momentum before the cut-off. The source does not specify how the judging panels weigh this timing, but the criteria show that streaming, sales and jury evaluation all play a role.
The window also explains why some popular artists from previous years are absent: their eligible releases fell outside the period. For fans, the window provides a way to understand which comebacks and debuts are in contention. It also means the nominations are a snapshot of a particular year in music, not a ranking of all active artists.
How the Winners Are Decided: Jury, Streaming and Sales
The MAMA AWARDS uses different criteria for different categories. For Artist of the Year and the Artist Category Awards, the breakdown is 40% jury evaluation, 30% streaming and downloads, and 30% physical album sales. The streaming and download portion is split evenly between Korea and global markets, 15% each.
For Song of the Year and the Genre Category Awards, the weighting shifts to 50% jury evaluation and 50% streaming and downloads, again split 25% Korea and 25% global. Album of the Year is decided by 40% jury evaluation and 60% physical album sales, but only albums that sold at least one million copies are eligible.
Best Music Video and Best Choreography are judged entirely by a jury, with no fan or commercial component. Best Song Top 10 is determined 100% by streaming and downloads, split 50% Korea and 50% global. These different formulas mean that a win in one category can reflect a very different kind of achievement from a win in another. The criteria also show where fan activity can have the most impact, particularly through streaming and, for the Fans' Choice awards, direct voting.
The Million-Seller Bar for Album of the Year
Album of the Year has a notably high threshold: only albums that sold over one million copies are eligible. The source lists the nominated albums, which include releases from &TEAM, aespa, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, ATEEZ, BLACKPINK, BOYNEXTDOOR, BTS, CORTIS, ENHYPEN, EXO, IVE, NCT DREAM, NCT WISH, PLAVE, RIIZE, Stray Kids, TWS and TXT. The list spans established acts and newer groups, showing that million-selling albums are no longer limited to a handful of veteran artists.
Because physical sales make up 60% of the Album of the Year criteria, the award recognises commercial success alongside artistic merit. That makes the category a measure of both popularity and production. For fans, the list is a reminder of how central physical albums remain to K-pop's business model, even as streaming dominates listening habits.
The source does not provide individual sales figures for each nominated album, so the relative scale of their commercial performance is not clear from the nominations alone. What is clear is that the one-million mark remains a significant achievement.
Fans' Choice Voting: Two Rounds and Two Platforms
The Fans' Choice categories give fans a direct say. Round 1 of voting is open now and runs through October 22 at 11:59 p.m. KST. From this round, 20 artists will be selected for each of the Fans' Choice Male and Fans' Choice Female categories, and they will move on to Round 2. That second round takes place from October 28 at 6 p.m. KST through November 18 at 11:59 p.m. KST.
The voting weight is 90% Mnet Plus votes and 10% X votes. For Fans' Choice of the Year, the same 90% Mnet Plus and 10% X weighting applies, with an additional 10% from live Mnet Plus votes. This means Mnet Plus is the primary platform for fans who want to make their vote count.
The source does not include any voting tallies or indicate which artists are leading in either round. The two-round structure rewards sustained campaigning, because artists who advance to Round 2 will need continued support over a longer period. The Fans' Choice lists are extensive, covering a broad range of male and female artists, from veterans to rookies. Fans can find the full lists on the source article, but the key takeaway is that voting is now open and the first cut-off is October 22.
Notable Nominees Across the Categories
The nominations reveal a wide field. Best New Artist features ten nominees: ALPHA DRIVE ONE, AND2BLE, EVAN, H//PE Princess, hrtz.wav, LNGSHOT, MODYSSEY, OURBIRTHDAY, TUIDE and UNCHILD. Best Male Artist includes Doh Kyung Soo, Taeyang, Taeyong, Yeonjun and Young K. Best Female Artist nominees are Hwasa, Irene, Soyeon, Taeyeon and Yena.
In the group categories, Best Male Group includes ATEEZ, BIGBANG, BTS, CORTIS, ENHYPEN, NCT WISH, Stray Kids and TXT, while Best Female Group features aespa, BABYMONSTER, BLACKPINK, Hearts2Hearts, ILLIT, IVE, LE SSERAFIM and NMIXX. Some artists appear across multiple categories. BTS is nominated for Best Male Group, Best Vocal Performance Group for 'SWIM', Best Music Video for '2.0' and Album of the Year for 'ARIRANG'. BLACKPINK appears in Best Female Group and Album of the Year for 'DEADLINE'.
Hwasa is nominated for Best Female Artist, Best Vocal Performance Solo for 'Good Goodbye' and Best Music Video for 'Good Goodbye'.
The nominations also cover rap, OST, collaboration, band performance, choreography and dance categories, showing the breadth of the eligibility period. The source provides the full nominee list for each category.
What the Ceremony in Osaka Represents
The 2026 MAMA AWARDS will be held in Osaka on November 21 and 22. The two-day format suggests a substantial event, with multiple performances and award presentations across the weekend. Osaka is a major city in Japan, a country that has long been a significant market for K-pop. Hosting the ceremony there gives the awards a global stage and reflects the international reach of the genre.
The source does not detail the schedule for each night, so it is not yet clear which categories will be presented on which day. What is clear is that the ceremony will bring together artists from across the eligibility period, and the results will depend on the combination of jury evaluation, streaming, sales and, in the Fans' Choice categories, fan votes.
The MAMA AWARDS has a history of staging ambitious performances, and this year's event in Osaka is likely to be another focal point for K-pop fans worldwide. The nominations provide the first look at who might be recognised on those two nights.
What to Watch as Voting Continues
The immediate priority for fans who want to participate is the Fans' Choice Round 1 vote, which closes on October 22 at 11:59 p.m. KST. After that, the top 20 artists in each of the male and female categories will move to Round 2, running from October 28 to November 18. The ceremony itself takes place on November 21 and 22 in Osaka.
Between now and then, the main developments will be the release of Round 2 results and the final winners, which are determined by the weighted criteria outlined earlier. The nominations offer a clear view of the year's K-pop landscape, from established stars to fresh faces. Fans who want to follow the race closely should keep an eye on Mnet Plus for voting updates and on the official MAMA AWARDS channels for further announcements.
Ultimately, the 2026 MAMA AWARDS will recognise a year of releases, and the nominations give fans plenty to discuss while voting continues.
