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The race is officially on. The 2026 MAMA Awards revealed its nominees on October 12, 2026, and fan voting opened the same day.
This year's ceremony will take place over two nights, November 20 and 21, at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Japan. Here is what international fans need to know about the top nominees, the voting schedule and how winners are decided.
Artist of the Year Nominees
Artist of the Year is one of the ceremony's grand prizes, known in Korean as daesang. This year's lineup brings together veteran acts and newer global stars:
- BTS
- BLACKPINK
- BIGBANG
- Stray Kids
- ENHYPEN
- aespa
The list reflects a big year for several groups. BTS returned with ARIRANG, BLACKPINK released DEADLINE, and BIGBANG celebrated its 20th anniversary with new music and a world tour.
Album of the Year Nominees
The Album of the Year category has 18 nominees, according to The Korea Herald. They include:
- BTS — ARIRANG
- BLACKPINK — DEADLINE
- Stray Kids — This & That
- EXO — Reverxe
- ATEEZ — Golden Hour: Part.5
- ENHYPEN — THE SIN: VANISH
Song of the Year nominees had not been finalized as of October 13, according to The Korea Herald.
Which Music Is Eligible?
This year's awards cover music released between October 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026. That window includes many of the year's biggest comebacks and debuts.
How to Vote in the Fans' Choice Categories
The Fans' Choice categories are decided by fan voting. Votes are collected through Mnet Plus, CJ ENM's official app and website, and through X (formerly Twitter).
According to the official rules shared by Soompi, Mnet Plus votes count for 90 percent and X votes for 10 percent in the Fans' Choice Male and Female categories. Fans' Choice of the Year also adds live voting during the ceremony.
Voting Schedule
- Round 1: Now through October 22 at 11:59 p.m. KST (10:59 a.m. ET on October 22)
- Round 2: October 28 at 6 p.m. KST (5 a.m. ET) through November 18 at 11:59 p.m. KST (9:59 a.m. ET)
- Live voting: During the ceremony on November 20–21
After Round 1, the top 20 male acts and the top 20 female acts advance to Round 2. If your favorite artist is close to the cutoff, the first round matters.
Before voting, check the official Mnet Plus page for the current rules, daily vote limits and any account requirements.
How Are Winners Chosen?
Not every award is decided by fans. According to Soompi's breakdown of the official criteria:
- Artist of the Year: 40% jury, 30% streaming and downloads, 30% physical album sales
- Album of the Year: 40% jury and 60% physical album sales, for albums that sold at least 1 million copies
- Song of the Year: 50% jury and 50% streaming and downloads
- Best Music Video and Best Choreography: 100% jury
A new Best Song Top 10 category will rank the year's top songs by streaming and download performance.
Fans Are Already Debating the Nominations
As with every major awards season, the nominations have started conversations online. Some BTS fans on X questioned why the group did not appear in certain performance categories. Neither the organizers nor BTS's agency has commented on those reactions.
Fan debate is a normal part of awards season. It also shows how closely global audiences follow these honors.
Who Is Performing?
The first performer lineup has also been announced:
- November 20: ALPHA DRIVE ONE, BABYMONSTER, ENHYPEN, ILLIT, INI, NCT WISH and RESCENE
- November 21: CORTIS, KiiiKiii, LE SSERAFIM, Nayeon of TWICE and ZEROBASEONE
More performers may be added before the ceremony. The event will be streamed worldwide through Mnet Plus and other digital platforms.
Which artist are you voting for in this year's MAMA Awards?
Related Reading
More K-pop awards coverage on KoreaPopDesk
Sources and Further Reading
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