The 2026 MAMA AWARDS nominations arrived on October 12, setting up a major showdown between BTS and BLACKPINK for Album of the Year. BTS earned six nominations for their album “ARIRANG,” while BLACKPINK scored a nod for “DEADLINE” in the same category. Fans can now vote for their favorites through Mnet Plus and X until October 22.
Ceremony Date, Venue, and Theme
The awards show will take place on November 20 and 21 at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Osaka, Japan. This marks the third time the ceremony will be held at the venue, following 2022 and 2024. CJ ENM announced the dates and location on March 31, 2026.
This year’s main concept is “A Music Interstellar.” The theme describes a journey through the stars of music, going beyond time and space. Organizers say the show will let audiences discover unexpected moments of excitement and feel the bright power of music. Visa returns as the title sponsor for the event.
How the Winners Are Decided
The MAMA AWARDS uses a mix of jury scores, music streaming data, album sales, and fan votes to pick winners. The eligibility window for this year covers releases from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026.
Here is the breakdown of the criteria:
- Artist of the Year and Artist Category Awards: 40% jury evaluation, 30% streaming and downloads (15% Korea + 15% global), 30% physical album sales.
- Song of the Year and Genre Category Awards: 50% jury evaluation, 50% streaming and downloads (25% Korea + 25% global).
- Album of the Year: 40% jury evaluation, 60% physical album sales (only for albums that sold at least 1 million copies).
- Best Music Video and Best Choreography: 100% jury evaluation.
- Best Song Top 10 (new category): 100% streaming and downloads (50% Korea + 50% global).
- Fans’ Choice Male/Female: 90% Mnet Plus votes, 10% X votes in both rounds.
- Fans’ Choice of the Year: 90% Mnet Plus votes, 10% X votes, plus an additional 10% from live Mnet Plus votes.
Fans Choice Voting Schedule and Steps
The first round of Fans’ Choice voting opened right after the nomination broadcast on October 12 at 6 PM KST. The round runs until October 22 at 11:59 PM KST. The 20 artists with the most votes in each of the Fans’ Choice Male and Fans’ Choice Female categories will move to the second round.
The second round will take place from October 28 at 6 PM KST through November 18 at 11:59 PM KST.
Fans can vote through the Mnet Plus app and on X using the hashtag #2026MAMAVOTE. Voting on X allows one vote per day per account during each round. The official Mnet Plus page has all the detailed schedules and rules.
Major Nominees Across Key Categories
The list of nominees includes some of the biggest names in K-pop, along with rising acts. Here are the main categories:
Best New Artist
- ALPHA DRIVE ONE
- AND2BLE
- EVAN
- H//PE Princess
- hrtz.wav
- LNGSHOT
- MODYSSEY
- OURBIRTHDAY
- TUIDE
- UNCHILD
Best Male Artist
- Doh Kyung Soo
- Taeyang
- Taeyong
- Yeonjun
- Young K
Best Female Artist
- Hwasa
- Irene
- Soyeon
- Taeyeon
- Yena
Best Male Group
- ATEEZ
- BIGBANG
- BTS
- CORTIS
- ENHYPEN
- NCT WISH
- Stray Kids
- TXT
Best Female Group
- aespa
- BABYMONSTER
- BLACKPINK
- Hearts2Hearts
- ILLIT
- IVE
- LE SSERAFIM
- NMIXX
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
Best Vocal Performance Solo
- Hwasa – “Good Goodbye”
- IU – “Unknown Planet”
- Jennie – “Less than a Lover”
- Roy Kim – “No Words Can Say”
- WOODZ – “CINEMA”
Best Vocal Performance Group
- AKMU – “Paradise of Rumors”
- BTS – “SWIM”
- Davichi – “TIME CAPSULE”
- DxS (SEVENTEEN) – “Blue”
- MAMAMOO – “4 Flowers”
Best Dance Performance Female Group
- I.O.I – “Suddenly”
- ILLIT – “It’s Me”
- aespa – “LEMONADE”
- Hearts2Hearts – “RUDE!”
- IVE – “BANG BANG”
- KiiiKiii – “404 (New Era)”
- LE SSERAFIM feat. j-hope – “SPAGHETTI”
- NMIXX – “Blue Valentine”
Best Dance Performance Male Group
- ATEEZ – “BAD”
- BIGBANG – “BiiiG”
- BOYNEXTDOOR – “Hollywood Action”
- CORTIS – “REDRED”
- RIIZE – “Do your dance”
- Stray Kids – “This & That”
- TWS – “OVERDRIVE”
- ZEROBASEONE – “TOP 5”
Best Music Video
- BIGBANG – “BiiiG”
- BTS – “2.0”
- Hwasa – “Good Goodbye”
- i-dle feat. skaiwater – “Mono”
- MEOVV – “DDI RO RI”
Best Collaboration
- aespa feat. G-Dragon – “WDA (Whole Different Animal)”
- Dayoung X Jay Park – “FLIRTY”
- LE SSERAFIM feat. j-hope – “SPAGHETTI”
- Parc Jae Jung and more
BTS Fans Question Dance Category Omissions
BTS received six nominations, including Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, Best Male Group, Fans’ Choice Male, Best Music Video for “2.0,” and Best Vocal Performance Group for “SWIM.”
However, the group did not appear in the Best Choreography or Best Dance Performance Male Group categories. Fans on X quickly pointed this out, with many mentioning “SWIM” and “2.0” as performances they felt deserved recognition.
“Nominations for Best Choreography and Best Dance Performance without 2.0 are literally a joke omg I’m laughing so hard” — @admirevjungkook on X, October 12, 2026
Another fan wrote: “bts not being nominated for best male dance or choreography….” — @parqueer on X, October 12, 2026
The Best Choreography list includes ILLIT’s “It’s Me,” ATEEZ’s “BAD,” CORTIS’ “REDRED,” IVE’s “BANG BANG,” and Yena’s “Catch Catch.” The Best Dance Performance Male Group list features ATEEZ, BIGBANG, BOYNEXTDOOR, CORTIS, RIIZE, Stray Kids, TWS, and ZEROBASEONE.
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First Round Voting Details for Global Fans
The first round of Fans’ Choice voting is open now and closes on October 22 at 11:59 PM KST. For global fans, that is:
- USA (Eastern Time): October 22 at 10:59 AM EDT
- USA (Pacific Time): October 22 at 7:59 AM PDT
- UK: October 22 at 3:59 PM BST
- Canada (Eastern Time): October 22 at 10:59 AM EDT
- Australia (Sydney): October 23 at 1:59 AM AEDT
- India (IST): October 22 at 8:29 PM IST
Voting happens through the Mnet Plus app and on X with the hashtag #2026MAMAVOTE. Each fan can vote once per day on X during each round. The Mnet Plus app allows voting after watching a short ad.
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Nomination Broadcast and Where to Watch
The nomination broadcast aired on October 12 at 6 PM KST on Mnet and Mnet Plus. Announcer Jang Ye-won and music critic Kim Yun-ha hosted the show. Fans could also watch through TVING and official YouTube channels including Mnet K-POP, Mnet TV, M2, and KCON official.
The 2026 MAMA AWARDS will take place on November 20 and 21 at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Japan. Voting for the second round of Fans’ Choice runs from October 28 to November 18.
Stay tuned to VvipTimes for more updates on the 2026 MAMA AWARDS as the ceremony approaches.
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