The 35th Seoul Music Awards brought together K-pop’s biggest names on June 20, 2026, at Incheon’s Inspire Arena. ATEEZ walked away with the night’s highest honor, the Daesang (Grand Prize), while BOYNEXTDOOR, LE SSERAFIM, ZEROBASEONE, and BTS also scored major wins during the ceremony.
ATEEZ Takes Home the Daesang
The eight-member group ATEEZ claimed the prestigious Daesang, the Seoul Music Awards’ most important award. The group also picked up a Bonsang (Main Prize), making it a double-win night for them.
This win places ATEEZ alongside past Daesang recipients like BTS, EXO, Girls’ Generation, and Super Junior. The group’s victory at the 35th edition of the ceremony, which started in 1990, marks a high point in their career.
BOYNEXTDOOR Leads with Four Awards
BOYNEXTDOOR had the biggest haul of the night, securing four trophies across different categories. The group won:
- Best Album Award
- World Best Artist Award
- R&B/Hip-Hop Award
- Bonsang (Main Prize)
The group shared their excitement, saying:
“Thanks to the Seoul Music Awards, we’ve achieved four wins. We’ve worked tirelessly from last year to this year. We always discuss creating good songs and experimenting with new music, and receiving such wonderful awards makes this even more meaningful.”
Their first full album HOME, released on June 8, became a four-time consecutive million-seller in initial sales, topping domestic charts and ranking on Billboard Japan and Oricon Japan.
LE SSERAFIM Wins Triple Crown
LE SSERAFIM (KIM CHAEWON, SAKURA, HUH YUNJIN, KAZUHA, HONG EUNCHAE) achieved a triple crown at the ceremony. They won:
- Best Song Award for “Spaghetti (feat. j-hope of BTS)”
- World Best Artist Award
- Bonsang (Main Prize)
The members, who won the Rookie of the Year award at the same ceremony in 2023, have now become central figures at the event. During their acceptance speech, they said:
“We dream of becoming the best singers in the world and are working hard. Thanks to FEARNOT, we feel like we’re getting closer to that dream.”
The group performed “SPAGHETTI (feat. j-hope of BTS)” and “BOOMPALA” from their second full album released on May 22.
ZEROBASEONE Collects Three Trophies
ZEROBASEONE also had a successful night, winning three awards:
- Best Album Award
- Best Group Award
- Bonsang (Main Prize)
- OST Award (member Sung Hanbin)
Lee Chan-won’s Four-Win Night
Trot singer Lee Chan-won matched BOYNEXTDOOR’s four-win total. He claimed:
- SMA Best Artist Award
- Popularity Award
- Trot Award
- Bonsang (Main Prize)
The SMA Best Artist category was newly introduced for the 35th anniversary and decided entirely by fan voting.
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BTS and Other Major Winners
BTS continued their legacy at the Seoul Music Awards by winning the Hallyu Special Award. BTS remains the most-awarded artist in the ceremony’s history with 33 total wins.
Other notable winners include:
- Golden Revival Award (new category): EXO
- New Icon Award (new category): D.O. (EXO)
- K-Pop World Choice (Group): Super Junior
- K-Pop World Choice (Solo): Yeonjun (TXT)
- Rookie of the Year: Alpha Drive One, AHOF, Close Your Eyes, IDID
- SMA Global Rookie Award: idntt, MODYSSEY, SAY MY NAME
- Best Performance Award: izna, xikers
- SMA Legend Award: Roo’ra
Full Winners List
Here is the complete list of winners from the 35th Seoul Music Awards:
- Grand Prize (Daesang): ATEEZ
- Best Song Award: LE SSERAFIM (“Spaghetti” feat. j-hope of BTS)
- Best Album Award: BOYNEXTDOOR, ZEROBASEONE
- Bonsang (Main Prize): Alpha Drive One, ATEEZ, BOYNEXTDOOR, Dayoung (WJSN), Hearts2Hearts, KiiiKiii, Kwon Eun-bi, LE SSERAFIM, Lee Chan-won, ZEROBASEONE
- World Best Artist: BOYNEXTDOOR, LE SSERAFIM
- SMA Best Artist: Lee Chan-won
- Popularity Award: Lee Chan-won
- Trot Award: Lee Chan-won
- Rookie of the Year: Alpha Drive One, AHOF, Close Your Eyes, IDID
- SMA Global Rookie Award: idntt, MODYSSEY, SAY MY NAME
- New Icon Award: D.O. (EXO)
- Golden Revival Award: EXO
- Hallyu Special Award: BTS
- Best Group: ZEROBASEONE
- Best Solo Artist: Dayoung (WJSN)
- R&B/Hip-Hop Award: BOYNEXTDOOR
- OST Award: Sung Han-bin (ZEROBASEONE)
- Rock/Ballad Award: Hanroro
- Band Award: Dragon Pony
- Best Performance Award: izna, xikers
- K-Pop World Choice (Group): Super Junior
- K-Pop World Choice (Solo): Yeonjun (TXT)
- SMA Legend Award: Roo’ra
The ceremony was hosted by Super Junior’s Leeteuk, ZEROBASEONE’s Park Gun-wook, and KiiiKiii’s Leesol. Actors Song Joong-ki and Go Yoon-jung also attended as presenters.
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