The 2026 D Awards wrapped up on February 11 at Korea Universityโs Hwajeong Gymnasium in Seoul, handing out trophies across nearly 40 categories to honor the past year in K-pop. Hosted by actors Lee Jong Won, Shin Ye Eun, and BOYNEXTDOORโs Jaehyun, the second annual ceremony split its honors into three colored tiersโBlack for the grand prizes, Blue for main awards, and Silver for rookies .
ENHYPEN walked away as the nightโs biggest winner, securing the Artist of the Year grand prize alongside trophies for Best Tour, Best Group, and the fan-voted UPICK Popularity Award for Best Male Group. Stray Kids took home Album of the Year, while BOYNEXTDOOR claimed Song of the Year. But the celebration was quickly followed by sharp criticism online, as fans noticed every single grand prize went to male artists .
All Black Label Grand Prize Winners at the 2026 D Awards
The Black Label trophies, also called Daesangs, represent the highest honors of the night. Unlike traditional awards that typically give out four or five grand prizes, the 2026 D Awards presented eight Daesang-level awards. Every single one went to a male act.
- Artist of the Year: ENHYPEN
- Album of the Year: Stray Kids
- Song of the Year: BOYNEXTDOOR
- Performance of the Year: NCT WISH
- Record of the Year: RIIZE
- Trend of the Year: TWS
- D Awards Global: P1Harmony
- D Awards Iconic: ZEROBASEONE
The absence of female artists in the grand prize lineup immediately sparked backlash. On social media, users pointed out that while girl groups have dominated charts and streaming platforms globally, the ceremony created eight separate Daesang categories yet excluded women entirely .
One user wrote:
โGirl groups have ruled the K-pop industry for years. Outside of two boy groups, no one really knows or listens to boy group songs. But look at this misogynistic societyโthey just invented a bunch of grand prizes so every boy group could grab one.โ
Another commenter added:
โNot a single female group? Koreaโs misogyny problem is insane.โ
Blue Label (Delights) and Main Category Winners
The Blue Label, also known as D Awards Delights, recognizes artists who delivered major impact over the past year. This section included specific craft awards for song, recording, video, and performance.
Best Song went to two tracks: NCT WISHโs โPopPopโ and iznaโs โSIGN.โ Best Recording honors were shared by P1Harmony for their album DUH! and BOYNEXTDOOR for The Action .
ZEROBASEONE picked up Best Video for โICONIK,โ and members Seok Matthew and Park Gunwook won Best OST for their track โBackpackerโ from the drama Study Group .
FIFTY FIFTY won Best Choreography for โPookie,โ known for its viral โfishing danceโ challenge. QWER took Best Band for the second year in a row .
Best Stage was awarded to xikers and NEXZ, while Best Social Content went to NCT WISH .
The Blue Label Bonsang main prize list included: 82MAJOR, AHOF, BOYNEXTDOOR, ENHYPEN, FIFTY FIFTY, izna, KickFlip, NCT WISH, NEXZ, P1Harmony, QWER, xikers, and ZEROBASEONE .
Silver Label: Rookie and Rising Star Awards
The Silver Label (Dreams) category focused entirely on new and emerging talent. AHOF dominated this section, winning both Best Male Rising Star and Discovery of the Year. The nine-member boy group also performed their song โPinocchio Hates Liesโ as a complete group for the first time on a major awards stage, marking the return of member ChihEn after his recovery .
Other Silver Label Dreams winners included KickFlip, CLOSE YOUR EYES, CORTIS, Hearts2Hearts, and ALLDAY PROJECT .
82MAJOR received the D Awards Breakthrough award, given to the team showing the most significant growth over the year .
Discovery of the Year honors went to AHOF, Hi-Fi Un!corn, Chuei Li Yu, and AxMxP .
UPICK Popularity Awards and Fan-Voted Winners
Fan votes played a major role in several categories through the UPICK app. ENHYPEN won Best Male Group Popularity, while BABYMONSTER took Best Female Group Popularity .
In the solo categories, BLACKPINKโs Jennie won Best Female Solo Popularity, and Chuei Li Yu won Best Male Solo Popularity. Chuei Li Yu also picked up the D Awards Remark trophy alongside AxMxP and Hi-Fi Un!corn .
UPICK Global Choiceโvoted by international fansโwent to ENHYPENโs Heeseung for male and aespaโs Karina for female .
Actor and Acting Awards at the 2026 D Awards
While the D Awards focus primarily on music, the ceremony also honors achievements in acting. D Awards Impact was presented to Ahn Hyo Seop, Jeon Yeo Been, and Lee Soo Ji for their contributions to Korean drama and film over the past year .
These actors joined the lineup of celebrity presenters that included Na Bo Ram, Park Ji Yeon, Bae In Hyuk, Hong Jong Hyun, Kangnam, and Kim Hae Jun .
Performance Highlights and Special Stages
More than 15,000 fans attended the live ceremony at Korea University, with additional viewers watching via Channel A and global streaming platforms .
AHOFโs nine-member complete stage was widely discussed as one of the eveningโs most memorable moments. The group performed โThe Little Star,โ โPinocchio Hates Lies,โ and โThe Sleeping Diaryโ in a medley format that showcased their full choreography for the first time since their debut .
KickFlip performed โCrushโ and โMy First Love Song,โ while NEXZ delivered โBeat-Boxerโ and โNext To Me.โ Chuei Li Yu teamed up with AxMxP for a collaborative stage of โSee You Laterโ .
ENHYPEN, ZEROBASEONE, BOYNEXTDOOR, and P1Harmony also performed, closing out the night with back-to-back hits .
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