MAMA Awards 2026 nominees out: BTS, BIGBANG, aespa in race for Osaka shows
Representative image: Pexels / Pixabay
The 2026 MAMA Awards named nominees on 12 October 2026, with BTS, BIGBANG, BLACKPINK and aespa in the running; fan voting is open ahead of Osaka shows on 20-21 November.
What Happened
The MAMA Awards, the yearly K-pop prize show run by South Korean entertainment group CJ ENM, revealed its 2026 nominees through a livestream on Monday, 12 October 2026, and opened the first round of Fans' Choice voting the same day. BTS, BIGBANG, BLACKPINK, Stray Kids and aespa are among the acts in the main group categories. The ceremony will be staged over two nights, 20 and 21 November, at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Japan, CJ ENM has said, with a live worldwide stream on its Mnet Plus platform.
Key Facts
- Nominees were announced by livestream on 12 October 2026; Fans' Choice voting began the same day.
- The first voting round runs from 12 to 22 October (Korea time). The top 20 acts in the male and female Fans' Choice categories move on to a second round from 28 October to 18 November.
- Fans' Choice results are weighted 90% on Mnet Plus votes and 10% on votes cast on X.
- Best Male Group nominees include ATEEZ, BIGBANG, BTS, CORTIS, ENHYPEN, NCT WISH, Stray Kids and TXT.
- Best Female Group nominees include aespa, BABYMONSTER, BLACKPINK, Hearts2Hearts, ILLIT, IVE, LE SSERAFIM and NMIXX.
- Solo nominees include Taeyang, Taeyong, Yeonjun, Young K and D.O. (Doh Kyung Soo) for Best Male Artist, and Hwasa, Irene, Soyeon, Taeyeon and Yena for Best Female Artist.
- Releases from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026 were eligible.
- The show is sponsored by Visa and will be held at Kyocera Dome Osaka on 20 and 21 November 2026.
Why It Matters
The MAMA Awards have grown from a domestic music show into a major annual event for the Korean pop industry, and the nominee list works as a scorecard for the past twelve months. This year's list stands out for its mix of generations. BIGBANG, one of the genre's veteran groups, sits in the same category as BTS and newer acts such as CORTIS and NCT WISH. Taeyang, a BIGBANG member, also appears in the solo male field.
Collaborations also feature strongly. One collaboration nominee pairs aespa with G-Dragon on the track "WDA", and another, LE SSERAFIM's "SPaghetti", features BTS member J-Hope. BTS also picked up nods for its song "SWIM" in the Best Vocal Performance Group category and for "2.0" in Best Music Video, where BIGBANG's "BiiiG" is also nominated. Such pairings let each act reach the other's fan base.
Holding the ceremony in a Japanese dome venue again shows how the organisers treat the show as an international event rather than a domestic one. The decision to stream both nights live worldwide on Mnet Plus points the same way: the audience the organisers are courting sits well beyond South Korea.
For readers in India who follow K-pop, the practical point is that the Fans' Choice prizes are decided by online votes. Because 90% of the weighting sits with Mnet Plus, fan communities that want to back an act will need to vote on that app rather than rely only on posts on X.
| Category | Selected nominees |
|---|---|
| Best Male Group | ATEEZ, BIGBANG, BTS, Stray Kids, TXT |
| Best Female Group | aespa, BABYMONSTER, BLACKPINK, IVE, LE SSERAFIM |
| Best Male Artist | D.O., Taeyang, Taeyong, Yeonjun, Young K |
| Best Female Artist | Hwasa, Irene, Soyeon, Taeyeon, Yena |
Impact
Short-term: Fan groups worldwide will now organise voting drives for the first round, which closes on 22 October (Korea time). Nominated songs such as "SWIM", "WDA" and "SPaghetti" are likely to get fresh attention during this window.
Long-term: The awards are one of the measures labels point to when judging a year's work. A strong showing for both veteran acts like BIGBANG and newer groups would suggest that the industry can sell its older catalogue and its new debuts at the same time.
Who is affected: K-pop artists and their agencies, CJ ENM and its Mnet Plus platform, sponsor Visa, the Osaka venue and local hospitality trade, and fans in Korea, Japan, India and elsewhere who vote and watch online.
Key Takeaway
The 2026 MAMA Awards nominee list, out on 12 October, sets BIGBANG against BTS and a new generation of groups ahead of two nights at Kyocera Dome Osaka on 20 and 21 November.
Questions and Answers
When and where will the 2026 MAMA Awards be held?
The ceremony takes place over two nights, 20 and 21 November 2026, at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Japan, and will be streamed live worldwide on Mnet Plus, according to organiser CJ ENM.
How does Fans' Choice voting work this year?
The first round runs from 12 to 22 October, Korea time. The top 20 male and top 20 female acts then go into a second round from 28 October to 18 November. Votes on Mnet Plus count for 90% and votes on X for 10%.
Which groups are nominated for Best Male Group?
The nominees include ATEEZ, BIGBANG, BTS, CORTIS, ENHYPEN, NCT WISH, Stray Kids and TXT.
Which releases were eligible for the 2026 awards?
Music released between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026 was eligible for consideration.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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