The nominees for the 2026 MAMA Awards are out, and fans can now vote in the Fans’ Choice categories, according to Soompi. The nominations were announced on October 12, setting up one of the biggest pop award shows of the year.

The ceremony will be held in Osaka on November 20 and 21. The annual show is back for another year, and the lists cover everything from top acts to dance and vocal performances.

In Best Male Artist, the nominees are Doh Kyung Soo, Taeyang, Taeyong, Yeonjun and Young K of DAY6. The Best Female Artist field includes Hwasa, Irene, Soyeon, Taeyeon and Yena.

The Best Male Group category features ATEEZ, BIGBANG, BTS, CORTIS, ENHYPEN, NCT WISH, Stray Kids and TXT. Best Female Group includes aespa, BABYMONSTER, BLACKPINK, Hearts2Hearts, ILLIT, IVE, LE SSERAFIM and NMIXX.

Ten acts are competing for Best New Artist, among them ALPHA DRIVE ONE, EVAN, H//PE Princess, MODYSSEY and TUIDE. The Artist of the Year list is much longer, with the artist-category nominees automatically included.

The album race is also crowded. Nominees include BTS with ARIRANG, BLACKPINK with DEADLINE, IVE with REVIVE+, Stray Kids with THIS & THAT, and TXT with its 7TH YEAR release.

How do Fans’ Choice votes count?

According to Soompi, the Fans’ Choice Male and Female categories run in two rounds. In each round, 90 percent of the vote comes from Mnet Plus and 10 percent from X votes.

The first round closes October 22 at 11:59 p.m. KST. The 20 artists selected from the pre-vote in each category then move on to round two, which runs from October 28 at 6 p.m. KST through November 18 at 11:59 p.m. KST.

Fans’ Choice of the Year follows a similar split, with 90 percent Mnet Plus votes and 10 percent X votes. An additional 10 percent comes from live Mnet Plus votes.

Votes are not the only factor for the main prizes. For Artist of the Year, the score is 40 percent jury evaluation, 30 percent streaming and downloads, and 30 percent physical album sales. Streaming is split evenly between Korea and global listening.

Song of the Year is weighted 50 percent to the jury and 50 percent to streaming and downloads. Album of the Year gives the jury 40 percent and physical album sales 60 percent, but only albums that sold at least 1 million copies are eligible.

Best Music Video and Best Choreography are decided entirely by the jury. Best Song Top 10 is decided entirely by streaming and downloads, with half from Korea and half from global listeners.

Eligibility has a clear window. The music must have been released between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026.

The performance categories are broad. Hwasa’s Good Goodbye appears on both the Best Vocal Performance Solo list and the Best Music Video list, while IU, Jennie, Roy Kim and WOODZ fill out the solo vocal field. The Best Vocal Performance Group list includes AKMU, BTS, Davichi, DxS and MAMAMOO.

Dance fans will find plenty to follow too. Best Dance Performance Male Group includes ATEEZ, BIGBANG, BOYNEXTDOOR, CORTIS, RIIZE, Stray Kids, TWS and ZEROBASEONE, while the female group list runs from aespa and Hearts2Hearts to IVE and LE SSERAFIM.

Next up, round one of Fans’ Choice voting closes October 22. Round two opens October 28 and runs until November 18, and the winners are presented in Osaka on November 20 and 21.

Quick answers

When is the 2026 MAMA Awards ceremony?
The ceremony will take place in Osaka on November 20 and 21, according to Soompi.

When does Fans’ Choice voting close?
Round one closes October 22 at 11:59 p.m. KST, and round two runs from October 28 at 6 p.m. KST through November 18 at 11:59 p.m. KST.

Which music is eligible for the 2026 MAMA Awards?
Music must have been released between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026.

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Source: Soompi