Mnet released the MAMA 2026 nomination announcements on October 12. BTS earned a Best Vocal Performance Group nomination for “SWIM,” while LE SSERAFIM and j-hope are nominated for Best Collaboration with “SPAGHETTI.”
The ceremony will take place on November 20–21 at Kyocera Dome Osaka, Japan, with a worldwide stream on Mnet Plus, CJ ENM confirmed.
Fans’ Choice voting dates
Voting takes place on Mnet Plus and X. MAMA’s official voting and judging notice gives the following timetable. All dates are in 2026 and all times are KST.
| Round | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| First | Oct 12, 19:00 | Oct 22, 23:59 |
| Second | Oct 28, 18:00 | Nov 8, 23:59 |
Both rounds use 90% Mnet Plus votes and 10% X votes. The eligible release period is October 1, 2025–September 30, 2026.
Artist and group nominees
Artist-category awards use 40% jury evaluation, 30% streaming and downloads, and 30% physical album sales. The digital portion is split equally between Korean and global results.
Best New Artist 10
- ALPHA DRIVE ONE
- AND2BLE
- EVAN
- H//PE Princess
- hrtz.wav
- LNGSHOT
- MODYSSEY
- OURBIRTHDAY
- TUIDE
- UNCHILD
Best Male Artist 5
- Doh Kyung Soo
- Taeyang
- Taeyong
- Yeonjun
- Young K (DAY6)
Best Female Artist 5
- Hwasa
- Irene
- Soyeon
- Taeyeon
- Yena
Best Male Group 8
- ATEEZ
- BIGBANG
- BTS
- CORTIS
- ENHYPEN
- NCT WISH
- Stray Kids
- TXT
Best Female Group 8
- aespa
- BABYMONSTER
- BLACKPINK
- Hearts2Hearts
- ILLIT
- IVE
- LE SSERAFIM
- NMIXX
Song and performance nominees
Genre awards use 50% jury evaluation and 50% streaming and downloads, with the digital portion split equally between Korea and global results. Best Choreography is decided entirely by jury evaluation.
Best Vocal Performance Solo 5
- Hwasa — “Good Goodbye”
- IU — “Unknown Planet”
- Jennie — “Less than a Lover”
- Roy Kim — “No Words Can Say”
- WOODZ — “CINEMA”
Best Vocal Performance Group 5
- AKMU — “Paradise of Rumors”
- BTS — “SWIM”
- Davichi — “TIME CAPSULE”
- DxS (SEVENTEEN) — “Blue”
- MAMAMOO — “4 Flowers”
Best Rap & Hip Hop Performance 5
- BIG Naughty — “Nostalgia”
- HAON — “Yarrr”
- NOWIMYOUNG — “KOLOK COLOK”
- TREASURE — “IF I”
- Zico, Lilas — “DUET”
Best OST 5
- Kim Min Seok (MeloMance) — “Love Language” (“Can This Love Be Translated?” OST)
- Migak Boys — “My Flavor” (“The Legend of Kitchen Soldier” OST)
- Sung Si Kyung — “Anytime anyhow” (“Surely Tomorrow” OST)
- Suzy — “A Day” (“EXchange 4” OST)
- Young K (DAY6) — “Season of Us” (“My Royal Nemesis” OST)
Best Music Video 5
- BIGBANG — “BiiiG”
- BTS — “2.0”
- Hwasa — “Good Goodbye”
- i-dle — “Mono (Feat. skaiwater)”
- MEOVV — “DDI RO RI”
Best Collaboration 5
- aespa — “WDA (Whole Different Animal) (Feat. G-Dragon)”
- Dayoung X Jay Park — “FLIRTY”
- LE SSERAFIM — “SPAGHETTI (Feat. j-hope)”
- LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT, KATSEYE — “ICONIC BY MISTAKE”
- Parc Jae Jung & Sullyoon (NMIXX) — “Always”
Best Band Performance 5
- Silica Gel — “BIG VOID”
- JANNABI — “Just Kids”
- LUCY — “All Ages”
- QWER — “CEREMONY”
- Xdinary Heroes — “Voyager”
Best Choreography 5
- ATEEZ — “BAD”
- CORTIS — “REDRED”
- ILLIT — “It’s Me”
- IVE — “BANG BANG”
- Yena — “Catch Catch”
Best Dance Performance Male Solo 5
- Onew — “TOUGH LOVE”
- Taemin — “FLOAT”
- Taeyang — “LIVE FAST DIE SLOW”
- Taeyong — “WYLD”
- Yeonjun — “Ice Cream”
Best Dance Performance Female Solo 5
- BIBI — “BUMPA”
- Dayoung — “What’s a girl to do”
- Soyeon — “I’m gonna TOESA”
- Yena — “Catch Catch”
- Yuna (ITZY) — “Ice Cream”
Best Dance Performance Male Group 8
- ATEEZ — “BAD”
- BIGBANG — “BiiiG”
- BOYNEXTDOOR — “Hollywood Action”
- CORTIS — “REDRED”
- RIIZE — “Do your dance”
- Stray Kids — “This & That”
- TWS — “OVERDRIVE”
- ZEROBASEONE — “TOP 5”
Best Dance Performance Female Group 8
- aespa — “LEMONADE”
- Hearts2Hearts — “RUDE!”
- I.O.I — “Suddenly”
- ILLIT — “It’s Me”
- IVE — “BANG BANG”
- KiiiKiii — “404 (New Era)”
- LE SSERAFIM — “SPAGHETTI (Feat. j-hope)”
- NMIXX — “Blue Valentine”
Grand-prize nominations
Artist of the Year 36
Artist of the Year uses 40% jury evaluation, 30% streaming and downloads, and 30% physical album sales.
- aespa
- ALPHA DRIVE ONE
- AND2BLE
- ATEEZ
- BABYMONSTER
- BIGBANG
- BLACKPINK
- BTS
- CORTIS
- Doh Kyung Soo
- ENHYPEN
- EVAN
- H//PE Princess
- Hearts2Hearts
- hrtz.wav
- Hwasa
- ILLIT
- Irene
- IVE
- LE SSERAFIM
- LNGSHOT
- MODYSSEY
- NCT WISH
- NMIXX
- OURBIRTHDAY
- Soyeon
- Stray Kids
- Taeyang
- Taeyeon
- Taeyong
- TUIDE
- TXT
- UNCHILD
- Yena
- Yeonjun
- Young K
Album of the Year 18
Album of the Year uses 60% physical album sales and 40% jury evaluation.
- &TEAM — “Mark on Me”
- aespa — “LEMONADE”
- ALPHA DRIVE ONE — “EUPHORIA”
- ATEEZ — “GOLDEN HOUR : Part.5”
- BLACKPINK — “DEADLINE”
- BOYNEXTDOOR — “The Action”
- BTS — “ARIRANG”
- CORTIS — “GREENGREEN”
- ENHYPEN — “THE SIN : VANISH”
- EXO — “REVERXE”
- IVE — “REVIVE+”
- NCT DREAM — “Beat It Up”
- NCT WISH — “Ode to Love”
- PLAVE — “Caligo Pt.2”
- RIIZE — “II”
- Stray Kids — “THIS & THAT”
- TWS — “NO TRAGEDY”
- TXT — “7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns”
Song of the Year and Best Song Top 10
Song of the Year uses 40% jury evaluation and 60% streaming and downloads, split into 30% Korean and 30% global results. Best Song Top 10 is based entirely on streaming and downloads, split equally between Korean and global results. A separate Song of the Year shortlist is not included in the nomination list available for this guide.
Fans’ Choice of the Year
Fans’ Choice of the Year uses a 90% Mnet Plus and 10% social-media voting base, with an additional 10% live Mnet Plus voting component. Our MAMA awards guide covers previous grand-prize winners.
Fans’ Choice first-round nominees
Fans’ Choice Male 50
- &TEAM
- 82MAJOR
- 8TURN
- AEN
- AHOF
- ALPHA DRIVE ONE
- AND2BLE
- ATEEZ
- AxMxP
- B1A4
- BIGBANG
- BOYNEXTDOOR
- BTS
- CLOSE YOUR EYES
- CNBLUE
- CORTIS
- CRAVITY
- DAY6
- ENHYPEN
- EVAN
- EVNNE
- EXO
- FLARE U
- hrtz.wav
- Hui
- IDID
- JANNABI
- Jay Park
- KickFlip
- LNGSHOT
- NCT 127
- NCT DREAM
- NCT WISH
- NEXZ
- NouerA
- Park Ji Hoon
- PLAVE
- RIIZE
- SEVENTEEN
- SHINee
- Stray Kids
- Super Junior
- TREASURE
- TWS
- TXT
- WOODZ
- XLOV
- XODIAC
- ZEROBASEONE
- Zico
Fans’ Choice Female 50
- aespa
- AKMU
- ALLDAY PROJECT
- Apink
- APOKI
- ARTMS
- AtHeart
- Baby DONT Cry
- BABYMONSTER
- BIBI
- Billlie
- BLACKPINK
- Chuu
- CSR
- DAVICHI
- Dayoung
- dodree
- EJel
- FIFTY FIFTY
- fromis_9
- HANRORO
- Hearts2Hearts
- i-dle
- I.O.I
- ILLIT
- ITZY
- IVE
- izna
- Kep1er
- KiiiKiii
- KISS OF LIFE
- LE SSERAFIM
- Lee Young Ji
- MAMAMOO
- MEOVV
- Mimi
- NMIXX
- Red Velvet
- RESCENE
- Taeyeon
- TUIDE
- TWICE
- UNIS
- VVUP
- X:IN
- Yena
- Yoon Mi Rae
- Yoona
- Younha
- Yuju
