MMA 2026 Announces TOP10 Winners and Opens Major Award Voting

The 2026 Melon Music Awards (MMA 2026) has confirmed its TOP10 winners and revealed the nominees competing across 12 fan-influenced award categories, officially opening the next stage of voting ahead of November’s ceremony.

Melon announced the results on October 30, following the conclusion of TOP10 voting, which ran from October 15 through October 29.

The ten artists receiving this year’s TOP10 honors are AKMU, BTS, CORTIS, Hearts2Hearts, I.O.I, ILLIT, IVE, KiiiKiii, NCT WISH and PLAVE.

All ten now form the nominee field for Artist of the Year, one of the ceremony’s most prominent awards.

The announcement brings together established K-pop names and newer groups that have made an impact on Melon’s charts throughout the eligibility period.

BTS enters the major categories with its fifth studio album ARIRANG and title track “SWIM,” while IVE’s REVIVE+ and “BANG BANG” are also represented among the leading nominations.

AKMU’s FLOWERING, CORTIS’ GREENGREEN, I.O.I’s I.O.I : LOOP and ILLIT’s MAMIHLAPINATAPAI are among the contenders for Album of the Year.

The Album of the Year field also includes aespa’s LEMONADE, ALLDAY PROJECT’s self-titled release, KiiiKiii’s Delulu Pack and Yena’s LOVE CATCHER.

Song of the Year brings another competitive lineup, including BTS’ “SWIM,” aespa’s “LEMONADE,” Hearts2Hearts’ “RUDE!,” CORTIS’ “REDRED,” I.O.I’s “Suddenly,” ILLIT’s “It’s Me” and KiiiKiii’s “404 (New Era).”

The New Artist of the Year category features five nominees: ALPHA DRIVE ONE, HADES, LNGSHOT, SYSTEM SEOUL and TUIDE.

Beyond the major awards, the newly opened voting covers female and male solo performers, female and male groups, original soundtracks, international pop artists and the TrackZero Choice category, which recognizes distinctive musical styles.

A separate Global TOP10 competition features 30 nominated artists, including BLACKPINK, EXO, SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, TWICE, TXT, ENHYPEN and LE SSERAFIM, alongside several of the domestic TOP10 winners. Voting for the global category is available through Melon and the international fan platform Berriz.

The TOP10 honors are already confirmed, but the major award winners have not yet been decided.

For most categories involving fan voting, Melon calculates the final result using 60 percent digital music performance, 20 percent panel evaluation and 20 percent fan votes.

TrackZero Choice uses a different balance, placing 60 percent of the score with the judging panel, 20 percent with digital performance and 20 percent with voting. Certain other awards, including Record of the Year, are determined entirely by panel review.

The main eligibility period covers music released between November 20, 2025 and October 14, 2026, with separate assessment periods for selected categories.

Category voting runs from October 30 through November 13.

MMA 2026 will take place at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on November 14 and 15, marking the first two-day ceremony in the event’s history.

With its TOP10 already determined and the remaining races now open, the awards enter their final voting period before the winners are revealed next month.