2026 MAMA Awards nominees: BTS, aespa, IVE and ATEEZ lead with 5 nods each; ceremony in Osaka on 20 and 21 November

The nominees for the 2026 MAMA Awards are out, and seven acts lead with five nominations each: BTS, ATEEZ, CORTIS, ILLIT, IVE, LE SSERAFIM and aespa. The ceremony will be held over two nights in Osaka, Japan, on 20 and 21 November, Soompi reported when the list was announced on 12 October.

The awards cover music released between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026.

Most nominated

• 5 nominations: BTS, ATEEZ, CORTIS, ILLIT, IVE, LE SSERAFIM, aespa
• 4 nominations: Hwasa, Yena, BIGBANG, Stray Kids, NMIXX
• 3 nominations: Taeyong, Taeyang, Yeonjun, Young K, Soyeon, ENHYPEN, NCT WISH, TXT, BLACKPINK, Hearts2Hearts

These counts leave out the Fans' Choice pools.

Main categories

• Artist of the Year: 36 nominees, among them aespa, BTS, BLACKPINK, Stray Kids and IVE.
• Album of the Year: 18 nominees, open only to albums that sold more than 1 million copies. They include BTS's "ARIRANG", BLACKPINK's "DEADLINE" and ATEEZ's "GOLDEN HOUR: Part.5".
• Song of the Year: the Best Song top 10 will be the nominees.

How to vote, in Pakistan time

Fans' Choice is decided by votes on Mnet Plus (90 per cent) and X (10 per cent). Korea is four hours ahead of Pakistan, so:

1. Round one closes on 22 October at 11:59 pm KST, which is 7:59 pm PKT.
2. The top 20 male and top 20 female artists go through to round two, which opens on 28 October at 6 pm KST (2 pm PKT) and closes on 18 November at 11:59 pm KST (7:59 pm PKT).
3. Fans' Choice of the Year also counts a further 10 per cent from live Mnet Plus votes during the show.

Why it matters here

K-pop has a big following among young Pakistanis. Broadcast details for Pakistan have not been announced yet; we will add them when Mnet confirms how the show will stream. Showtimes will be given in PKT once the organisers publish them.