# 2026 K-pop rookie awards: MAMA nominees, MMA criteria and completed results

> Source: https://hallyu.wiki/en/guides/kpop-rookie-awards-2026/
> Publisher: Hallyu Wiki (explainer, original writing with cited sources)
> Published: 2026-10-25 · Last updated: 2026-10-25
> Cite as: "2026 K-pop rookie awards: MAMA nominees, MMA criteria and completed results", Hallyu Wiki, https://hallyu.wiki/en/guides/kpop-rookie-awards-2026/

Eight K-pop award shows held or scheduled between February 2026 and January 2027, covering nominees, voting criteria, dates and completed results checked as of October 25, 2026. Earlier results are labeled by edition and year.

The ten 2026 MAMA AWARDS Best New Artist nominees are ALPHA DRIVE ONE, AND2BLE, EVAN, H//PE Princess, hrtz.wav, LNGSHOT, MODYSSEY, OURBIRTHDAY, TUIDE and UNCHILD. The ceremony takes place November 20–21 at Kyocera Dome Osaka. MMA2026 runs November 14–15 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. Its official Rookie of the Year criteria are 60% digital music, 20% judging and 20% voting, with category voting October 30–November 13.

KGMA takes place November 7–8 at Gocheok Sky Dome; Trend of the Year: Rookie is decided entirely by coogoong votes. AAA 2026 is scheduled for December 5–6 at Kaohsiung National Stadium, Taiwan, and the 41st Golden Disc Awards for January 9–10, 2027 in Hanoi, Vietnam. The HMA 2025, 35th Seoul Music Awards and 2026 TMA rows record results already announced in calendar year 2026. ALPHA DRIVE ONE won SMA Rookie and TMA Next Leader; CORTIS also won TMA Next Leader.

| Date · status | Show · rookie-related category | Nominees · voting · award records |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 15 (Sun) · completed 2026 results | HMA 2025 (33rd-anniversary Hanteo Music Awards) · Rookie Award · KSPO DOME, Seoul | Hosted by Hanteo Global. Hearts2Hearts and CORTIS won the Rookie Award. The edition is named HMA 2025, but it was held on February 15, 2026. [34,36] |
| Jun 20 (Sat) · completed 2026 results | 35th Seoul Music Awards · Rookie Award / SMA Global Rookie Award · Inspire Arena, Incheon | Rookie Award: AHOF, IDID, ALPHA DRIVE ONE and CLOSE YOUR EYES. SMA Global Rookie Award: MODYSSEY, SAY MY NAME and IDENTITY. This row records awards already received in 2026. [29] |
| Sep 19 (Sat) · completed 2026 results | 2026 The Fact Music Awards (TMA) · Next Leader / Hottest · Busan Asiad Main Stadium | Next Leader: ALPHA DRIVE ONE and CORTIS. Hottest: xikers and IDID. The Fact described Next Leader as a rookie-level award. ALPHA DRIVE ONE also received Artist of the Year, and CORTIS received the Record of the Year grand prize. [32,33] |
| Nov 7 (Sat) – 8 (Sun) · rookie special vote closed | 2026 KGMA (3rd Korea Grand Music Awards) · Trend of the Year: Rookie · Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul | Trend of the Year: Rookie is decided 100% by coogoong votes, with round 1 (September 14–26) and the final (October 12–24) each contributing 50%. At the previous edition, 2025 KGMA, IS Rookie went to MEOVV, AHOF and CLOSE YOUR EYES; IS Rising Star went to KiiiKiii, ALLDAY PROJECT, IDID, KickFlip and Hearts2Hearts. Hearts2Hearts’ Carmen won the 2025 Trend of the Year rookie award. [12,13,17,18] |
| Nov 14 (Sat) – 15 (Sun) · scheduled | MMA2026 (18th Melon Music Awards) · Rookie of the Year · Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul | Rookie of the Year is decided by 60% digital music, 20% judging and 20% voting. Eligible music was released November 20, 2025–October 14, 2026; category voting runs October 30–November 13. The MMA2025 rookie winners were ALLDAY PROJECT and Hearts2Hearts. [10,11,46] |
| Nov 20 (Fri) – 21 (Sat) · 10 nominees announced Oct 12 | 2026 MAMA AWARDS · Best New Artist · Kyocera Dome Osaka, Japan | Ten nominees: ALPHA DRIVE ONE, AND2BLE, EVAN, H//PE Princess, hrtz.wav, LNGSHOT, MODYSSEY, OURBIRTHDAY, TUIDE and UNCHILD. The music eligibility window is October 1, 2025–September 30, 2026. The fan-voting notice concerns Fans’ Choice categories. CORTIS and Hearts2Hearts received Best New Artist at the 2025 MAMA on November 28 at Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong. [1,3,5,49] |
| Dec 5 (Sat) – 6 (Sun) · scheduled | AAA 2026 (Asia Artist Awards) · earlier Rookie of the Year / Best New Artist results for reference · Kaohsiung National Stadium, Taiwan | Hosted by Star News, AAA honors actors and singers. AAA 2025 took place on December 6, 2025 at the same stadium. Rookie of the Year went to KiiiKiii, ALLDAY PROJECT and CORTIS (music) and Park Yun-ho (acting). AAA Best New Artist went to AHOF, NEXZ and KickFlip. The acts listed here are 2025 winners. [19,20,21,47] |
| Jan 9 (Sat) – 10 (Sun), 2027 · scheduled | 41st Golden Disc Awards · Rookie Award · outdoor stage at VEC, Hanoi | Hosted by HLL. The previous, 40th edition took place January 10, 2026 at Taipei Dome; ALLDAY PROJECT and CORTIS won Rookie of the Year. Nominees were announced November 25, 2025. The 12 rookie nominees were nouera, IDENTITY, IDID, AHOF, ALLDAY PROJECT, izna, Jo Jazz, CORTIS, CLOSE YOUR EYES, KiiiKiii, KickFlip and Hearts2Hearts. [23,25,27] |

## The ten 2026 MAMA Best New Artist nominees

CJ ENM revealed the 2026 MAMA AWARDS nominees in a nomination broadcast on October 12. The ten Best New Artist nominees are ALPHA DRIVE ONE, AND2BLE, EVAN, H//PE Princess, hrtz.wav, LNGSHOT, MODYSSEY, OURBIRTHDAY, TUIDE and UNCHILD. Eligible music was released between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026. Debut dates confirmed in press reports: ALPHA DRIVE ONE (January 12, first EP EUPHORIA), LNGSHOT (January, EP Shot Callers), UNCHILD (April, debut single), OURBIRTHDAY (August 19) and TUIDE (August 24). ALPHA DRIVE ONE is also nominated for Album of the Year, open only to million-sellers, with EUPHORIA. At the November 28 rookie presentation during the 2025 MAMA at Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong, CORTIS and Hearts2Hearts won out of ten nominees: AHOF, ALLDAY PROJECT, Baby DONT Cry, CLOSE YOUR EYES, CORTIS, Hearts2Hearts, IDID, izna, KickFlip and KiiiKiii. [3,5,37,39,40,41,42,49]

## Music eligibility windows and actual rookie results

- The 2026 MAMA music eligibility window is October 1, 2025–September 30, 2026. CORTIS and Hearts2Hearts are absent from the announced Best New Artist list; both won the award at the 2025 MAMA. [3,5]
- MMA2026’s official guide specifies releases from November 20, 2025 to October 14, 2026. MMA2025 used the window October 31, 2024–November 19, 2025. [9,46]
- The 40th Golden Disc nominees were selected quantitatively from releases in early November 2024–late October 2025. Rookie nominations combined digital usage and album sales. These criteria apply to the 40th edition. [25]
- ALPHA DRIVE ONE, which debuted January 12, 2026, and CORTIS both received Next Leader at the 2026 TMA. The 35th Seoul Music Awards honored AHOF, IDID, ALPHA DRIVE ONE and CLOSE YOUR EYES with the Rookie Award. Read each nomination and result in the context of its own edition. [29,32,37]

 [3,5,9,25,29,32,37,46]

## Verified nominations and awards by act

- ALPHA DRIVE ONE won Rookie at the 35th Seoul Music Awards (June 20) and Next Leader plus Artist of the Year at the 2026 TMA (September 19). At the 2026 MAMA it is nominated for Best New Artist and Album of the Year with its first EP EUPHORIA. [3,29,33]
- CORTIS: across editions beginning with the 2025 MAMA, it won rookie awards at the 2025 MAMA, AAA 2025, the 40th Golden Disc Awards, the 2nd D Awards and HMA 2025, plus Best New Artist in K-pop at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards. In 2026 it won Next Leader and the grand prize Record of the Year at TMA, and is nominated for Best Male Group at the 2026 MAMA. It is not a 2026 MAMA Best New Artist nominee. [3,32,38]
- Hearts2Hearts: rookie awards at the 2025 MAMA, MMA2025 and HMA 2025, IS Rising Star and the Trend of the Year rookie (Carmen) at the 2025 KGMA. It is a Best Female Group nominee at the 2026 MAMA. [3,5,11,18,34]
- IDID, AHOF and CLOSE YOUR EYES all won the Rookie Award at the 35th Seoul Music Awards. IDID also has IS Rising Star at the 2025 KGMA and Hottest at the 2026 TMA; AHOF has IS Rookie at the 2025 KGMA and AAA Best New Artist at AAA 2025; CLOSE YOUR EYES has IS Rookie at the 2025 KGMA. [18,22,29,32]
- TUIDE and OURBIRTHDAY are nominated for Best New Artist at the 2026 MAMA. Both are seven-member girl groups, debuting on August 24 and August 19, 2026 respectively. [3,39,40]

 [3,5,11,18,22,29,32,33,34,38,39,40]

## Winners from earlier editions and completed 2026 ceremonies

- 2025 KGMA (November 14–15, Inspire Arena, Incheon). Day 1: IS Rookie MEOVV; IS Rising Star KiiiKiii and ALLDAY PROJECT. Day 2: IS Rookie AHOF and CLOSE YOUR EYES; IS Rising Star IDID, KickFlip and Hearts2Hearts. Trend of the Year rookie: Hearts2Hearts' Carmen. [17,18]
- November 28 rookie presentation at the 2025 MAMA, Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong: Best New Artist CORTIS and Hearts2Hearts. [5]
- AAA 2025 (December 6, Kaohsiung National Stadium, Taiwan): Rookie of the Year KiiiKiii, ALLDAY PROJECT and CORTIS (music), and Park Yun-ho (acting); AAA Best New Artist AHOF, NEXZ and KickFlip. [21,47]
- MMA2025 (December 20, Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul): Rookie of the Year ALLDAY PROJECT and Hearts2Hearts. [10,11]
- 40th Golden Disc Awards (January 10, 2026, Taipei Dome): Rookie Award ALLDAY PROJECT and CORTIS, from 12 nominees. [25,27]
- HMA 2025 (February 15, 2026, KSPO DOME, Seoul): Rookie Award Hearts2Hearts and CORTIS. [34]
- 35th Seoul Music Awards (June 20, 2026, Inspire Arena, Incheon): Rookie Award AHOF, IDID, ALPHA DRIVE ONE and CLOSE YOUR EYES; SMA Global Rookie Award MODYSSEY, SAY MY NAME and IDENTITY. KiiiKiii, last year's rookie winner, took a main award this year. [29,31]
- 2026 TMA (September 19, Busan Asiad Main Stadium): Next Leader ALPHA DRIVE ONE and CORTIS; Hottest xikers and IDID. [32]

 [5,10,11,17,18,21,25,27,29,31,32,34,47]

## Voting and judging: distinguish categories and editions

- MAMA: the reported artist-category criteria are 40% jury, 30% digital music (15% Korea, 15% global) and 30% physical album sales. Fans’ Choice Male/Female uses 90% Mnet Plus and 10% X votes; Fans’ Choice of the Year additionally includes 10% live Mnet Plus voting. [3,49]
- MMA2026: Rookie of the Year is 60% digital music, 20% judging and 20% voting. Category voting runs October 30–November 13. [46]
- KGMA 2026’s Trend of the Year: Rookie uses 100% coogoong votes (50% round 1, 50% final). Separately, the official 2025 category guide assigned 100% IS media points to IS Rookie and IS Rising Star. [13,48]
- 40th Golden Disc Awards: rookie nominees were selected using combined digital usage and album sales. Winners were reported to be determined by 60% quantitative and 40% qualitative assessment. Nomination selection and final judging are distinct steps. [25,28]
- HMA 2025: the official Rookie Award criteria are 40% Hanteo Global score, 30% global voting and 30% judging. These are the criteria for HMA 2025, held in February 2026. [50]

 [3,13,25,28,46,48,49,50]

## Announced upcoming dates

- October 30 (Fri)–November 13 (Fri): MMA2026 category voting. [46]
- November 7 (Sat)–8 (Sun): 2026 KGMA at Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul. [12]
- November 14 (Sat)–15 (Sun): MMA2026 Rookie of the Year. The day-two lineup includes MAMA rookie nominees ALPHA DRIVE ONE, LNGSHOT and AND2BLE, and CORTIS and KiiiKiii. [3,43,46]
- November 20 (Fri)–21 (Sat): 2026 MAMA at Kyocera Dome Osaka, Japan. Rookie nominees ALPHA DRIVE ONE, LNGSHOT and MODYSSEY are also included in performer announcements. [1,3,44,45]
- December 5 (Sat)–6 (Sun): AAA 2026 at Kaohsiung National Stadium, Taiwan. [19,20]
- January 9 (Sat)–10 (Sun), 2027: 41st Golden Disc Awards at the outdoor stage at VEC in Hanoi, Vietnam. [23]

 [1,3,12,19,20,23,43,44,45,46]

## How to read this page

Each table entry links to sources for its nominees, voting or results. HMA 2025, the 35th Seoul Music Awards and the 2026 TMA have already taken place in calendar year 2026. Earlier results are labeled by edition and year. A previous edition’s judging rules or announcement date do not establish the next edition’s rules or date. Nominees and performers are also separate lists. Related guides cover dates and venues, fan voting and rookie debuts. [29,32,34,36]

## Sources

1. CJ 뉴스룸 (CJ ENM 공식), "‘2026 MAMA AWARDS’ 11월 일본 오사카 개최 확정! 엠넷플러스 통해 전 세계 생중계 – CJ 뉴스룸", 2026-03-31 — https://cjnews.cj.net/?p=74981
3. Soompi, "2026 MAMA AWARDS Announces Nominees + Fans' Choice Voting Begins | Soompi", 2026-10-12 — https://www.soompi.com/article/1877350wpp/2026-mama-awards-announces-nominees-fans-choice-voting-begins
5. 스포츠경향, "‘괴물 신인’ 코르티스·하츠투하츠, 신인상 수상 “인생의 딱 한 번→올해 목표 이뤄” (2025 MAMA)", 2025-11-28 — https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/202511282205003
9. 전자신문, "MMA2025, 부문별 투표 시작…'열기' 더한다", 2025-12-08 — https://www.etnews.com/20251208000134
10. iMBC연예, "'MMA2025' 올데이 프로젝트, 신인상 포함 2관왕 등극", 2025-12-21 — https://enews.imbc.com/News/RetrieveNewsInfo/488102
11. iMBC연예, "지드래곤, ‘MMA’ 7관왕 등극…제니→올데프 수상", 2025-12-21 — https://enews.imbc.com/News/RetrieveNewsInfo/488021
12. 일간스포츠, "'2026 KGMA', 닻 올렸다…조직위 발대식 개최 "더 큰 나무로 성장할 것"", 2026-08-25 — https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202608250127
13. KGMA 공식 투표 안내 (일간스포츠), "KGMA", 2026-10-25 — https://kgma-is.com/locales/ko/vote.html
17. 일간스포츠, "[2025 KGMA] 에이티즈·보이넥스트도어, ‘아티스트 데이’ 주인공 됐다 [종합]", 2025-11-14 — https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202511140396
18. 일간스포츠, "스키즈, 뮤직 데이 ‘5관왕’ 등극…아이브, 그랜드 송 ‘4관왕’ 영예 [2025 KGMA]", 2025-11-15 — https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202511150426
19. 스포츠경향, "장원영 ‘AAA’ 6년째 출근", 2026-05-19 — https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/202605191612013
20. 스포츠경향 (영문), "‘Asia Artist Awards(Asia Artist Awards)’ Unveils Artist Lineups for Each Day", 2026-09-16 — https://sports.khan.co.kr/en/article/202609160040007
21. 스타뉴스, ""딱 한 번 받는 상" 키키·올데프·코르티스·박윤호, 신인상 수상 [10주년 AAA 2025] | 스타뉴스", 2025-12-06 — https://www.starnewskorea.com/star/2025/12/06/2025120617441160408
22. iMBC연예, "'AAA 2025' 아홉, 베스트 뉴 아티스트 수상", 2025-12-07 — https://enews.imbc.com/News/RetrieveNewsInfo/486450
23. 스포츠경향, "벌써 후끈…‘골든디스크’ 27년 1월 9일·10일 하노이 개최", 2026-09-04 — https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/202609041122003
25. 뉴시스 (다음 전재), "'40주년' 골든디스크 어워즈…디지털 음원·음반·신인상 후보 공개", 2025-11-25 — https://v.daum.net/v/HpABEKyOtT
27. YTN, "스트레이 키즈, 골든디스크 음반 대상...제니 4관왕", 2026-01-11 — https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0106_202601110244401624
28. 메트로신문, "'제40회 골든디스크어워즈' 리브랜딩..트로피 변경·아티스트 대상 신설", 2025-11-21 — https://www.metroseoul.co.kr/article/20251121500152
29. 전자신문, "'제35회 서울가요대상', 특별한 축제 성황리 마무리", 2026-06-21 — https://www.etnews.com/20260621000033
31. 스포츠경향, "키키, ‘서울가요대상’서 2년 연속 수상 쾌거", 2026-06-21 — https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/202606212002003
32. 더팩트, "[2026 TMA 리뷰] 진심과 디테일로 빚어낸 '명품 시상식'", 2026-09-21 — https://news.tf.co.kr/read/entertain/2368102.htm
33. 더팩트, "[2026 TMA] '블랙 카리스마' 알파드라이브원, '올해의 아티스트' 수상…2관왕 영예", 2026-09-19 — https://news.tf.co.kr/read/entertain/2367931.htm
34. iMBC연예, "'HMA 2025' K팝 시상식의 이정표 되다", 2026-02-16 — https://enews.imbc.com/News/RetrieveNewsInfo/494909
36. 스포츠경향 (영문), "‘Hanteo Music Awards 2025’ to be held on February 15 next year at KSPO Dome", 2025-12-16 — https://sports.khan.co.kr/en/article/202512161334327
37. 머니투데이, ""K팝의 상징·기준·공식 되고파"..알파드라이브원, 정상을 향한 출사표 - 머니투데이", 2026-01-12 — https://www.mt.co.kr/entertainment/2026/01/12/2026011217427292090
38. 스타뉴스, "코르티스, 美 '아이하트라디오' 신인상..2025 최고의 신인 입증 | 스타뉴스", 2026-03-27 — https://www.starnewskorea.com/music/2026/03/27/2026032714260511209
39. The Korea Herald, "Hybe's new girl group Tuide debuts with EP 'Tune & Play'", 2026-08-24 — https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10850561
40. The Korea Times, "OURBIRTHDAY debuts as 1st JYP-affiliated girl group in 4 years - The Korea Times", 2026-08-19 — https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/k-pop/20260819/ourbirthday-debuts-as-1st-jyp-affiliated-girl-group-in-4-years
41. 일간스포츠, "'박재범 1호 아이돌' 롱샷, 10개월 만에 본색…'스위시'로 컴백 [공식]", 2026-10-12 — https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202610120015
42. 일간스포츠, "언차일드, 11월 5일 컴백 확정…7개월 만의 신보 발표", 2026-10-22 — https://isplus.com/article/view/isp202610220121
43. 스포츠경향, "멜론, MMA2026 1차 예매 오픈", 2026-10-20 — https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/202610200458003
44. 데일리안, "빅뱅·씨엘도 ‘마마 어워즈’로…세대 아우르는 케이팝 무대 예고", 2026-10-16 — https://www.dailian.co.kr/news/view/1702272
45. 스포츠경향 (영문), "‘2026 MAMA’ unveiled… RESCENE·ILLIT→CORTIS·ZEROBASEONE all set to appear", 2026-10-13 — https://sports.khan.co.kr/en/article/202610130901007
46. 멜론, "MMA2026 안내 — 시상부문·심사기준·투표 일정", 2026-10-25 — https://m2.melon.com/mma/2026/info/
47. AAA (스타뉴스), "넥스지·박지훈·슈퍼주니어-D&E·올데이 프로젝트·최예나, 'AAA 2026' 빛낸다 [공식]", 2026-08-11 — https://www.asiaartistawards.com/index.php/news/detail/185521/all
48. KGMA, "2025 KGMA 시상 부문 — IS 루키·IS 라이징스타", 2026-10-25 — https://kgma-is.com/locales/ko/kgma2025-categorys.html
49. 뉴스엔, "내 최애도 있을까…‘MAMA’ 오늘(12일) 부문별 후보 최초 공개", 2026-10-12 — https://www.newsen.com/news_view.php?uid=202610121354065710
50. 한터글로벌, "33주년 한터뮤직어워즈 2025 — 시상 부문", 2026-10-25 — https://awards.hanteo.com/2025/hma2025