Korea Grand Music Awards (KGMA)

The Korea Grand Music Awards (KGMA) are an annual South Korean music awards ceremony organized by Ilgan Sports, honoring achievements in K-pop and related genres across more than 20 categories. The inaugural ceremony was held on November 16-17, 2024, at Inspire Arena in Incheon. The 2025 KGMA took place on November 14-15, 2025, at the same venue, broadcast on ENA and streamed internationally via TikTok.

How the KGMA Works

The KGMA uses a weighted scoring system that combines jury evaluation, sales data, and fan voting:

1. Grand Prize (Daesang): 40% jury score and 60% record sales and streaming data. No fan voting. This covers Grand Artist, Grand Performer, Grand Record, and Grand Song.
2. Main Categories: 65% jury score and 35% sales/streaming data. Includes Best Artist 10, Best Music 10, Best Dance Performance, Best Adult Contemporary, Best Virtual Artist, Best OST, Best Hip-Hop, and Best Music Video.
3. Data-Only Categories: Best Selling Album and Most Streamed Music are 100% determined by sales and streaming data from Hanteo, Genie Music, Bugs, and Flo. No jury or fan voting.
4. Popularity Awards: Fan Favorite Artist, Trend of the Year, and related categories are 100% fan-voted through the Fancast platform.
5. Grand Honor's Choice: 100% jury-selected, recognizing artistic achievement beyond commercial metrics.

The eligibility period for the 2025 ceremony covered releases from October 2024 through September 2025.

Real-World Example: The 2025 KGMA

The 2025 KGMA was held over two days at Inspire Arena in Incheon, hosted by Nam Ji-hyun, Irene (November 14), and Natty (November 15). The ceremony was sponsored by iM Bank and broadcast on ENA, with international streaming on TikTok and Hulu Japan.

In the Grand Prize categories, Ateez won Grand Artist, BoyNextDoor won Grand Performer, Stray Kids won Grand Record, and Ive won Grand Song. AllDay Project, The Boyz, and Stray Kids shared the Grand Honor's Choice award. Stray Kids won the most awards of the night with 5 total, including Grand Record and multiple main category wins.

The inaugural 2024 ceremony saw Lee Chan-won win 5 awards, the most of any artist, while Aespa took home 4 including two Daesang (Grand Prize) trophies. The 2024 ceremony was hosted by Nam Ji-hyun, Hanni (Day 1), and Winter (Day 2).

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

The KGMA's weighted scoring system means that artists can win through different paths. The Grand Honor's Choice category is 100% jury-selected, which means artists with critical acclaim but lower sales numbers can still receive top recognition. The Best Producer category is also 100% jury-selected, recognizing behind-the-scenes creators.

For K-pop artists, the Fan Favorite Artist and Trend of the Year categories are entirely fan-voted, which means artists with engaged fanbases can win regardless of jury or sales metrics. The K-pop Global Artist category specifically recognizes international reach.

If you are a Korean artist or producer, track your release timing to fall within the October-to-September eligibility window. Submit your releases to Hanteo-charting distributors to ensure your sales and streaming data is captured. Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to monitor your performance across platforms. Check the KGMA website for eligibility rules and submission guidelines.

Related Resources

• Streaming Royalty Calculator - Track streaming performance that feeds into KGMA scoring
• Target Streams Calculator - Set streaming goals for awards eligibility
• 21 Ways Musicians Can Earn Income - Build revenue alongside awards strategy
• Korean Music Awards - The critics' choice counterpart to the KGMA
• Performance Rights Organizations - Korean PROs like KOMCA collect royalties for KGMA-winning songwriters