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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Popularity Awards: Fan Favorite Artist, Trend of the Year, and related categories are 100% fan-voted through the Fancast platform.
- 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.
Award Categories Explained
The KGMA presents awards across more than 20 categories. Here are the main ones:
Grand Prize (Daesang) Categories
- Grand Artist: The top honor. Given to the artist with the biggest overall impact across jury scores, sales, and streaming data.
- Grand Performer: Recognizes the artist with the best live performance and stage presence.
- Grand Record: Honors the release with the biggest commercial and artistic impact.
- Grand Song: Given to the single that defined the year in K-pop and popular music.
- Grand Honor's Choice: 100% jury-selected. Recognizes artistic achievement beyond commercial metrics.
Main Categories
- Best Artist 10: Recognizes the top 10 artists of the year across all genres.
- Best Music 10: Honors the top 10 songs of the year.
- Best Dance Performance: Given to the artist or group with the best choreography and dance performance.
- Best Adult Contemporary: Recognizes the top release in adult contemporary and ballad genres.
- Best Virtual Artist: Honors the top virtual or AI-driven music act.
- Best OST: Given to the best original soundtrack for a drama, film, or show.
- Best Hip-Hop: Recognizes the top hip-hop release.
- Best Music Video: Honors the best music video, with credit to the director.
- Best Selling Album: 100% data-driven. Given to the album with the highest physical sales (Hanteo data).
- Most Streamed Music: 100% data-driven. Given to the song with the highest streaming numbers.
- Best Producer: 100% jury-selected. Recognizes the top producer of the year.
Popularity Categories
- Fan Favorite Artist: 100% fan-voted through the Fancast platform.
- Trend of the Year: 100% fan-voted. Recognizes the artist or moment that defined the year's trends.
- K-pop Global Artist: Given to the artist with the biggest international reach and impact.
Notable Past Winners
The KGMA launched in 2024. Here are winners from both editions:
2025 (2nd Edition, November 14 to 15, 2025)
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Grand Artist (Daesang) | Ateez |
| Grand Performer (Daesang) | BoyNextDoor |
| Grand Record (Daesang) | Stray Kids |
| Grand Song (Daesang) | Ive |
| Grand Honor's Choice (Daesang) | AllDay Project, The Boyz, Stray Kids |
| Fan Favorite Artist | (Fan-voted) |
| K-pop Global Artist | Ive |
| Best Selling Album | Stray Kids |
| ENA K-pop Artist | Ive |
Stray Kids won 5 awards total. It was the most of any artist at the 2025 ceremony. Ateez won Grand Artist for the second consecutive year. The ceremony was held over two days at Inspire Arena in Incheon. It was hosted by Nam Ji-hyun, Irene (November 14), and Natty (November 15). The ceremony was broadcast on ENA and streamed internationally via TikTok and Hulu Japan.
2024 (1st Edition, November 16 to 17, 2024)
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Grand Artist (Daesang) | NewJeans |
| Grand Performer (Daesang) | Day6 |
| Grand Record (Daesang) | (G) I-DLE |
| Grand Song (Daesang) | Aespa ("Supernova") |
| Grand Honor's Choice (Daesang) | Aespa, ATEEZ, ZEROBASEONE |
| Best Solo Artist | SHINee's Taemin |
| Best Band | Day6 |
| Best Hip Hop | Lee Young Ji |
| Best Selling Album | SEVENTEEN ("SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN") |
| Most Streamed Song | Aespa ("Supernova") |
| Best Producer | SM Entertainment co-CEO Tak Young Jun |
| K-Pop Legendary Artist | TVXQ |
Lee Chan-won won 5 awards at the inaugural ceremony. He was the biggest winner of the night. Aespa followed with 4 awards, including 2 Daesang trophies. Day6 won 3 awards. The ceremony was hosted by Nam Ji-hyun, Hanni (Day 1), and Winter (Day 2).
Video Highlights
Eligibility and Submission Info
Eligibility period: The KGMA covers releases from October of the prior year through September of the ceremony year. The 2025 ceremony covered releases from October 2024 through September 2025.
Who qualifies: K-pop and mainstream Korean music artists. Categories span K-pop, hip-hop, rock, trot, R&B, and OSTs. International K-pop acts (such as NiziU, JO1, and INI) are eligible for the K-pop International Artist category.
Scoring system: The KGMA uses a weighted scoring system that varies by category:
- Grand Prize categories: 40% jury score and 60% sales/streaming data. No fan voting.
- Main categories: 65% jury score and 35% sales/streaming data.
- Data-only categories (Best Selling Album, Most Streamed Music): 100% sales and streaming data from Hanteo, Genie Music, Bugs, and Flo.
- Popularity awards (Fan Favorite Artist, Trend of the Year): 100% fan-voted through the Fancast platform.
- Grand Honor's Choice and Best Producer: 100% jury-selected.
Data sources: Sales and streaming data comes from Hanteo, Genie Music, Bugs, and Flo. Ilgan Sports media points also factor into nominations.
Submission: Artists and labels do not need to submit directly. The KGMA tracks releases through its data partners. However, artists should ensure their releases are distributed through Hanteo-charting distributors to guarantee their sales data is captured.
Check the KGMA website for eligibility rules and the next ceremony dates.
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
Similar Awards
- Soundcity MVP Awards - Pan-African music awards with fan voting
- South African Hip Hop Awards - Genre-specific awards for South African hip-hop
- YUNA - Ukraine's national music awards with a jury-based system
