SEOUL, November 14, 2026 — The Melon Music Awards 2026 opened at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome on Saturday, bringing together some of K-pop’s biggest names for the first night of a two-day celebration. BTS, aespa, ATEEZ, RIIZE and Hearts2Hearts were among the artists drawing attention as awards were announced and performances got underway.

BTS collected recognition in the Global TOP10 category and for Stage of the Year for its ARIRANG tour, while ATEEZ took Best Performance (Male). BTS’s album ARIRANG was also listed as the Album of the Year (Daesang) winner in emerging results coverage, adding another major talking point to the evening.

The 18th edition of the awards, presented by KakaoBank, is taking place across November 14 and 15 for the first time, with 26 acts scheduled to perform across both nights.

Melon Music Awards 2026 Winners List

The following winners have been reported in November 14 results coverage. Additional categories will be updated as the ceremony continues.

The Album of the Year and Global-K Artist of the Year results have circulated in live award listings; the official winners record should be consulted for final confirmation.

BTS emerged as one of the early headline-makers. Their Global TOP10 recognition reflected the group’s international following, while the Stage of the Year award recognised the scale of the ARIRANG tour.

The reported Album of the Year victory carries particular significance for the seven-member group. The album was competing against releases from aespa, AKMU, IVE, ILLIT, CORTIS and other major Korean acts.

Aespa also entered the ceremony with several nominations, including Album of the Year for LEMONADE and Song of the Year for the title track.

Day 1 Highlights: ATEEZ, RIIZE, I.O.I and aespa

The opening night began with red carpet appearances by aespa, ATEEZ, NCT DREAM, RIIZE, YENA, Hearts2Hearts, RESCENE and other performers. The arrivals gave fans an early look at the artists before the award presentations began.

Dragon Pony helped open the ceremony with a performance built around the theme “Brilliant Imperfect: To Our Youth,” followed by “Calling Back.”

RIIZE became one of the first acts to receive a Global TOP10 award, followed by BTS. RESCENE and G-DRAGON were also among the recipients named in live coverage.

ATEEZ’s Best Performance (Male) victory was another highlight. The group has built much of its reputation around intricate choreography and high-energy concert performances, making the performance award an important addition to its achievements.

I.O.I’s appearance carried a different kind of excitement. The project girl group, originally formed through Produce 101, returned to the MMA stage roughly a decade after its original rise, giving longtime K-pop followers a nostalgic moment. The group also received Best Music Style recognition.

Hearts2Hearts, TWS, NCT DREAM and YENA were among the other acts on the first-day performance bill, with aespa and RIIZE adding to a lineup that combined established performers with newer groups.

Photographs from the red carpet, including appearances by aespa, ATEEZ, RIIZE and Hearts2Hearts, were published by Soompi.

The ceremony is being held under the slogan “K-POP CONNECT: The New Pulse,” reflecting the event’s emphasis on bringing artists and international audiences together.

The pre-announced Artist of the Year TOP10 list features AKMU, BTS, CORTIS, Hearts2Hearts, I.O.I, ILLIT, IVE, KiiiKiii, NCT WISH and PLAVE.

Unlike the single grand prize for Artist of the Year, the TOP10 recognition honours ten artists based on streaming performance, expert evaluation and public voting.

Melon assigns a 60% weighting to digital performance, 20% to panel reviews and 20% to votes for several major categories, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year.

The Melon Music Awards also arrive during a busy period for international pop and K-pop fans, with major performers appearing on festival and concert lineups around the world. For more music coverage, see Coachella 2027’s full artist lineup, featuring the international stars announced for next year’s festival.

The second day, November 15, will feature further award presentations and performances by artists including IVE, ILLIT, CORTIS, KiiiKiii, NCT 127, NCT WISH and PLAVE.

Fans outside South Korea can follow the event through the official Melon YouTube channel and 1theK, although livestream availability varies by region.

The show begins at 6 p.m. KST on both November 14 and 15 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.

Further winners and the remaining Daesang results are expected to complete the picture of this year’s awards. Full event information, voting rules and award categories are available through the official Melon Music Awards website.