The Golden Disc Awards (GDA) has officially released the nominee lineup for its landmark 40th ceremony, marking a major moment in the 2025–2026 awards season
and setting the stage for one of K-Pop’s most closely watched nights. The event will take place January 10, 2026 at 6:30 PM (KST) at the Taipei Dome in Taiwan, the first time the show has been hosted in the city.
Founded in 1986, the Golden Disc Awards markets itself as the most fair and trusted awards ceremony in the Korean music industry, distinguished from other year-end shows by its data-driven approach. Winners are determined primarily through album sales and digital music performance, making GDA a direct reflection of the previous year’s market impact.
With the nominee announcement now public, the competition across Digital Song, Album, and Rookie categories is shaping up to be incredibly contentious — bolstered by high-profile returns, blockbuster releases, and a wave of emerging artists from the 5th generation of K-Pop artists.
Digital Song Division Nominees (40th GDA)
- ROSÉ — “toxic till the end”
- MAKTUB — “Starting With You”
- SEVENTEEN — “THUNDER”
- IU — “Never Ending Story”
- OVAN — “Flower”
- Woody — “Sadder Than Yesterday”
- JENNIE — “like JENNIE”
- ZO ZAZZ — “Don’t You Know (PROD. ROCOBERRY)”
- Hwang Karam — “I Miss You So Much”
- aespa — “Dirty Work”
- ALLDAY PROJECT — “FAMOUS”
- BLACKPINK — “JUMP”
- BOYNEXTDOOR — “IF I SAY, I LOVE YOU”
- G-DRAGON — “HOME SWEET HOME (feat. TAEYANG & DAESUNG)”
- Hearts2Hearts — “The Chase”
- IVE — “REBEL HEART”
- KiiiKiii — “I DO ME”
- LE SSERAFIM — “HOT”
- MEOVV — “HANDS UP”
- PLAVE — “Dash”
Album Division Nominees (40th GDA)
- THE BOYZ — Unexpected
- BAEKHYUN — Essence of Reverie
- SEVENTEEN — HAPPY BURSTDAY
- (G)I-DLE — We are
- CxM (SEVENTEEN) — HYPE VIBES
- JENNIE — Ruby
- Jin — Happy
- TOMORROW X TOGETHER — The Star Chapter: TOGETHER
- aespa — Rich Man
- ATEEZ — GOLDEN HOUR: Part.2
- ENHYPEN — DESIRE : UNLEASH
- G-DRAGON — Übermensch
- IVE — IVE EMPATHY
- NCT DREAM — DREAMSCAPE
- NCT WISH — COLOR
- RIIZE — ODYSSEY
- Stray Kids — KARMA
- TWICE — STRATEGY
- ZEROBASEONE — NEVER SAY NEVER
- &TEAM — Back to Life
Rookie Artist of the Year Nominees
- IDID
- AHOF
- ZO ZAZZ
- KickFlip
- ALLDAY PROJECT
- CLOSE YOUR EYES
- CORTIS
- Hearts2Hearts
- idntt
- izna
- KiiiKiii
- NouerA
Criteria for the 40th Awards
The 40th Golden Disc Awards evaluates music released between:
Early November 2024 – End of October 2025
Additional rules include:
- Sales counted through the end of November 2025
- If an artist releases multiple projects, only the highest-selling is evaluated
- Multi-language simultaneous releases count as a single album
- Repackage albums are evaluated separately
- OSTs and TV-program project songs are not eligible
- Nominees may be excluded for significant social scandals
- Data source: CIRCLE Music Chart
The ceremony’s core award divisions are:
- Digital Song Division
- Album Division
- Artist Winner
- Rookie Artist of the Year
- Special Awards
- Popular Vote Awards
Looking Ahead: A Milestone Ceremony
40th Golden Disc Awards
The 40th Golden Disc Awards will mark a major milestone for Korean music as the ceremony heads to the Taipei Dome, underscoring the event’s widening global footprint.
The anniversary ceremony aims to balance celebration and legacy. Alongside the release of the nominee list, officials emphasized that the 40th ceremony will not only recognize the past year’s highest-performing artists but also acknowledge the evolution of the awards since their inception in the 1980s.
