The Golden Disc Awards (GDA) successfully concluded its landmark 40th ceremony on January 10, 2026, marking a historic first for the awards as they were held at the Taipei Dome in Taiwan. Beginning at 6:30 PM KST, the event celebrated the most impactful music releases of the past year while underscoring the awards’ expanding global footprint.
Founded in 1986, the Golden Disc Awards has long positioned itself as one of Korea’s most data-driven and credibility-focused music ceremonies. Unlike many year-end shows, GDA winners are determined primarily by album sales and digital chart performance, making the results a direct reflection of market impact rather than popularity alone.
As the ceremony closed, the 40th Golden Disc Awards delivered a defining snapshot of K-pop’s current landscape, balancing veteran dominance, global superstardom, and the continued rise of 5th-generation artists.
Daesang (Grand Prize) Winners — 40th Golden Disc Awards
Digital Daesang (Song of the Year)
WINNER: G-Dragon – “HOME SWEET HOME (feat. Taeyang, Daesung)”
Album Daesang (Album of the Year)
WINNER: Stray Kids – KARMA
Artist Daesang (Artist of the Year)
WINNER: Jennie
Digital Song Division — Bonsang (Main Awards)
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”
Hwang Karam – “I Miss You So Much”
IU – “Never Ending Story”
IVE – “REBEL HEART”
Jennie – “Like JENNIE”
KiiiKiii – “I DO ME”
LE SSERAFIM – “HOT”
MAKTUB – “Starting With You”
MEOVV – “HANDS UP”
OVAN – “Flower”
PLAVE – “Dash”
Rosé – “toxic till the end”
SEVENTEEN – “THUNDER”
Woody – “Sadder Than Yesterday”
ZO ZAZZ – “Don’t You Know”
Album Division — Bonsang (Main Awards)
&TEAM – Back to Life
aespa – Rich Man
ATEEZ – GOLDEN HOUR: Part.2
Baekhyun – Essence of Reverie
SEVENTEEN CxM – HYPE VIBES
ENHYPEN – DESIRE : UNLEASH
G-Dragon – Übermensch
(G)I-DLE – We are
IVE – IVE EMPATHY
Jennie – Ruby
Jin – Happy
NCT DREAM – DREAMSCAPE
NCT WISH – COLOR
RIIZE – ODYSSEY
SEVENTEEN – HAPPY BURSTDAY
Stray Kids – KARMA
THE BOYZ – Unexpected
TWICE – STRATEGY
TOMORROW X TOGETHER – The Star Chapter: TOGETHER
ZEROBASEONE – NEVER SAY NEVER
Rookie Artist of the Year
AHOF
WINNER: ALLDAY PROJECT
CLOSE YOUR EYES
WINNER: CORTIS
Hearts2Hearts
IDID
idntt
izna
KickFlip
KiiiKiii
NouerA
ZO ZAZZ
Popularity Awards (Fan-Voted)
Most Popular Artist — Female
WINNER: Hearts2Hearts
aespa, ALLDAY PROJECT, BLACKPINK, (G)I-DLE, IU, IVE, izna, Jennie, KiiiKiii, LE SSERAFIM, MEOVV, Rosé, TWICE
Most Popular Artist — Male
WINNER: Jin
&TEAM, AHOF, ATEEZ, Baekhyun, BOYNEXTDOOR, CLOSE YOUR EYES, CORTIS, SEVENTEEN CxM, ENHYPEN, G-Dragon, Hwang Karam, IDID, idntt, KickFlip, MAKTUB, NCT DREAM, NCT WISH, NouerA, OVAN, PLAVE, RIIZE, SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, THE BOYZ, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Woody, ZEROBASEONE, ZO ZAZZ
Special Awards — 40th Golden Disc Awards
- Best Group: MONSTA X
- Best Performance: izna, TWS
- Cosmopolitan Artist: IVE
- Global Impact Award: Jennie
- Golden Choice: ARrC, CLOSE YOUR EYES
- Naver AI Choice: BOYNEXTDOOR
- Next Generation Award: KiiiKiii
A Milestone Night for Korean Music
The 40th Golden Disc Awards served as both a celebration and a statement, honoring commercial excellence while reflecting how far Korean music has traveled globally since the awards’ inception in the 1980s. Hosting the ceremony at Taipei Dome symbolized this evolution and reinforced GDA’s role as a bridge between Korea’s domestic industry and its international audience.
With legacy artists claiming top honors alongside rising 5th-generation acts, the 2026 Golden Disc Awards delivered a definitive snapshot of a rapidly evolving K-pop industry shaped by data, scale, and global reach.
