2025 K-Pop Awards Guide: Differences between MAMA, MMA and GDA explained

If you’re a ‘baby K-popper’ (or even if you’ve been here for a while), surely November and December will cause you stress. Suddenly, your timeline is filled with acronyms, voting apps, and discussions about who deserves the ‘Daesang‘.

I understand you. The award ecosystem K-pop on South Korea It is unique and very intense. Unlike the West, where the great musical ceremonies are distributed throughout the year (Grammys in February, Billboards in May, MTVs in September), in Korea there is a Super concentrated ‘prize season’.

Between November and January, almost all the important ceremonies of the awards K-pop One after another, creating a real marathon for fans and artists.

Based on the current panorama of 2024–2025, I have prepared this guide so that you know how to differentiate What prize is for popularity, what is for sales and what is for artistic prestige. Take note!

1. Mama Awards: The ‘Super Bowl’ of the K-Pop Awards

Organize: CJ ENM (Mnet Channel). VIBE: Massive show, lights, collaborations and global scale.

If the prizes were movies, the Mama (MNet Asian Music Awards) They would be a Blockbuster of Hollywood. They call themselves ‘The World K-Pop Awards No. 1‘And they don’t lie about budget.

Where are they made? Historically they travel through Asia (Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore). This year 2025, despite a recent fire near the area, return to Hong Kong to the stadium Kai Tak.
What do they earn? They have 4 great prizes (Daesangs): Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and FansChoice.
the criteria: Here it matters Everything. They mix album sales (30-60%), streaming (30-60%) and votes of judges (40%).
Fan Fact: the only prize 100% decided by us is the ‘FansCHOICE’. That’s where your votes on the app Mnet Plus count!
Curiosity: BTS It is the only group in history that has swept the 4 main awards on the same night (and they did it several years in a row).

2. MMA (Melon Music Awards): The Digital Reign

Organize: Kakao Entertainment (owners of melon). VIBE: The party of what Korea really listens to.

Many confuse Momma with MMA, yes, for us they sound almost the same, but they are very different. The MMA are based on melon, the largest streaming platform in Chorea (Although YouTube Music is on his heels).

Why do they matter? If an artist wins here, it means that the Korean general public He’s listening to it, not just his international fandom.
the criteria: The 60% of the decision in these awards K-pop, it’s pure digital streaming. sales of physical disks Not count for the main prizes.
Key Date: This year they celebrate their edition No. 17 the December 20 in the Gocheok Sky Dome of Seoul.

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3. Golden Disc Awards (GDA): The ‘Korean Grammys’

Organize: Joongang Group. VIBE: Prestige, tradition and physical sales.

They are the oldest prizes, they were born in 1986. yes the Momma They are the show, Golden Disc They are the story.

Your fort? these prizes K-pop clearly divide the categories into Digital (songs) and Physical (albums).
New 2025: For your 40th anniversary, to be held in Taipei the January 10, will add for the first time the prize to ‘Artist of the Year‘.
How do you win? Here they send the sales numbers (from November of the previous year to October of the current one).

4. KMA (Korean Music Awards): Prestige Hipsters

Organize: Selection Committee (criticians, journalists, experts). VIBE: Art on popularity.

These are the prizes K-pop ‘weird’ but more respected by musicians. They are not based on sales. A group can sell 5 million copies and lose to an indie band if the music of the indie band is considered ‘better’ by critics.

THE DATA: Although it looks like a piece of land for non-commercial music, groups like BTS and AESPA (with ‘Supernova’) have won here, showing that the K-pop It is also high quality art.

Side B: Too many prizes? (the controversy)

Surely you have seen other acronyms: AAA, SMA, TMA, KGMA, Circle Chart… The reality is that, as the music critic points out Kim Zakga, the problem is not the quantity, but the ‘lack of authority’.

Many of these new ceremonies are created by media or platforms to generate money. How?

Votes paid: Apps where fans see ads or pay to vote.
Attendance Awards: Sometimes weird categories are invented just to give a prize to a famous group and ensure that they attend the gala.

This has led to what we call ‘fan fatigue’. Even the association that manages the Circle Chart He suspended his ceremony last year declaring that the awards had become ‘a profit scheme that exploits fan loyalty’.

Conclusion: What do I look at?

If you want to know who it is popular internationally, look at the Momma. If you want to know what Listen to Korea, look at the MMA. If you want to know who He sold more records, look at the GDA. If you want to know who made the More interesting music, look at the KMA.

And remember! At the end of the day, the important thing is to enjoy the presentations of your favorite idols. Do not stress too much about who takes these K-pop awards, as you will see, everything is relative and your love and support to those you like, it is always what lasts and makes our idols go ahead.

mma 2025 line uo premios k-pop — MMA Line Up 2025

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🏆 FAQs: Everything you need to know to survive the awards season

Here I answer the questions that international fans always ask ourselves but that no one explains clearly.

1. What apps do I need to download to vote?

This changes slightly each year because the ceremonies sign contracts with different apps, but the ‘fixed’ ones are usually:

MAMA AWARDS: you need the official app Mnet Plus. It is mandatory for the category ‘Fanschoice’.
Golden Disc/SMA: They usually use third-party apps that rotate each year (in the past they have used podoal, , Fancast or Idol Champ).
M Countdown / Music Shows: For the weekly prizes (which add points for the end of the year prizes), always have on hand Mnet Plus, , Superstar X or Mubeat. EYE: Always check the official Twitter account of the prize before downloading anything, there are many fake apps!

2. Can I vote on all awards from my country?

Not in all.

Yes you can: In the Momma (Fans categoryCHOICE) and at the Global Popularity Awards of the SMA or GDA.
It’s hard: In the MMA (Melon Music Awards). as they are based on the streaming platform melon, To vote or add playback points you need a verified account with a Korean phone number (or an i-pin). International fans have no direct influence here, except in ‘Global Artist’ categories if they specifically enable them.

3. What is the ‘most important’ prize of all?

It is subjective, but in the industry there is a tacit hierarchy:

Musical Prestige: The KMA (Korean Music Awards). Winning here is like winning a Grammy of criticism. It doesn’t matter if you have a million fans or ten; The quality of your music matters.
historical prestige: The Golden Disc Awards (GDA). They are the oldest and respected by the traditional industry.
Popular Impact: The Momma. It is the one that everyone sees and the one that generates the most media noise. Winning a ‘Daesang’ at the Mama consecrates you as Asian star.

Golden disc awards premios k-pop — Golden Disc Awards, 2025

4. What exactly is a ‘daesang’?

in Korean, Daesang it means ‘Grand Prize’. It is not a specific category, but the highest prize level. In one night they can deliver 3 or 4 daesangs. The classics are:

Artist of the Year.
Song of the year.
Album of the year. win a Bonsang (main prize) is good, but win a Daesang It is the ultimate glory.

5. Which K-pop group has won the most Daesangs in history?

The indisputable record has it BTS. They are the most awarded group in the history of South Korea. They made history by achieving the ‘Daesang Sweep‘ (Win all the great prizes in one night) in the Momma and the MMA for several consecutive years (2019, , 2020, , 2021). To date, no other group has equaled that accumulated amount of great prizes.

6. And what soloist has the record in the K-Pop awards?

The undisputed queen is IU. Throughout his career of more than 15 years, has accumulated an impressive amount of Daesangs, especially in the ‘Song of the Year’ and ‘Artist of the Year’ categories in the MMA and GDA, Thanks to its full dominance in the digital lists of Chorea.

7. Can I buy tickets to go see the prizes if I travel?

Yes, but it’s complicated.

Awards abroad (MAMA/GDA): when they are made in Japan, , Hong Kong or Thailand, they usually sell ‘global packages’ through official tourism agencies (such as Klook or Trazy). It is the safest way for foreigners.
Awards in Korea (MMA/KMA): It is very difficult. Most of the tickets are not sold, are raffled between official members of the fanclubs (official membership), or given to sponsors.

8. What is the ‘Rookie Grand Slam’ at the K-Pop Awards?

It is an honorary title that fans and the press give to a group that manages to win the award for ‘Best New Artist’ (Rookie of the Year) In the 5 main ceremonies: Momma, , MMA, , GDA, , SMA and KMA (or circle chart). It is very rare to achieve. Legendary groups like SHINee, , IKON, , Wanna One, , Itzy, , txt and AESPA They are part of this exclusive club.

Korean music awards — Korean Music Awards, promo 2022

9. Why do some famous groups not attend K-pop awards?

In the past, they all went. Today, agencies are more strategic.

Agenda conflicts: World tours matching the dates.
Silent boycott: If an agency knows that your artist is not going to win a major prize, sometimes you prefer not to send it. Attending costs a lot of money (costume, makeup, dancers, scenery) and doesn’t always ‘give up’ if you don’t take the trophy.
Relationship with the chain: Sometimes there are ‘fights’ between an agency (eg SM, YG, HYBE) and a TV channel (eg Mnet), and their artists stop going for years.

10. Do ‘popularity’ awards really matter?

For the music industry (critical/producers), not much. but for the FANDOMS, they are vital. Winning the popularity award is the way fans tell their artist: ‘We are here and we are powerful’. In addition, it is usually the only prize where international fans have the 100% control of the result, so it’s a matter of pride for the fandom.

11. Is it true that some ceremonies last two days in a row?

Yes, make the coffee! Due to the immense number of artists and categories, the most gigantic prizes no longer fit in a single night.

MAMA AWARDS: It is the classic example. This year 2025 It is confirmed that it will take place during Two consecutive nights. Usually, they dedicate the first night to the prizes voted by fans (‘FansChoice’) and new artists, and the second night at the Principals and Daesangs.
Golden Disc Awards (GDA): Historically they have also been divided into two days (Day 1 for digital music and Day 2 for physical albums), although you always have to check the official calendar of each edition.
The rest (MMA, KMA, SMA): Usually they are events of a single intense night of 3 to 4 hours.

12. Where can I see the prizes? Do they transmit them somewhere?

Luckily, we hardly rely on blurry pirate links on Twitch anymore. Most of the ceremonies know that their audience is global and offer Free official streaming (or easily accessible).

YouTube: It is the main platform.
- For the Momma, subscribe to the channels Mnet K-pop or Mnet TV.
- For the MMA, are usually transmitted on the channel of 1thek.
- For the Golden Disc, have their own official channel or join forces with platforms such as TikTok Live.
weverse: Sometimes this app broadcasts the ceremonies (especially if Hybe artists go) with good quality and subtitles in real time.
Key Data: The Red carpet It usually starts 1 or 2 hours before the ceremony and is almost always seen free on YouTube. Activate official channels notifications a few days before!