The 40th Golden Disc Awards are landing at the Taipei Dome on 10 January 2026, with a dazzling list of K-pop heavyweights and newcomers set to compete for top honours. This year’s contenders span three major divisions — Digital Song, Album, and Rookie of the Year — based on releases between November 2024 to early November 2025.
Here’s your ultimate breakdown of the nominees and what they’re nominated for:
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Digital Song Division (Bonsang)
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aespa – ‘Dirty Work’
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ALLDAY PROJECT – ‘FAMOUS’
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BLACKPINK – ‘JUMP’
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BOYNEXTDOOR – ‘IF I SAY, I LOVE YOU’
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G-DRAGON – ‘HOME SWEET HOME (feat. TAEYANG, DAESUNG)’
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Hearts2Hearts – ‘The Chase’
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Hwang Karam – ‘I Miss You So Much’
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IU – ‘Never Ending Story’
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IVE – ‘REBEL HEART’
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JENNIE – ‘like JENNIE’
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KiiiKiii – ‘I DO ME’
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LE SSERAFIM – ‘HOT’
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MAKTUB – ‘Starting With You’
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MEOVV – ‘HANDS UP’
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OVAN – ‘Flower’
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PLAVE – ‘Dash’
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ROSÉ – ‘toxic till the end’
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SEVENTEEN – ‘THUNDER’
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Woody – ‘Sadder Than Yesterday’
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ZO ZAZZ – ‘Don’t You Know’
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Album Division (Bonsang)
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&TEAM – Back to Life
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aespa – Rich Man
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ATEEZ – GOLDEN HOUR : Part.2
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BAEKHYUN – Essence of Reverie
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CxM – HYPE VIBES
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ENHYPEN – DESIRE : UNLEASH
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G-DRAGON – Übermensch
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(G)I-DLE – We are
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IVE – IVE EMPATHY
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JENNIE – Ruby
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JIN – Happy
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NCT DREAM – DREAMSCAPE
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NCT WISH – COLOR
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RIIZE – ODYSSEY
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SEVENTEEN – HAPPY BURSTDAY
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Stray Kids – KARMA
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THE BOYZ – Unexpected
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TWICE – STRATEGY
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TOMORROW X TOGETHER – The Star Chapter: TOGETHER
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ZEROBASEONE – NEVER SAY NEVER
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Rookie Artist of the Year
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AHOF
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ALLDAY PROJECT
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CLOSE YOUR EYES
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CORTIS
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Hearts2Hearts
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IDID
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idntt
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izna
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KickFlip
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KiiiKiii
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NouerA
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ZO ZAZZ
The ceremony will be hosted by Sung Si-kyung and Moon Ga-young, with performance line-ups expected to be revealed soon. With both iconic acts and fresh debuts in the spotlight, the 40th edition is shaping up to be one of the most exciting yet.
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