Seven Acts Win Artist of the Year at the 2026 SPOTV K-Pop Awards

Seven acts received the Artist of the Year Bonsang at the 2026 SPOTV K-Pop Awards. AKMU, BTS, NCT WISH, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, AND2BLE, KiiiKiii, and KISS OF LIFE were announced as the recipients during the ceremony held at KINTEX in Ilsan on September 6th. The SPOTV K-Pop Awards combines evaluations based on Circle Chart data with votes from global fans. This year’s Bonsang lineup brought together established artists with fast-rising groups, reflecting a wide range of achievements across the current K-pop landscape. KiiiKiii thanked their fans, the event staff, and the people at Starship Entertainment who supported them. The members said they would not simply rest on the joy of receiving the award and promised to continue working hard and showing further growth. ALPHA DRIVE ONE described receiving both a rookie award and a Bonsang as an honor and a source of great happiness. The group expressed their love and gratitude to their fans, thanked the staff behind the event, and promised to repay that support through stronger performances. AND2BLE also thanked their fans after receiving the Bonsang. The members said they would treat the award as encouragement to continue pursuing their direction without stopping and would work to become artists their fans could be proud of. KISS OF LIFE expressed disbelief and gratitude at receiving the honor. They thanked their agency and fans for continuing to believe in them and promised to preserve their identity while developing into even stronger artists. With AKMU, BTS, and NCT WISH joining these rising acts among the recipients, the Artist of the Year Bonsang lineup highlighted both proven influence and new momentum. The seven winners represented different generations and stages of growth within K-pop at the 2026 ceremony.