2026 K-World Dream Awards: Major Winners and Highlights
August 28, 2026
The 2026 K-World Dream Awards brought together established stars and emerging artists for its 10th-anniversary ceremony on August 27 at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Hosted by Jun Hyun Moo and Jang Do Yeon, the event recognized achievements across K-pop performance, albums, digital music, popularity, and global growth.
ATEEZ led the ceremony with four awards. The group received the Best Artist Award, Best Stage Award, Group Popularity Award, and Artist Award. LE SSERAFIM, BTS, and RIIZE followed with three awards each.
LE SSERAFIM received the Best Artist Award, Best Visual Content Award, and Artist Award. BTS was named Artist of the Year and also received the Best Album Award and Artist Award. RIIZE earned the Best Performance Award, Journalist Pick Artist Award, and Artist Award.
The fan-voted popularity categories went to Park Ji Hyeon and Hearts2Hearts member Carmen in the male and female solo divisions. ATEEZ and ILLIT received the male and female Group Popularity Awards, respectively.
The Best Digital Music Award was presented to AKMU, Hwasa, I.O.I, IVE, aespa, and Yena. The Best Album Award recipients were BTS, ENHYPEN, NCT WISH, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and BLACKPINK.
Several rising artists were also recognized during the ceremony. CORTIS, AND2BLE, and ALPHA DRIVE ONE received the Super Rookie Award, while &TEAM, KickFlip, and Hearts2Hearts won the Global Music Award. JAY B and EVAN were honored with the Best All-Rounder Musician Award.
Additional Artist Awards were presented to AND2BLE, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, CORTIS, KiiiKiii, Hearts2Hearts, KickFlip, ILLIT, RIIZE, &TEAM, LE SSERAFIM, P1Harmony, ATEEZ, Stray Kids, and BTS. The range of recipients reflected the ceremony’s focus on recognizing both leading global acts and artists building the next generation of K-pop.
The K-World Dream Awards began in 2017 as the Soribada Best K-Music Awards. Its 2026 ceremony marked the event’s 10th year, celebrating the artists, fans, and industry professionals who have contributed to K-pop’s international growth.