The 2026 The Fact Music Awards ended with four different groups taking the ceremony’s four grand-prize categories: ATEEZ, NMIXX, RIIZE and CORTIS.
At first glance, that can look like the organizers simply split one top prize into four names. They did not. Each category used a different scoring formula. Once the weighting is laid out, the results make much more sense.
The four grand prizes were built on different formulas
| Grand prize | Winner | Main weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Icon of the Year | ATEEZ | 60% digital + 20% physical + 20% trend |
| Sound of the Year | NMIXX | 80% digital + 20% judges |
| Muse of the Year | RIIZE | 60% digital + 20% performance + 20% trend |
| Record of the Year | CORTIS | 80% physical + 20% judges |
This is the key to understanding the night. NMIXX and CORTIS were not competing under the same formula. One category leaned heavily toward digital results, while the other leaned heavily toward physical albums. ATEEZ and RIIZE were judged through broader mixes that also included trend or performance components.
ATEEZ’s award is often confused with Artist of the Year
ATEEZ won Icon of the Year, one of the four grand prizes. The group also received Artist of the Year, but that was a separate category shared by 11 acts.
That distinction matters because a simple winners list can make it look as though ATEEZ alone won Artist of the Year. In fact, the category recognized ATEEZ, TREASURE, NMIXX, RIIZE, ILLIT, RESCENE, KiiiKiii, ALLDAY PROJECT, CORTIS, ALPHA DRIVE ONE and Yena.
So the clean way to describe ATEEZ’s result is: grand-prize winner for Icon of the Year, plus one of the Artist of the Year recipients.
CORTIS had one of the most interesting award combinations
CORTIS finished the ceremony with three awards: Record of the Year, Artist of the Year and Next Leader.
Those three trophies point in different directions. Record of the Year was heavily weighted toward physical album performance. Artist of the Year recognized broader activity. Next Leader highlighted a rising act.
That combination is useful because it shows CORTIS occupying two positions at once: still framed as a developing group, yet already strong enough in album performance to take one of the main grand prizes.
Why NMIXX’s Sound of the Year is mainly a digital result
Sound of the Year used an 80% digital weighting and 20% judges’ score. That makes it the most clearly digital-first of the four grand-prize formulas.
For NMIXX, the result therefore tells us something fairly specific. The award was not primarily about album shipments or fan voting. It reflected strong digital performance during the eligibility period, with the judges making up the remaining share.
This is a good example of why award names should not be read without the scoring criteria beside them.
RIIZE’s Muse of the Year added performance and trend to the mix
Muse of the Year used 60% digital performance, 20% performance score and 20% trend-related performance.
Compared with Sound of the Year, this formula gives more room to stage impact and wider momentum. That does not mean the category is subjective; it means the numbers being rewarded are broader than streaming alone.
RIIZE also received Artist of the Year, giving the group a second major recognition from the ceremony.
The award system used several different data sources
TMA’s official criteria said the main awards drew on data from Circle Chart, Hanteo Chart and Melon, covering an eligibility period from September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2026.
That matters because the ceremony was not built around one chart provider. Physical albums, digital performance and other category-specific inputs were combined differently depending on the award.
| Data area | Typical source in TMA criteria |
|---|---|
| Physical albums | Hanteo / Circle-related data |
| Digital performance | Melon / chart data |
| Trend / performance | Category-specific TMA scoring |
| Judges | Used in selected categories |
| Fan voting | Used in separate fan-voted categories |
Fan-voted awards should not be mixed with the grand prizes
BTS won several FANNSTAR-section awards, including FANNSTAR CHOICE — Group and seasonal Best Music awards. Jin also won FANNSTAR MYSTAR — Male.
Those are meaningful awards, but they come from a different voting structure. They should not be compared directly with Sound of the Year or Record of the Year as though all trophies were calculated the same way.
The same applies to the TMA Popularity Award and Today’s Choice. Different mechanisms produce different kinds of wins.
What the 2026 results actually tell us
The strongest takeaway from the ceremony is not that one group dominated everything. It is the opposite.
ATEEZ, NMIXX, RIIZE and CORTIS each topped a category built around a different definition of success. ATEEZ’s formula mixed digital, physical and trend performance. NMIXX’s leaned toward digital. RIIZE’s included performance and trend. CORTIS’s leaned heavily toward physical albums.
That makes the four-way split easier to understand. The ceremony was not trying to name one universal “best group.” It was rewarding different strengths through different scoring systems.
For readers comparing future award shows, this is the useful habit to keep: look at the weighting before looking at the winner. The category name tells you who won. The formula tells you what they actually won for.