The first SPOTV K-POP AWARDS ended with three different acts taking the main Daesang categories: BTS for Best Album of the Year, AKMU for Best Artist of the Year and KiiiKiii for Best Song of the Year.
The final results place three very different acts at the center of the 2026 K-pop conversation: BTS for the album ARIRANG, AKMU for overall artistry, and KiiiKiii for the year’s standout song.
Illustrative concert audience image; not a photograph from the 2026 SPOTV K-POP AWARDS.
2026 SPOTV K-POP AWARDS winners: Who took the three Daesang awards?
- Best Album of the Year: ARIRANG — BTS
- Best Artist of the Year: AKMU
- Best Song of the Year: KiiiKiii
BTS received the album Daesang for ARIRANG, adding another major honor to the group’s 2026 return. AKMU took the artist Daesang, while KiiiKiii secured the song Daesang. Together, the results span a globally dominant senior act, a duo known for its distinct musical identity, and one of the leading names of K-pop’s new generation.
BTS — ARIRANG official album audio
Listen to “Body to Body,” an official BIGHIT MUSIC audio track from BTS’s award-winning ARIRANG album. The SKA honor was presented to the album as a whole, not to this individual track.
AKMU — official 2026 performance video
AKMU won Best Artist of the Year rather than an award for one specified song or album. This official FLOWERING listening-session performance is included as current artist context.
KiiiKiii — official 2026 video
The published winners list names KiiiKiii as Best Song of the Year but does not identify the song title. To avoid incorrectly labeling a track as the winner, this official “Pop Off Pop Off” MV teaser is presented only as a recent KiiiKiii video.
ALPHA DRIVE ONE and AND2BLE win Best New Artist
ALPHA DRIVE ONE and AND2BLE were jointly named Best New Artist. Both groups also appeared in the Artist of the Year Bonsang lineup, making the rookie category one of the ceremony’s biggest talking points.
AND2BLE had an especially notable night: the group won Best New Artist and an Artist of the Year Bonsang, while members Zhang Hao and Ricky collected fan-choice honors.
Zhang Hao was recognized in Global Fan Choice OST for “Refresh!” and also won Global Fan Choice Best Iconic. Ricky received Global Fan Choice Best Spotlight.
2026 SPOTV K-POP AWARDS full winners list
Grand Prizes and main awards
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Song of the Year (Daesang) | KiiiKiii |
| Best Artist of the Year (Daesang) | AKMU |
| Best Album of the Year (Daesang) | ARIRANG — BTS |
| Artist of the Year (Bonsang) | NCT WISH, AKMU, BTS, KiiiKiii, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, AND2BLE, KISS OF LIFE |
| Best New Artist | ALPHA DRIVE ONE, AND2BLE |
| Best Female Group | KISS OF LIFE |
| Best Male Group | KickFlip |
| Daum Best Male Solo | D.O. |
| Daum Best Female Solo | YENA |
Performance, special and fan-choice awards
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| SPOTV Ground Performance | KickFlip |
| SPOTV Ambassador Award | RESCENE |
| Best Performer Award | Billlie |
| Best Trot Artist | Jeon Yujin, Seongri |
| Global Fan Choice — K-Pop | NANA |
| Global Fan Choice — Trot | Lee Chan Won |
| Global Fan Choice — Band | DAY6 |
| Global Fan Choice — OST | “Refresh!” — Zhang Hao (AND2BLE) |
| Global Fan Choice — Best Iconic | Zhang Hao (AND2BLE) |
| Global Fan Choice — Best Spotlight | Ricky (AND2BLE) |
| Next Generation | CLOSE YOUR EYES, IDID |
| Global New Wave | POW, cosmosy, xikers |
| Global Connect | RESCENE |
| Best Creative Producer | Jung Hae-chang |
What is the SPOTV K-POP AWARDS?
The ceremony was held on September 6, 2026 at 5 p.m. KST at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. SPOTV and global fandom platform BIGC jointly organized the event.
According to SPOTV, the awards combine data from South Korea’s official Circle Chart with voting by global fans. The organizers introduced the event as a new global K-pop awards show designed to recognize both chart performance and worldwide fandom participation.
The ceremony also featured performances by artists including RESCENE, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, AND2BLE, KISS OF LIFE, Billlie, CLOSE YOUR EYES, KickFlip, KiiiKiii, 82MAJOR, IDID, YENA, POW, xikers, cosmosy and others.
Why the final results matter
The three Daesang winners illustrate how broad the K-pop field has become. BTS’s Best Album win reflects the continuing global reach of an established act. AKMU’s Best Artist honor rewards a long-running musical identity that sits outside the standard idol-group formula. KiiiKiii’s Best Song victory gives a new-generation girl group one of the night’s most visible awards.
At the same time, ALPHA DRIVE ONE and AND2BLE moved beyond a conventional rookie showing by also entering the Artist of the Year Bonsang group. AND2BLE’s additional member awards made the group one of the most decorated emerging acts of the ceremony.
What I would take away from the first SKA
The interesting part of the results is not just that BTS, AKMU and KiiiKiii split the three Daesang categories. It is that the ceremony made room for three very different kinds of success at the same time: global scale, long-term musical identity and a newer act with a breakout song.
That mix makes the first SKA more useful as a snapshot of the 2026 field than a simple winners list. The established names still carried major weight, but the rookie and rising-act categories were not treated as a separate side story. Several newer artists appeared across the broader award table, which is the part worth watching if the ceremony returns next year.
Sources
Winner spellings and award titles follow the published final results. “Bonsang” identifies the main Artist of the Year awards, separate from the Best Artist of the Year Daesang.