ITZY were the biggest winners of Music Day at the 2026 Korea Grand Music Awards, taking home five trophies, while ATEEZ won the Grand Record trophy for the second year in a row — their third consecutive year winning a “Grand” award since the first KGMA in 2024. The second day of the ceremony took place on Sunday, 8 November, at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, hosted by actor Kim Jae-won and IVE’s Liz.
ITZY’s haul was the most of any act on the night. As a group they won Grand Honor’s Choice, shared with rookie group KiiiKiii, and Best Music. Members Yuna and Ryujin added three individual honours between them: Yuna won Best Solo Performance and the Most Popular Artist award for Music Day, while Ryujin took Trend of the Year in the female solo category.
ATEEZ extend their Grand run
ATEEZ won three awards on the night: Grand Record, Best Music and Best Stage. The Grand Record trophy is the KGMA’s highest honour for recorded work, and the group’s third straight year of winning a grand prize underlines their standing as one of K-pop’s most consistent live and recording acts. RIIZE also had a big night, winning Grand Performer and Best Music for two trophies.
The Best Music list was long and star-studded, including RIIZE, SHINee’s Minho, Shownu X Hyungwon, IVE, AHOF, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, aespa, ATEEZ, NMIXX, WayV, ITZY, YENA, KiiiKiii, KickFlip, TWS and Hearts2Hearts. YENA, who won Best Solo and Best Music on the same night, was also among the winners, as reported yesterday.
KiiiKiii’s breakthrough
The night’s other big story was KiiiKiii, the Starship quintet who shared Grand Honor’s Choice with ITZY, added Best Music, and took Best Streaming Song for “404 (New Era)”. The group are less than two years into their career, and a grand prize at one of Korea’s major year-end ceremonies is a significant breakthrough.
The 2026 KGMA took place over two days, 7 and 8 November, with Artist Day on the Saturday and Music Day on the Sunday. ATEEZ return on 13 November with new music, and for ITZY, the five trophies are a reminder that, five years after their debut, they remain one of K-pop’s most decorated girl groups.
Related: YENA Wins Two Trophies at Korea Grand Music Awards 2026; Shin Min-a and Kim Woo-bin Step Out Together After Wedding
Sources: allkpop (8 Nov 2026); Soompi (8 Nov 2026); Kpopwise (8 Nov 2026); Technosports (9 Nov 2026).
