The 40th Golden Disc Awards has officially revealed its nominee lineup, marking the beginning of one of K-pop’s biggest award-season competitions.
On November 25, organizer HLL JoongAng unveiled the nominees for the Digital Song Bonsang, Album Bonsang, and Rookie of the Year categories through the award show’s official website and social media channels.
This year’s nominations cover songs and albums released between early November 2024 and late October 2025. If an artist released multiple projects within the eligibility period, only the top-performing song or album was selected as the representative nominee.
Digital Song Bonsang Nominees
A total of 20 artists made the list, including some of the biggest names of the year:
Rosé, LE SSERAFIM, MAKTUB, Miyayo, BOYNEXTDOOR, BLACKPINK, SEVENTEEN, IVE, IU, aespa, OVAN, All Day Project, Woody, Jennie, Jojaez, G-Dragon, Kiki, PLAVE, Hearts2Hearts, and Hwang Garam.
Album Bonsang Nominees
The album category is equally star-studded with:
THE BOYZ, RIIZE, Baekhyun, SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, (G)I-DLE, IVE, &TEAM, S.Coups × Mingyu (SEVENTEEN), aespa, ATEEZ, NCT DREAM, NCT WISH, ENHYPEN, Jennie, ZEROBASEONE, G-Dragon, Jin, TXT, and TWICE.
Rookie of the Year Nominees
The 12 rookie teams—selected through combined digital and physical performance—include:
NUERA, IDENTITY, IDIT, AHOP, All Day Project, IZNA, Jojaez, Cortiz, Close Your Eyes, Kiki, Kickflip, and Hearts2Hearts.
Ceremony Details
The 40th Golden Disc Awards will take place on January 10, 2026, at the Taipei Dome.
Sung Si-kyung and Moon Ga-young will host the event.
Performance lineup announcements will be released in two phases from November 26–27 through the show’s official SNS channels.
As one of the most influential award shows in Korean music, all eyes are now on which artists will take home the prestigious Bonsang trophies—and ultimately, the Grand Prize.