Photo=Courtesy of the Seoul Music Awards Organizing Committee

‘Seoul Music Awards (SMA)’ will introduce a new ‘SMA Best Artist’ category.

‘SMA Best Artist’ is a special award given to only one team among the ‘SMA’ participating artists who illuminated K-pop over the year. The winner is determined solely by 100% fan voting, with no separate judging score or digital or album performance considered, and voting continues until the final moments at the venue. The result will be revealed immediately on stage on the day of the ceremony.

Whereas the existing official vote has determined winners by category, ‘SMA Best Artist’ is a stage where the fandom directly selects the ‘face of SMA’ from among the artists who took the ‘SMA’ stage that year. Since taking part in ‘SMA’ already signifies standing in the top tier of K-pop, the award carries symbolism beyond a simple popularity metric, as the ‘Artist of the Year recognized by SMA’.

The 20 nominees are as follows: Dayoung, Boy Next Door, Kiki, Close Your Eyes, Dragon Pony, Kwon Eun-bi, Ateez, Lee Chan-won, Ahop, Alpha Drive One, Han Roro, Le Sserafim, Say My Name, Aidit, Modisey, Saikers, Zero Base One, Izna, Hearts to Hearts, Identity (in the order listed).

Voting will be conducted through IDOLCHAMP from 12:00 noon on the 4th to 8:00 p.m. on June 20. As the winner is scheduled to be announced on site on the day of the ceremony, voting may close early or be extended depending on the on-site situation.

A ‘Seoul Music Awards’ official said, “Taking the SMA stage in itself already means representing K-pop for the year,” and added, “Among them, we intend to confer the honor of ‘SMA Best Artist’ on the one team that records the highest number of fan votes. Each and every vote from fans will directly shape the outcome until the final moment, making it the highlight of the ceremony.”

Meanwhile, ‘SMA Best Artist’ is a newly created category established directly by the Seoul Music Awards, aiming for a new awards culture jointly created by fans and artists.