SEOUL, Oct 15 — The Mnet Asian Music Awards or MAMA Awards announced the nominees list yesterday ahead of the actual dual ceremonies in November.

This year’s theme is "BIG BLUR: What is Real?” and for the first time will be held in Hollywood California on November 21, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre for the first day.

The two subsequent days, November 22 and November 23, MAMA will instead be held at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan.

Both sessions will be streamed on Mnet’s YouTube channel.

However, the event has already run into some controversy as the Album of the Year award’s criteria will no longer be limited to sales figures, but will look at other factors including artwork quality, music, visuals and the overall impact.

Fans have questioned the lack of transparency and how subjective the criteria of judging is.

MAMA is known for primarily revolving around K-pop with fans looking forward to exciting stages from participating acts.

Judging criteria detailed

For Album of the Year, the criteria will involve: 60 per cent physical album sales (albums must have sold at least 1 million copies), 40 per cent judging evaluation,

As for judging criteria it is as follows:

1. Artist of the Year as well as the Artist Category Awards: 20 per cent judging evaluation, 40 per cent streaming/downloads (25 per cent Korea and 15 per cent global), 40 per cent physical album sales
2. Song of the Year and Genre Category Awards: 60 per cent streaming/downloads (40 per cent Korea and 20 per cent global), 40 per cent judging evaluation
3. Best Music Video and Best Choreography – 100 per cent by judges’ evaluation
4. Fans’ Choice Male/Female Round 1: 90 per cent Mnet Plus votes, 10 per cent X votes Round 2: 90 per cent Mnet Plus votes, 10 per cent X votes
5. Fans’ Choice of the Year: 90 per cent Mnet Plus votes, 10 per cent X votes, along with an additional 10 per cent real-time Mnet Plus votes

Fans can vote for Fans’ Choice Nominees from October 25 from 11.59pm KST (10.59pm Malaysian time), with the 20 who qualify from each pre-vote to move to the second round from November 1 at 7pm KST to November 15 at 11.59pm KST.

To qualify, the artists’ release must be from October 1, 2023 and September 30,2024.

Best Female Artist

• IU
• Jennie
• Nayeon
• Tayeon
• Yuqi

Best Male Artist

• Baekhyun
• Jimin
• Jungkook
• Lim Young Woong
• Taemin

Best New Male Artist

• 82Major
• All(H)ours
• Ampers&One
• NCT Wish
• Nowadays
• TWS

Best New Female Artist

• Babymonster
• Illit
• Meowv
• Qwer
• Unis
• Young Posse

Best Female Group

• G-Idle
• Aespa
• Ive
• Le Sserafim
• Newjeans
• Twice

Best Male Group

• Enhypen
• NCT Dream
• Seventeen
• Stray Kids
• Tomorrow x Together
• Zerobaseone

Best Vocal Performance (Solo)

• Bibi – Bam Yang Gang
• IU – Love Wins All
• Lee Mu-jin — Episode
• Lim Young Woong – Warmth
• Taeyeon – To X

Best Vocal Performance (Group)

• G-Idle – Fate
• AKMU – Hero
• Davichi – A Very Personal Story
• Plave – Way 4 Luv
• Red Velvet – Cosmic

Best Rap & Hip Hop Performance

• Dean – Die 4 U
• Lee Young Ji (featuring D.O) – Small girl
• Leellamarz (featuring Gist, Jayci yucca) — Boys Like Girls
• RM — Lost!
• Zico (featuring Jennie) — Spot!

Best Collaboration

• GroovyRoom (featuring Crush, Huh Yunjin) — Yes or No
• Jay Park (featuring Natty) — Taxi Blurr
• Lee Young Ji (featuring D.O) – Small girl
• Sung Si Kyung, Naul — Even for a Moment
• Zico (featuring Jennie) — Spot!

Best OST

• Crush — Love You with All My Heart (Queen of Tears)
• Eclipse — Sudden Shower (Lovely Runner)
• Lee Changsub — Heavenly Fate (A Not So Fairy Tale)
• Roy Kim — Whenever, Wherever (My Demon)
• Tayeon — Dream (Welcome to Samdal-ri)

Best Music Video

• Aespa — Armageddon
• IU – Love Wins All
• IVE – Heya
• K.Will — No Sad Song for my Broken Heart
• Seventeen — Maestro

Best Band Performance

• Day6 — Welcome to the Show
• Hyukoh, Sunset Rollercoaster — Young Man
• Lucy — The Knight who can’t die and the silk cradle
• N.Flying — Into You
• QWER — TBH

Best Choreography

• Aespa — Supernova
• Illit — Magnetic
• Le Sserafim — Crazy
• New Jeans — Supernatural
• Riize — Impossible
• Taemin — Guilty

Best Dance Performance Female (Solo)

• Hwasa — NA
• Jennie — You and Me
• Nayeon — ABCD
• Sunmi — Balloon in Love
• Yuqi — Freak

Best Dance Performance Male (Solo)

• Jimin — Who
• Jungkook — Standing Next to You
• Key — Pleasure Shop
• Taemin — Guilty
• Taeyong — Tap

Best Dance Performance Female (Group)

• G-Idle — Super Lady
• Aespa — Supernova
• Illit — Magnetic
• IVE — Baddie
• Le Sserafim — Easy
• Newjeans — How Sweet

Best Dance Performance Male (Group)

• NCT 127 — Fact Check
• Riize — Love 119
• Seventeen — God of Music
• Stray Kids — Lalalala
• Enhypen — Sweet Venom
• TWS — Plot Twist

Artists nominated for the artist categories will be automatically nominated for the Artist of the Year category and that also goes for nominated songs in any category being entered for Song of the Year.

As for Album of the Year, only albums with sales of at least 1 million copies will qualify, namely:Aespa – ArmageddonAteez– The World Ep.Fin : WillBaekhyun – Hello, WorldEnhypen – Romance : UntoldG-Idle – 2IVE – I’ve MineJungkook – GoldenLe Sserafim – EasyNCT 127 – Fact CheckNCT Dream– Dream()ScapeRiize – RiizingSeventeen – Seventeenth HeavenStray Kids – 樂-Star (Rock-Star)Twice – With YOU-thTXT – The Name Chapter: FreefallZerobaseone – Melting Point

Watch the nomination playlist below: