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ATEEZ Daesang, BOYNEXTDOOR & Lee Chanwon 4 Wins Each at 35th Seoul Music Awards
3 hours ago•Lisa Park
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The 35th Seoul Music Awards wrapped up on June 20 at Inspire Arena in Incheon, with ATEEZ winning the night’s highest honor, the Daesang (Grand Prize). The ceremony also saw BOYNEXTDOOR and Lee Chanwon tie as the most awarded artists of the evening, each taking home four trophies, while LE SSERAFIM and ZEROBASEONE each claimed three awards.
Marking its 35th anniversary, the Seoul Music Awards is Korea’s longest-running major K-pop awards show, having started in 1990. The show moved from a year-end slot to June last year to better capture the peak season of K-pop trends. This year, three new categories were introduced—Golden Revival, New Icon, and SMA Best Artist—and a special stage featuring legendary group Roo’ra alongside 5th-gen acts Xikers, izna, and Say My Name bridged generations.
With a single Daesang winner tradition upheld for 35 years (past honorees include Seo Taiji and Boys, EXO, BTS, and last year’s winner (G)I-DLE), this year’s results cement ATEEZ’s place at the top. Fans and industry watchers can read the full award breakdown below to see which acts dominated and which rookies broke through.
Key Facts
- Daesang (Grand Prize): ATEEZ
- Most awarded artists (4 wins each): BOYNEXTDOOR (Best Album, World Best Artist, R&B Hip-Hop, Bonsang) and Lee Chanwon (Popularity, Trot, Bonsang, SMA Best Artist)
- New categories: Golden Revival – EXO, New Icon – Do Kyung-soo, SMA Best Artist – Lee Chanwon
- Main Award (Bonsang) winners (10): Kwon Eunbi, Dayoung, LE SSERAFIM, BOYNEXTDOOR, AlphaDriveOne, ATEEZ, Lee Chanwon, ZEROBASEONE, KiKi, Hearts2Hearts
- Rookie Awards: iDIT, Close Your Eyes, AlphaDriveOne, AHOF (Rookie); IDENTITY, Say My Name, Modisei (SMA Global Rookie)
- Other notable wins: Hallyu Special Award – BTS; K-POP WORLD CHOICE – Super Junior (group), Yeonjun (solo); Best Performance – izna & Xikers; OST Award – Sung Hanbin (ZEROBASEONE)
Key Terms
- Daesang: The Grand Prize, the top honor awarded to only one act each year at the Seoul Music Awards.
- Bonsang: The Main Award, given to multiple artists; this year 10 acts received it.
- Golden Revival: A new category for artists who achieved a “reverse run miracle” or long-term chart dominance.
- SMA Best Artist: A fan-voted award (100% votes) given to one performer from the night’s lineup; won by Lee Chanwon.
Next
- The Seoul Music Awards plans to continue as a representative K-pop awards ceremony, building on its 35-year legacy.
