Fierce Competition Unfolds in Preliminary Voting for 14th Top Ten Awards

The preliminary voting for the 14th Top Ten Awards (TTA), aimed at selecting the 'Best Global Artist' for the latter half of 2025, commenced on January 16. Leading the charge in their respective categories are ENHYPEN (Male Idol Group), NiziU (Female Idol Group), Kang Daniel (Male Solo Idol), Kim Sejeong (Female Solo Idol), and AHOF (Best Rookie), setting the stage for an intense competition.

The TTA preliminary voting, which began on January 16, is being conducted through the Idol Champ and Celeb Champ applications, with the process divided between January and February. Currently, voting for five categories—Male Idol Group, Female Idol Group, Male Solo Idol, Female Solo Idol, and Best Rookie—is taking place on the Idol Champ application.

ENHYPEN is leading the Male Idol Group category with a 36.83% vote share. They are followed by TREASURE (21.52%) and ASTRO (18.23%), who are in a close race. The gap between ENHYPEN and the second and third places is narrow, indicating potential for a lead change. ASTRO, having won the Male Idol Group category in the 13th TTA, is expected to make a strong comeback. Stray Kids and PLAVE are in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

In the Female Idol Group category, NiziU is leading with a 43.95% vote share, widening the gap with second-place TWICE (15.08%). Fifty Fifty, ITZY, and LE SSERAFIM are in third, fourth, and fifth places, respectively.

Kang Daniel is leading the Male Solo Idol category with a 27.64% vote share. Known for his multiple TTA wins, Kang Daniel is expected to perform well in this voting round. Taemin, in second place with 24.10%, is closely trailing, making the competition intense. Cha Eun-woo is in third place with a 23.75% vote share, followed by j-hope and Lee Junho in fourth and fifth places, respectively.

Kim Sejeong leads the Female Solo Idol category with a 40.60% vote share, followed closely by IU in second place. WJSN's Dayoung, i-dle's Yuqi, and Suzy are in third, fourth, and fifth places, respectively.

In the Best Rookie category, AHOF is leading with a 41.43% vote share, followed by NEXZ with 28.53%. Chuei Li Yu, SAY MY NAME, and Kick Flip are in third, fourth, and fifth places, respectively.

Organized by TENASIA, the 14th TTA aims to crown the 'Best Global Artist' for the second half of 2025. Artists representing K-pop and K-content will compete for this prestigious title. The top two artists from each category in the preliminaries will advance to the finals to compete for the 'Best Global Artist' title.

Each category features 10 nominees (listed alphabetically). The Male Best Group nominees include THE BOYZ, Stray Kids, ASTRO, &TEAM, ATEEZ, ENHYPEN, ZEROBASEONE, CRAVITY, TREASURE, and PLAVE. The Female Best Group nominees are NiziU, LE SSERAFIM, BLACKPINK, i-dle, IVE, NMIXX, ITZY, tripleS, TWICE, and Fifty Fifty.

The Male Best Solo nominees are Kang Daniel, Nam Woo-hyun, BTS's j-hope, Baekho, ASTRO's Cha Eun-woo, Lee Junho, Jang Han-eum, TXT's Yeonjun, Taemin, and Ha Sung-woon. The Female Best Solo nominees include Kim Sejeong, MAMAMOO's Solar, MAMAMOO's Hwasa, Suzy, IU, i-dle's Yuqi, WJSN's Dayoung, Jeon Somi, Chuu, and TWICE's Chaeyoung.

The Best Rookie nominees are NEXZ, BABYMONSTER, SAY MY NAME, ILLIT, AHOF, ALLDAY PROJECT, UNIS, Chuei Li Yu, CLOSE YOUR EYES, and Kick Flip.

The TTA nominees were selected based on a comprehensive evaluation of top candidates from idolchamp Song & King of Kings, idolchamp Chart top rankers, idolchamp voting leaders, artists making comebacks this fall, and recommendations from journalists.

The preliminary voting for the 14th TTA via the Idol Champ application runs from January 16 at 10 AM to January 25 at 11:59 PM. The final voting is scheduled from January 26 to 30. Additionally, voting for another five categories (Male Actor, Female Actor, Male Singer, Female Singer, Best Song) will be conducted through the Celeb Champ application in February.

By Ji-won Kim, TENASIA Reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr