One of Korea's most prestigious award ceremonies, the Baeksang Arts Awards, returns this spring—set for May 5, also known as Children's Day in Korea.
📍 Event Details – Live from Seoul
The 61st Baeksang Arts Awards will take place at COEX D Hall in Gangnam, Seoul, starting at 8 PM KST. The ceremony honors outstanding achievements across TV, OTT, film, and theater with a strong emphasis on fairness and artistic integrity.
🆕 TV Becomes "Broadcast" – Category Name Change
Starting this year, the "TV" category will be renamed to "Broadcast" to better reflect the evolving media landscape.
This change comes in response to the growing dominance of cable, OTT, and streaming content, alongside traditional terrestrial networks.
- The variety show award has included web content since the 59th edition.
- The Best Entertainer Award now considers a wider range of candidates from digital and non-traditional formats.
📝 Who Votes? And What's Eligible?
To ensure a diverse and balanced evaluation, 60 expert judges were surveyed ahead of the event. Final nominees and winners will be determined through a combination of surveys and thorough deliberation.
Eligibility Period:
- Content released between April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2025 qualifies.
- Applies to films, TV/OTT series, and theatrical plays.
Broadcast Category Requirements:
- Must be at least 4 episodes long
- At least one-third of the series must have aired by the eligibility deadline.
- For Rookie Awards, actors must have appeared in three or fewer projects in lead or supporting roles.
Film & Theater Highlights:
- The Best New Director Award applies only to first-time feature filmmakers.
- The Gucci Impact Award recognizes socially impactful films.
- The Theater Division includes categories like Rising Theater Artist, Best Acting, and Grand Prize in Theater.
The nominee list for each category will be released on the official Baeksang website on April 7.
[Photo Credit: Baeksang Arts Awards Secretariat]
