BTS Goes for a Record 5th Kids' Choice Win Against Taylor Swift and Drake

BTS enters the 2026 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards with a concrete piece of history on the line. The group is nominated in three categories: Favorite Music Group/Duo, Favorite Album, and Favorite Song, and a win in the group category would give them five total, more than any act in that award's history.

The nomination list was published on the 8th (local time), alongside a broad slate of K-pop contenders that makes this one of the most Korean-heavy Kids' Choice fields in the show's history.

BTS's record in reach

BTS won Favorite Music Group four consecutive years from 2020 through 2023, a run that stands as the category record. They were not nominated in 2024 or 2025, which makes this year's return to the ballot a story on its own. Their fifth-generation comeback album ARIRANG is up for Favorite Album against Taylor Swift, Drake, and Sabrina Carpenter, and the title track "SWIM" competes for Favorite Song against Justin Bieber's "DAISIES," Bruno Mars's "I Just Might," and Olivia Rodrigo's "drop dead." The competition in both categories is about as stiff as it gets at a fan-voted awards show.

For context: BTS first won at Kids' Choice in 2018, taking home Favorite Global Music Star. In 2021 they went three-for-three in a single night, adding Favorite Song for "Dynamite" to the group and global star awards. A win on November 14 would be their sixth trophy overall and their fifth in the group category alone.

BLACKPINK, Rosé, and Jennie

BLACKPINK is also nominated for Favorite Music Group/Duo, setting up a direct competition between the two biggest names in K-pop. Rosé received an individual nomination for Favorite Female Artist. Jennie is nominated in Favorite Music Collaboration for "Dracula," her project with Australian artist Tame Impala.

HYBE's joint Korean-American girl group KATSEYE rounds out the K-pop nominees with a Favorite Female Breakout Artist/Group nod, a reasonable fit for a group that spent much of the year building its US fanbase.

K-Pop Demon Hunters brings its own category sweep

The Netflix animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters, which dominated streaming charts after its release, arrives at this ceremony with nominations across five separate categories. An Hyo-seop, who voiced the male lead Jin-woo, is nominated for Favorite Male Animated Voice from a Movie. Aden Cho, who voiced the female lead Rumi, is up for the equivalent female category.

The film's fictional girl group the Huntrix, represented by the characters Rumi, Joy, and Mira, is nominated for Favorite On-Screen Duo/Trio. The soundtrack single "Golden" competes for Favorite Song from a Movie. The film itself is nominated for Favorite Animated Movie.

Five nominations for a single K-pop animated film at an American children's awards show is a number worth noting. It suggests the movie landed considerably beyond the existing K-pop fanbase, which is where that kind of breadth usually comes from.

The 2026 Kids' Choice Awards will be held on November 14 in Los Angeles and will air live on CBS.