CORTIS Takes Three Awards at the 2026 TMA
CORTIS (코르티스) won three trophies at the 2026 The Fact Music Awards: Record of the Year, Artist of the Year and Next Leader. The ceremony took place at 6 p.m. KST on September 19 at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan. Next Leader is a rookie-category award, while Record of the Year is one of the ceremony’s four grand-prize categories. Winning a rookie award and a grand prize on the same night is notable for a group still in its first year.
The 2026 edition marked the first time The Fact Music Awards was held in Busan. It also marked the event’s return to South Korea after editions in Osaka and Macau. For fans following the show from outside Korea, this year’s ceremony stayed inside the country rather than traveling abroad.
Why Record of the Year Is the Key Result
Record of the Year was one of four grand-prize categories at the 2026 TMA, alongside Icon of the Year, Sound of the Year and Muse of the Year. Grand-prize categories carry more weight than general awards, which is why this specific win stands out among CORTIS’s three trophies.
The official judging criteria for Record of the Year weighted the result at 80 percent physical album score and 20 percent judges’ score. The judging period covered releases from September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2026. Public voting was not part of the formula. This means CORTIS’s win came mainly from how many physical albums the group sold, not from fan polls or social media activity.
What CORTIS Said After the Wins
During the Artist of the Year speech, CORTIS referred to promotions for its second album and the group’s recent first debut anniversary. The members thanked fans, referred to as COER, for helping them pursue their dreams. The published report does not include a direct quote or attribute specific lines to individual members, so no further detail on the speech is available.
The Billboard Momentum Behind the Award
CORTIS debuted in September 2025 with the EP COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES, which entered the Billboard 200 at No. 15. That chart entry came from the group’s very first release. One year later, CORTIS added a domestic grand prize built mostly on physical album sales. For North American readers tracking the group’s crossover potential, the Billboard 200 entry remains the clearest U.S. chart data point tied to CORTIS so far.
What Global Fans Should Know
The 2026 TMA broadcast was carried on CHZZK in South Korea, Nico Nico Live in Japan, and HelloLive for viewers in other regions. Fans in Southeast Asia, Latin America, the United States and Canada watched through the international HelloLive stream rather than the Korea-only or Japan-only platforms.
The reports checked for this article did not announce any new tour dates for Southeast Asia, Latin America or North America. CORTIS’s Artist of the Year speech mentioned ongoing promotion for its second album and the group’s first anniversary, but no city-by-city schedule was included. Fans in these regions should watch for separate tour announcements rather than expecting new dates tied to this awards show.
Editor’s Take
Record of the Year weights physical album sales at 80 percent and judges’ scores at 20 percent, with no public voting, so this award mainly reflects how many albums CORTIS sold during the judging period. Artist of the Year was also won by other acts, including ATEEZ, so Record of the Year is the sharper distinction among the three trophies. The Billboard 200 entry for the debut EP remains the clearest U.S. data point cited here. This is our interpretation of the published criteria.
Sources
- Soompi · 2026-09-19
- FANNSTAR · 2026-09-19
- FANNSTAR · 2026-09-21
- THE FACT MUSIC AWARDS
- Maeil Business Newspaper · 2026-09-19
- The Chosun Daily · 2026-09-20
- Yonhap News Agency · 2025-09-24
- allkpop · 2026-09-19
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