MAMA AWARDS is one of South кσяєα’s major annual music award ceremonies, with a far-reaching influence across the global K-pop community. Over the years, the event has not only honored artists with outstanding achievements but has also become a major platform for international fans to actively participate in supporting their favorite artists.

At MAMA 2026, winners across different categories are determined by various criteria, which may include judges’ evaluations, digital music performance, album sales, and fan voting, depending on the category.

For Fans’ Choice, the first round of voting began on October 12, with votes on Mnet Plus accounting for 90% of the total and votes on X making up the remaining 10%. According to the voting guidelines, Mnet Plus limits the number of votes allowed per account and device each day. Notably, the category has recently become the subject of allegations involving abnormal voting мєтнods, sparking widespread discussion among fans.

On October 14, MAMA AWARDS issued a notice regarding “ABNORMAL VOTING METHODS FOR MAMA 2026” on its app, with similar messages also sent to some fans via email.

According to the notice, MAMA had detected attempts to vote using abnormal мєтнods. Any voting data confirmed to have deviated from the proper procedure would be excluded from the final tally. The organizers also stated that the tallying process and voting results from Mnet Plus and social media would be independently verified by Samil PwC, an external professional firm.

MAMA emphasized that it would continue working to ensure that the voices of K-pop fans worldwide are fairly reflected in the voting results, while calling on the community to help foster a healthy voting culture.

The notice did not name any specific artist, group, or fandom suspected of engaging in vote manipulation but some netizens quickly linked the announcement to recent allegations involving certain ENGENE, the fandom of ENHYPEN.

Some fans have accused ENGENE of manipulating votes during the first round of the MAMA Awards 2026 Fans’ Choice voting by using clone apps to bypαѕѕ Mnet Plus’s limit of one vote per ID per day. Since Mnet Plus votes account for 90% of the total, the alleged practice would violate the rules prohibiting unauthorized tools.

Posts accusing fans of this behavior reportedly included images of a Telegram group called “EN-CREASE,” which allegedly coordinated voting efforts, along with voting confirmations and heated exchanges among ENHYPEN’s international fan groups over competition involving bot votes. Some comments even joked about being outnumbered by bots allegedly used by Chinese fans.

Notably, the provisional Fans’ Choice rankings shortly before MAMA issued its notice showed EVAN, formerly known as Heeseung, and ENHYPEN occupying the top two positions, ahead of BTS.

Among the complaints submitted, a considerable number reportedly came from the BTS fandom itself. Many ARMYs have also accused ENHYPEN fans of using every possible tactic to help their idols overtake their senior group. As a result, although MAMA’s latest notice did not specify which group was responsible for any abnormal votes or disclose the number of votes involved, many people believe ENGENE was the fandom being targeted.

However, other fans have pointed out that MAMA has routinely monitored voting activity and removed abnormal votes in previous years. They also noted that this year’s announcement follows a similar script to last year’s. Therefore, issuing a warning does not necessarily mean the organizers are targeting one particular fandom for violating the rules. Some fans have even questioned whether the announcement was merely intended to reαѕѕure the public rather than signal any genuine effort to remove invalid votes.

In response to these concerns, some ARMYs have circulated a message urging MAMA to take concrete action. The statement reads: “We are aware that it’s basically the same script as last year. We sincerely hope that this time, MAMA will stand by its words and take real action to detect and remove abnormal votes. Fair voting should mean fair results, and we hope every vote is properly reviewed to ensure a fair competition for all artists. We need action, not just promises", alongside the tags @MnetMAMA, @mnetplus, and @MnetKR.

Meanwhile, ARMYs have been encouraging one another to continue voting for BTS as usual, follow the official rules, reach out to more potential voters, and refrain from using unauthorized tools.