To celebrate its upcoming 40th anniversary, the annual Golden Disc Awards unveiled new trophy designs and a new award category on Friday.

The trophy, which comes in two versions of gold and black, is a reinterpretation of the disc-shaped trophy given in the first edition in 1986, according to the awards’ organizer HLL JoongAng. Since then, trophies were in the shape of a woman playing a saenghwang, or a traditional Korean wind instrument.

“The new trophy is meant to carry on the legacy of the awards and add a contemporary touch at the same time,” HLL JoongAng said in a press release.

Starting with the upcoming edition, the Golden Disc Awards will present three Grand Prizes: the newly added Artist of the Year, alongside the existing Song of the Year and Album of the Year.

The winner of Artist of the Year will be determined by multiple factors, including global chart data provided by Circle Chart.

“The executive committee has long discussed how to reflect the global popularity of K-pop and the influence of its artists and achievements into the awards,” HLL JoongAng said, explaining the reason for creating the prize.

The 40th Golden Disc Awards is set to take place at the Taipei Dome in Taiwan on Jan. 10, 2026. Nominations will be announced on the event’s website and social media channels on Tuesday.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]