Golden Melody Awards
The Golden Melody Awards, commonly abbreviated as GMA, is an honor awarded by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka, and Formosan languages popular and traditional music industry. The GMAs are awarded on the basis of votes by members of a jury and have been recognized as the equivalent to the Grammy Awards in the Chinese-speaking world. It is the music industry counterpart to the Golden Bell Awards and the Golden Horse Awards.
The 1st Golden Melody Awards was held on January 6, 1990. Following the 1996 ceremony, the Ministry of Culture overhauled many Golden Melody Award categories for 1997.
In 1997, the awards were split into separate honors for popular music and traditional music. The two awards became distinct ceremonies in 2007. Starting in 2014, the Golden Melody Awards for traditional music has been awarded by the National Center for Traditional Arts, another division of the Ministry of Culture.
The 31st and 32nd editions of the awards ceremony were postponed to October 2020 and August 2021, respectively, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 33rd edition was held on July 2, 2022 at the Kaohsiung Arena in Kaohsiung, marking its first return to Kaohsiung City since the 16th edition.
Categories
Popular music
Source:Vocal category – Record label awards
- Album of the Year
- Song of the Year
- Best Mandarin Album
- Best Taiwanese Album
- [Golden Melody Award for Best Taiwanese Hakka|Hakka Album|Best Hakka Album]
- Best Indigenous Language Album
- Best Music Video
Vocal category – Individual awards
- Best Composition
- Best Lyrics
- Best Music Arrangement
- Producer of the Year, Album
- Producer of the Year, Single
- Best Male Mandarin Singer
- Best Female Mandarin Singer
- Best Male Taiwanese Singer
- Best Female Taiwanese Singer
- Best Hakka Singer
- Best Indigenous Language Singer
- Best Band
- Best Vocal Group
- Best New Artist
Instrumental category – Record label awards
- Best Instrumental Album
Instrumental category – Individual awards
- Best Instrumental Album Producer
- Best Instrumental Composer
Technical category – Individual awards
- Best Album Design
Technical category – Record label awards
- Best Vocal Recording Album
- Best Instrumental Recording Album
Special awards
- Special Contribution Award
- Jury Award
Traditional arts and music
Source:Publishing category – Album awards
- Best Traditional Album
- Best Art Music Album
- Best Fusion Album
- Best Audiovisual Album
- Best Religious Music Album
Publishing category – Individual awards
- Best Creation
- Best Album Producer
- Best Interpretation
- Best Recording
Performance category
- Best Performance of the Year
- Best New Artist
- Best Actor of the Year
Special award
- Lifetime Contribution Award