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The Golden Indie Music Awards (GIMA), one of Taiwan’s leading awards dedicated to original music, has announced the nominees for its 17th edition. This year, GIMA received 4,242 submissions, while the Best Asian Creative Artist category, dedicated to artists from across Asia outside Taiwan, drew a record-high 105 entries. The milestone underscores GIMA’s growing reach and deepening connections with music communities across the region.
The theme of the 17th GIMA is “觸 TRUE,” pairing the Taiwanese expression 觸 (chù) with the English word “TRUE.” In Taiwan, 觸 describes the feeling of being emotionally struck by something or finding that it deeply resonates. The theme highlights authentic creative expression and its ability to resonate across cultures. This year’s jury is chaired by Fang Q, bassist of Taiwanese band Cosmos People, who said the record 4,242 entries submissions reflect the vitality and creative diversity of Taiwan’s music scene.
Among this year’s most internationally recognizable nominees is Sunset Rollercoaster. The band’s latest album,《QUIT QUIETLY》, is nominated for Best Album, Best Band and Best Alternative Pop Album, while 〈Bluebird〉 is nominated for Best Alternative Pop Song. Tseng Kuo Hung is also nominated for Best Singer-songwriter for 《QUIT QUIETLY》.
Across the categories, this year’s nominees span jazz, electronic music, hip-hop and works rooted in different languages and local cultural traditions, highlighting the range of Taiwan’s contemporary music scene.
Best Asian Creative Artist Draws a Record 105 Entries
GIMA’s Best Asian Creative Artist continues to connect Taiwan with music communities across the region. This year, the award received 105 entries, setting a new record for the category.
The five nominated works are ena mori’s 《Ore》, KIKI’s《Death of a Daisy & Birth of an Oyster》, SHNTI’s 《Melting PT. 》, N.Y.P.D. 南洋派對’s 《DON’T LIKE 我鍾意》, and《 NAMDO CALLING》 by NAMDO CALLING (Jung Eunhye, CADEJO, Yechan Kim).
Beyond the competitive categories, this year’s Jury Award goes to Yuhan Su for 《Over The Moons》. The GIMA Impact Award honors Blue Note Taipei and the founder Tsai Bop, recognizing their long-standing contribution to Taiwan’s jazz culture and live music scene.
GIMA LIVE and the 17th Golden Indie Music Awards Ceremony
Ahead of the awards ceremony, GIMA LIVE, the official lead-up showcase to the Golden Indie Music Awards, will take place on October 21 and 22 at CORNER MAX in Taipei, showcasing final performances from the Best Live Performance nominees to determine and reveal the winner.
The 17th Golden Indie Music Awards Ceremony will take place at 7:00 PM on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at Taipei Music Center, with a livestream available to international audiences.
The full list of nominees, GIMA LIVE lineup and further information about the awards ceremony will be available through the official Golden Indie Music Awards channels on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
