The International Dance Music Awards are returning to Winter Music Conference in 2026, bringing one of electronic music’s longest-running award programs back to the event where it first began. The awards have announced this year’s nominees across artist and industry categories, with winners to be revealed at a Bridges For Music x IDMA reception at WMC on March 26 during Miami Music Week.
The return also carries some historical significance. The IDMAs were originally launched in 1985 alongside the early years of the Winter Music Conference, and for decades, the awards recognized artists, producers, labels, clubs, festivals, and media platforms that played major roles in shaping electronic music’s global growth.
Bringing the awards back into the WMC orbit reconnects two institutions that helped define parts of the industry during the genre’s early expansion. Check out the nominees on our Instgram post below
Winners will be selected by a new IDMA Advisory Board
Unlike earlier editions of the awards, which relied heavily on public voting, the 2026 IDMAs will be decided by a newly established Advisory Board comprising professionals working across the electronic music industry. The group includes managers, agents, promoters, label executives, and other industry figures tasked with evaluating nominees and selecting the final winners.
Nominees were assembled through a research process that combined chart performance, streaming data, touring activity, festival lineups, and coverage from major electronic music publications and industry media. Advisory board members were also able to submit write-in nominations to ensure the final ballot reflected both measurable impact and informed perspective from inside the industry.
Genre-focused categories also recognize leading artists across specific scenes including Dance, Techno, House, Melodic House and Techno, Progressive House, Tech House, Afro House, Trance, Bass, and Drum and Bass. Nominees in those fields include names such as Amelie Lens, Charlotte de Witte, Eli Brown, Indira Paganotto, Sara Landry, Dom Dolla, Oliver Heldens, Hot Since 82, Eric Prydz, Sasha, Adam Port, Rampa, Armin van Buuren, Above and Beyond, Excision, Illenium, Chase and Status, and Sub Focus.
The winners will be announced during the Bridges For Music x IDMA reception at Winter Music Conference on March 26. The event will bring together nominees, artists, and industry leaders attending WMC as part of Miami Music Week.
For attendees with conference badges, the reception will offer a chance to experience the return of the awards program as part of the larger WMC schedule. Additional details about the reception and award presentations are expected in the coming weeks.
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