The Wish 107.5 Music Awards (abbreviated as WMA) is an annual accolade presented by the FM radio station Wish 107.5, which aims to pay tribute to acts and artists who have given significant contributions in the music scene in the Philippines.[1] The awards ceremony is held annually every January at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with the exception of the 2019 edition which was held at the Mall of Asia Arena, as well as the 2022 edition being taped at the New Frontier Theater due to the Omicron outbreak during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines.
Winners are determined through the votes of fans (also called Wishers) (20%) and a panel of judges (80%). Wishers can cast their votes via the WMA website (using a Facebook and/or Twitter account), the Wish app, and the Wish YouTube channel. WMA polling sites are also put up in key establishments across the Philippines.[1][2]
Apart from the usual award-giving repertoire, the Wish Music Awards distinguishes itself from other bodies as it incorporates the concept of wish granting.[1] During WMAs, Wish hands out ₱100,000 to the chosen beneficiaries of every major award winner. This comes on top of the ₱25,000 cash prize that the artists themselves receive.[3] Since the awards show was first held in 2016, it has already doled out a total of ₱7.125 million to different OPM acts and their hand-picked philanthropic organizations.[4]
Every year, the Wish 107.5 Music Awards honors artists whose Wishclusive performances have fared well in the music community through the Wishclusive Elite Circle Award.[6]
The view-count-based recognition serves as the highest citation given during every WMA. From the original December 31, the cut-off date has been moved to October 31 starting year 2018 to coincide with the WMA nominations' eligibility period (November 1, 2017 until October 31, 2018).
Depending on the YouTube hits achieved by a Wishclusive video on the cut-off, an artist can receive the following awards:
Diamond Wishclusive Elite Circle for 100 million views
The inaugural year of the WMA was held on January 26, 2016, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. With the theme, "Your Coolest Musical Experience," Wish 107.5 celebrated the then-budding popularity of the country's first-ever FM-on-wheels, the Wish 107.5 Bus.[7][8][9]
Wish 107.5 has successfully staged its 2nd Wish 107.5 Music Awards on January 16, 2017, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The revelry themed, "Your WISHclusive Gateway to the World," held Filipino musicality in high esteem and paid tribute to the artists who lifted OPM to global recognition.[10][11]
A total of 75 artists vied in 13 categories. Three special awards were also handed out, namely Wish Reactors' Choice, WISHclusive Viral Video of the Year, and WISHclusive Elite Circle.
Wish 107.5 held the third edition of the Wish Music Awards on January 15, 2018, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The event, themed "Taking Filipino Music Across the Globe," was a fitting homage to the artists who continue the world-class legacy of our country's homegrown music and talent.
Making the winners' success more meaningful was the opportunity to give cash donations to their chosen beneficiaries. While those who bagged major awards received Php 25,000, their respective charitable groups were granted with Php 100,000.
Wish 107.5 has shelled out a total of Php 2.125 million for this year alone.[12]
More than 80 artists whose songs were released and Wishclusives were rendered from November 1, 2017, to October 31, 2018, are nominated in the 18 categories of the 4th Wish 107.5 Music Awards. The awards night is slated on January 15, 2019, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.[2][13][14][15][4][16][17]
Due to the imposed regulations for the mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, the 2021 edition of the awards was streamed live through Wish 107.5's official YouTube channel on January 17, 2021, and held at an audience-lessSmart Araneta Coliseum.[18] All performers of the awards ceremony, along with the hosts, organizers and certain invited nominees underwent swab testing and followed protocols to ensure their health and safety.
^This edition was supposed to be held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with a limited live audience, however, it was instead moved to the New Frontier Theater, and held without a live audience due to the surge of COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant.
