The Golden Melody Awards, Taiwan's equivalent of the Grammy Awards, were established in 1990 with the aim of encouraging musical talents as part of the government efforts to recognize outstanding achievements of the local pop music industry.
The annual presentation ceremony held in May or June is televised live and features a red carpet as well as performances by prominent musicians.
The first Golden Melody Awards ceremony was held on June 1, 1990 by the Government Information Office, which was merged into the Ministry of Culture in late 2012.
After the 1998 ceremony, the organizers canceled the restriction on the nationality of the entrants to encourage more musical talents to participate in the musical gala.
To reflect the diversity of the Taiwanese community, the organizers added five more awards in 2003 — Best Taiwanese Male Singer, Best Taiwanese Female Singer, Best Hakka Singer, Best Aboriginal Singer and Best Instrumental Album.
The awards are divided into two main categories — Popular Music and Traditional Music.
Awards—Popular Music Category
- Best Song of the Year
- Best Mandarin Album
- Best Taiwanese Album
- Best Hakka Album
- Best Aboriginal Album
- Best Music Video
- Best Composer
- Best Lyricist
- Best Musical Arranger
- Best Album Producer
- Best Single Producer
- Best Mandarin Male Singer
- Best Taiwanese Male Singer
- Best Mandarin Female Singer
- Best Taiwanese Female Singer
- Best Hakka Singer
- Best Aboriginal Singer
- Best Band
- Best Group
- Best New Artist
- Best Instrumental Album
- Best Instrumental Album Producer
- Best Instrumental Composer
- Jury Award
- Lifetime Contribution Award
Awards—Traditional Music Category
- Best Traditional Album
- Best Classical Album
- Best Children's Album
- Best Religious Album
- Best World Fusion Album
- Best Composer
- Best Lyricist
- Best Musical Arranger
- Best Album Producer
- Best Traditional Interpretation Music
- Best Singing Performance
- Best Instrumental Performance
- Jury Award
- Lifetime Contribution Award