Minami Takahashi and JOY Also Give High Praise! "Congratche!" Wins the Grand Prix at "NEXT IDOL GRANDPRIX 2026," a Contest to Determine the Top Next-Breakout Idol

The NEXT IDOL GRANDPRIX Executive Committee held the final live mobilization judging and awards ceremony for "NEXT IDOL GRANDPRIX 2026" (abbreviated as "NIG2026"), a large-scale idol contest with a total prize value of 20 million yen to determine the pinnacle of next-breakout idols, on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at Kanadevia Hall in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo. The event was watched live by an audience at the venue and also live-streamed on RakutenTV, allowing many fans to send passionate support to the 16 finalists in a hybrid online-offline format. The prestigious grand prize was awarded to the seven-member idol group "Congratche!". Additionally, "PHiZZ" won the runner-up prize, "Momonyan" took 3rd place, "Fruit Fruit" 4th, and "Kasumin" 5th. As their prize, the five groups will perform at "NIG FES 2026" on Friday, March 27, 2026, achieving their dream of performing alongside their idol inspirations. An idol festival held at Kanadevia Hall on Friday, March 27, 2026. It features 18 of Japan's leading idol groups, including past NIG grand prize winners who have gone on to greater success like "Shumatsu no Anthem," "SAI²Rium," and "Peel the Apple," as well as major acts like "NMB48," "Niji no Conquistador," and "Takaneno Nadeshiko." A total of 23 groups, including the five next-breakout idols from "NEXT IDOL GRANDPRIX 2026," will perform, livening up the venue with a variety of performances. ■ About "NEXT IDOL GRANDPRIX 2026" "NEXT IDOL GRANDPRIX" is an idol contest that has been held since 2019 with the theme of "determining the pinnacle of next-breakout idols," open to female idols worldwide. In this seventh edition of the contest, 16 finalist groups who won the preliminary rounds advanced to the finals. The grand prize was decided through a rigorous judging process across 10 categories. This included points and video Likes gained on the live streaming & video app "MixChannel" (https://mixch.tv/), operated by DONUTS Co., Ltd., during the final period (February 27 to March 25, 2026), votes on "MixChannel Ale," plus results from the mid-term live mobilization judging held on March 7, 2026, at TwinBox AKIHABARA, and the final live mobilization judging and judge votes at Kanadevia Hall. Official Website: https://nig.mixch.tv/ Official X: https://x.com/NIG_officialX Official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nigofficial_ ■ Intense Final Live Performance! A Wholehearted Performance that Shook the Venue The MCs for the "NIG2026" final live judging and awards ceremony were Minami Takahashi, the first General Manager of AKB48, and celebrity JOY, a self-proclaimed huge fan. Their lively and coordinated conversation warmed up the venue and built anticipation for the final judging. The finalists, who had fought through a nearly two-month-long competition, finally took the stage. The audience, both in-person and online from across the country, sent warm cheers in response to their unique charms, dazzling costumes, polished performances that showed their hard work, and heartfelt singing voices full of emotion for their fans, creating a sense of unity in the venue. 【Finalists (in alphabetical order)】 IVYJCT / Kasumin / KIP / Congratche! / Sprout Gakuen Tokyo / Sprout Gakuen Nagoya / TiiiMO / Chu-Hapi / 2FACE / PHiZZ / Fruit Fruit / Milieu / Momonyan / Lilite tune / LilQ / YP☆R 【MCs】 Minami Takahashi / JOY 【Judges (in alphabetical order, titles omitted)】 Teru Itakura (Broadcast Writer) Ryu Kikutake (TIF General Producer) Issei Nishida (Choreographer) Keiichi Hashimoto (@JAM General Producer) Mirin Furukawa (formerly of Dempagumi.inc) Motonari Murakawa (Music Producer) ■ The Grand Prix Winner is "Congratche!" The glorious "NEXT IDOL GRANDPRIX 2026" Grand Prix was awarded to the seven-member idol group "Congratche!..."