Karol G, Fuerza Regida’s frontman JOP, MAG and Edgar Barrera were among the big winners at the 2026 BMI Latin Awards on Thursday night (March 19), held at the Fontainebleau Coastal Convention Center in Miami Beach.
During the ceremony, the legendary duo Luny Tunes was honored with the BMI President’s Award for their contributions to Latin music as pioneers of reggaetón. They worked on some of the biggest hits of the genre, including Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina,” Don Omar’s “Dale Don Dale,” Wisin y Yandel’s “Rakatan,” Hector y Tito’s “Baila Morena” and many more.
Venezuela’s Elena Rose was honored with the BMI Impact Award, celebrating her contributions to Latin music as both a prolific songwriter and a rising solo artist. Notably, she became the first Latin female artist to receive the recognition. Last year, the artist released her debut studio album, Bendito Verano.
The event also saluted the top Latin songwriters, publishers and administrators of the past year’s most-performed Spanish-language songs in the U.S. Jesús Ortiz Pez, better known as JOP, was presented with the BMI regional Mexican songwriter of the year award for penning nine of BMI’s most-performed regional Mexican music songs in 2025, including Fuerza Regida songs “Tu Name,” “Me Jalo,” “Una Cerveza” (with Manuel Turizo) and “Excesos.”
New York-bred Puerto Rican-Dominican superproducer MAG was named BMI’s contemporary songwriter of the year for writing seven of the most-performed Latin songs of the past year by Bad Bunny, including No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit “DtMF,” “Baile Inolvidable,” “El Clúb” and “NuevaYol.”
Karol G’s “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” co-written by Edgar Barrera and co-produced by Sky Rompiendo, was crowned BMI’s contemporary song of the year, and “Tu Boda” (recorded by Oscar Maydon and Fuerza Regida), written by Alexis Fierro Román, was awarded BMI’s regional Mexican song of the year.
Furthermore, Sony Music Publishing made BMI Latin Awards history, becoming the “first publishing company to receive both the contemporary Latin and regional Mexican publisher of the year Awards since the inception of the awards in 1993,” states a press release.
The night also celebrated 51 first-time BMI Latin Award honorees, such as RaiNao, Jay Anthony Nuñez, Jorge Ontiveros, Alejandro Ahumada Nuñez, Aidan James Cullen, and Estevan Plazola, among others.
The private event was hosted by BMI president & CEO Mike O’Neill, BMI chief revenue & creative officer Mike Steinberg and BMI vice president of creative Latin, Jesus Gonzalez.