The Oct. 22 gala at the James L. Knight Center in Miami will be broadcast live on Telemundo and Peacock, with Carmen Villalobos and Javier Poza hosting the event.

Peso Pluma leads the nominations, followed by Tito Double P and Fuerza Regida, while Cristian Castro receives the Artistic Career Award.

Cuban artists emphasize the historic moment for Cuban music on a global stage, highlighting how the Cuban flavor and humor help reach new audiences.

The artists stress the significance of presenting Cuban music to international audiences and the cultural flavors they bring to the scene.

Castro’s career milestones include a peak year around 2011 when Viva el Príncipe topped the Top Latin Albums chart for seven weeks, with his influence continuing into the 2010s and 2020s.

Dichávate and other genre highlights are discussed, noting the track’s strong streaming performance with hundreds of millions of plays across Spotify and YouTube.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to artists with enduring, influential careers that broaden Latin music’s reach worldwide, joining past honorees such as Andrea Bocelli, Carlos Santana, and Maná.

Castro first charted in 1993 and remains a prominent, multi-octave artist now signed to Sony Music Latin.

Billboard Latin Music Week and the 2025 roster expansion helped broaden Cuban artists’ participation despite earlier controversies over recognition.

Rubén Blades is noted as a Billboard Icon Award recipient, Rosalía as the Billboard Hall of Fame Award recipient, and Fuerza Regida as the Billboard Vanguard Award recipient for 2026.

The 2026 Billboard Latin Music Awards will honor Cristian Castro with the Billboard Artistic Career Award, recognizing more than three decades of influence in Latin music, and he will perform a special number during the Oct. 22 ceremony in Miami.

Dale Pututi and Nesty are set to perform at the same ceremony, with the duo confirming their appearance during the event's official Telemundo podcast from Barcelona where they are touring.