by HeyitsEst, January 21, 2013
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I'll admit, this article is certainly late in recognizing the winners of this year's--rather, last year's drama awards. Nonetheless, I suppose it's better late, than never, so here's the gist of things: (note that parentheticals indicate the drama for which an actor's/actress' performance is being recognized)

The Daesang: What is it?
For each award show [MBC, SBS and KBS] the Daesang is revered as the MOST prestigious award. In other words, winning a Daesang is the award for which all actors and actresses strive. To win such an award means that an actor's or actress' ability is so good that it deserves national recognition. The Daesang is also known as the Grand Prize.
2012's Daesang Winners
                         MBC                                                     KBS                                               SBS
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                Jo Seung Woo                                    Kim Nam Joo                                  Son Hyun Joo
               (Horse Doctor)                                 (Unexpected You)                              (The Chaser)

Drama of the Year
This is only awarded during the MBC Drama Awards.
2012 MBC  Drama of the Year
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Actor of the Year
This is awarded to the recipient by the decision of PDs from all three broadcasters. SBS is the only award show to award an actor and actress respectively and refers to the awards as the Producer's Award.
Actors of the Year Winners
                  MBC                                   KBS                                                        SBS 
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          Lee Sung Min                    Uhm Tae Woong                   Park Geun Hyung                Chae Si Ra
         (Golden Time)                     (Equator Man)                        (The Chaser)                 (Five Fingers)

Child Actor Award
This award is only given during the MBC Drama Awards.

Winners
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                  Yeo Jin Gu                                         Kim So Hyun                                 Kim Yoo Jung
                 (I Miss You)                                         (I Miss You)                                  (May Queen)
(The Moon That Embraces the Sun)   (The Moon That Embraces the Sun)  (The Moon That Embraces the Sun)
 
The Rookie Award
Also known as the New Actor/Actress Award [MBC], Newcomer Award [KBS] and New Star Award [SBS]. It is given to, of course, notable rookie actors and actresses. MBC and KBS both award two actors and actresses, as SBS awards ten.
Rookie Award Winners
MBC
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            Kim Jaejoong                     Lee Jangwoo                       Kim So Eun                    Oh Yeon Seo
               (Mr. Jin)                          (I Do, I Do)                      (Horse Doctor)          (Oh Ja Ryong Is Coming)
KBS
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           Lee Hee Joon                     Lee Jong Suk                      Oh Yeon Seo                       Jin Se Yun
        (Unexpected You)                  (School 2013)                  (Unexpected You)                   (Gaksital)
SBS
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    Minho                          Sulli                  Lee Hyun Woo                        Go Jun Hee              Park Hyo Joo
                           (To the Beautiful You)                                                               (The Chaser)
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    Lee Jonghyun             Yoon Jin Yi               Park Se Young                Kwon Yuri                   Jung Eun Woo
              (A Gentleman's Dignity)                        (Faith)                   (Fashion King)             (Bride of the Sun)
                                                                                                                                           (Five Fingers)

Best Couple Award
This award is determined by fan votes. KBS and SBS recognize multiple couples; however, only one will be revealed in this article. If you'd like to see the complete list of Best Couple winners, click here.
Best Couple Winners
                      MBC                                                 KBS                                                  SBS
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          Lee Jun Ki/Shin Min Ah               Song Joong Ki/Moon Chae Won             Kim Min Jong/Yoon Jin Yi
       (Arang and the Magistrate)                        (Nice Guy)                                (A Gentleman's Dignity)

Popularity Award
Determined by fan voting and is awarded to an actor and actress.
Winners
                         MBC                                                KBS                                               SBS
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                  Kim Soohyun                                        Joo Won                                   Park Yoochun
 (The Moon That Embraces the Sun)                       (Gaksital)                                (Rooftop Prince)
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                Yoon Eun Hye                                         Bae Suzy                                      Kim Haneul
                 (I Miss You)                                             (Big)                                 (A Gentleman's Dignity)

Excellence Awards: How are dramas broken down into categories?
It's an award to recognize the excellent performances of actor/actress recipients. Furthermore, for each award show [MBC, SBS and KBS] dramas are broken down into different variations. For instance, the categories are:
MBCKBSSBS
-Miniseries
-Special Production Drama
-Serial Drama
-Daily Drama
-Miniseries
-Mid-length Drama
-Serial Drama
-Miniseries
-Drama Special
-Weekend/Serial Drama
MBC Excellence Awards
Top (Best) Miniseries Actor and Actress
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                                                                Kim Soo Hyun                Han Gain
                                                                 (Moon That Embraces the Sun)

Top (Best) Special Drama Production Actor and Actresshttp://media.mydramalist.com/cache/bbe/242929763188495798_723d653f_f.jpg

                                 Jo Seung Woo                                                                Sung Yuri

                                 (Horse Doctor)                                                       (Feast of the Gods)


Top (Best) Serial Drama Actor and Actresshttp://media.mydramalist.com/cache/bbe/242939178473625964_60ff050a_f.jpg

                                 Kim Jae Won                                                                      Han Ji Hye

        (May Queen)


Runner-Up Excellence Awards:
Miniseries: Park Yoochun (I Miss You) and Lee Yoonji (The King2Hearts)
Special Drama Production: Lee Sangwoo (Horse Doctor, Feast of the Gods) and Son Dambi (Lights and Shadows)/Sung Yuri (Feast of the Gods)
Serial Drama: Jae Hee (May Queen) and Seo Hyunjin (Feast of the Gods, Oh Ja-Ryong Is Coming)

KBS Excellence Awards
All-Around (Best) Actor and Actresshttp://media.mydramalist.com/cache/bbe/243256159739674886_da034e2e_f.jpg

                   Song Joong Ki                                  Moon Chae Won                                 Yoo Joon Sang

                                                (Nice Guy)                                                                 (Unexpected You)


Top (Best) Daily Drama Actor and Actress
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              Kim Dong Wan                        Kim Yeong Chul                        Kim Ye Ryung           Seo Jihye
           (Be Strong Mr.Kim)             (I Will Give You the Stars              (Love, My Love)    (I Will Give you the
                                                            and the Moon)                                                    Stars and the Moon)

Top (Best) Miniseries Actor and Actress
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                         Shin Hyun Joon                                                                  Jang Nara
                        (Oohlala Couple)                                                               (School 2013)

Top (Best) Mid-length Drama Actor and Actress
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                                Uhm Tae Woong                                                              Lee Bo Young
                                  (Equator Man)                                                               (Equator Man)

Top (Best) Serial Drama Actor and Actress
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                             Joo Won                                                                Yoon Yeo Jung
                            (Gaksital)                                                             (Unexpected You)

SBS Excellence Awards
Top (Best) Miniseries Actor and Actress
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                                   Lee Min Ho                                                                 Jung Ryeo Won
                                     (Faith)                                                 (History of a Salaryman, King of Dramas)

Top (Best) Drama Special Actor and Actresshttp://media.mydramalist.com/cache/bbe/243271851881558496_c06d9258_f.jpg

                                   So Ji Sub                                                                  Han Ji Min
                                    (Ghost)                                                               (Rooftop Prince)

Top (Best) Weekend/Serial Drama Actor and Actress

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                   Kim Haneul           Jang Dong Gun           
                           (A Gentleman's Dignity)

Runner-Up Excellence Awards:
Miniseries: Kim Sung Ryung (The Chaser) and Kim Sang Joong (The Chaser)
Drama Special: Park Yoochun (Rooftop Prince) and Jung Yumi (Rooftop Prince)
Weekend/Serial Drama: Kim Soo Ro (A Gentleman's Dignity) and Shin Eun Kyung (Still You)


..and that's the gist of things. Click here to see the complete list of 2012 Drama Awards winners, including screen writers awards, lifetime achievement awards, etc.