Madonna leads the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards nominations with 11 nods, including Video of the Year for Confessions II – The Film, while Taylor Swift follows with nine nominations. The 2026 MTV VMAs will take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday 27 September with the ceremony airing live on CBS, MTV and Paramount+ in the US.
Madonna’s 11 nominations mark her highest-ever total at the VMAs and make her the awards’ leading nominee for the first time since 1998. That year, she won Video of the Year for “Ray of Light”. She was also the leading nominee in 1990, when she received nine nominations for “Vogue”.
The 2026 nominations also put seven women among the eight artists with the most nods, with Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each receiving seven nominations.
Madonna Leads 2026 MTV VMA Nominations
Madonna’s 14-minute Confessions II – The Film is competing for Video of the Year alongside six other nominees.
The Queen of Pop has won 19 VMAs during her career and became the first female artist to receive the Video Vanguard Award in 1986.
Her latest nomination continues a long relationship with the ceremony. Madonna performed “Like a Virgin” at the inaugural MTV VMAs in 1984, creating one of the most recognisable moments in the show’s history.
Her Confessions II film is also nominated in Best Dance, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Choreography and Best Visual Effects.
Taylor Swift Receives Nine VMA Nominations
Taylor Swift is the second-most nominated artist in 2026 with nine nods.
Swift’s The Fate of Ophelia is nominated for Video of the Year, while she is also in contention for Artist of the Year, Best Pop, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Choreography and Best Visual Effects.
Swift has won 30 Moon Persons, more than any other artist in VMA history. A further win would extend her record.
She is also nominated for Artist of the Year for the fifth time, behind Ariana Grande’s record-extending sixth nomination in the category.
Ariana Grande And Sabrina Carpenter Among The Top Nominees
Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each have seven nominations, putting them joint third on the overall leaderboard.
Grande’s “hate that i made you love me” is nominated for Video of the Year and also appears in the Best Pop, Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Visual Effects categories.
Grande is also competing for Artist of the Year for a record sixth time.
Carpenter’s seven nominations include Video of the Year for “Tears”, while her other nominations include Artist of the Year, Best Collaboration, Best Pop, Best Direction, Best Editing and Best Art Direction.
Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson each have five nominations, followed by LISA with four.
Shakira and Tate McRae have three nominations apiece.
Video Of The Year Nominees
The 2026 Video of the Year category includes three previous winners: Madonna, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande.
The full shortlist is:
- Ariana Grande, “hate that i made you love me”
- Bruno Mars, “I Just Might”
- GENER8ION, “STORM” starring Yung Lean
- Madonna, Confessions II – The Film
- Sabrina Carpenter, “Tears”
- Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia”
GENER8ION is an audiovisual project involving French DJ Surkin and director Romain Gavras. Its “STORM” video stars Swedish rapper Yung Lean.
Artist Of The Year Includes Madonna And Taylor Swift
The Artist of the Year nominees are:
- Ariana Grande
- Bruno Mars
- Madonna
- Morgan Wallen
- Sabrina Carpenter
- Taylor Swift
Grande’s nomination extends her record in the category, while Swift receives her fifth nomination.
Morgan Wallen is nominated for the second consecutive year, giving country music representation in one of the VMAs’ major general categories.
Madonna And Sabrina Carpenter Compete Together
Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter are both nominated for Best Collaboration for “Bring Your Love”, their collaboration from Madonna’s Confessions II era.
The category also includes:
- Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T and Malice, “Chains & Whips”
- French Montana and Max B, “Ever Since U Left Me”
- PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson, “Stateside”
- Shakira and Burna Boy, “Dai Dai”
- Teyana Taylor and Lucky Daye, “Hard Part”
Best New Artist Nominees
The Best New Artist shortlist features Bella Kay, CORTIS, Magnus Ferrell, Malcolm Todd, Myles Smith, Sienna Spiro and Stella Lefty.
Spiro is among the names attracting wider awards-season attention, while Ella Langley, who was nominated in this category at last year’s VMAs, is competing elsewhere this year.
First-time nominees GENER8ION and Yung Lean have three nominations each. CORTIS and Stella Lefty have two apiece.
Best Dance Returns To The VMAs
Best Dance returns to the MTV VMAs for the first time in seven years.
Madonna is nominated in the category for Confessions II – The Film, alongside Bebe Rexha and Faithless, Harry Styles, Lady Gaga and Doechii, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson, Slayyyter and Tate McRae.
The category could give Madonna another opportunity to add to her VMA haul. She has never previously won Best Dance.
Full 2026 MTV VMA Nominations
The major categories are listed below. MTV’s official voting site carries the complete 2026 nominee list and voting information.
Genre-neutral categories
Video of the Year
- Ariana Grande, “hate that i made you love me”
- Bruno Mars, “I Just Might”
- GENER8ION, “STORM” starring Yung Lean
- Madonna, Confessions II – The Film
- Sabrina Carpenter, “Tears”
- Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia”
Artist of the Year
- Ariana Grande
- Bruno Mars
- Madonna
- Morgan Wallen
- Sabrina Carpenter
- Taylor Swift
Song of the Year
- BTS, “SWIM”
- Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas”
- HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI, “Golden”
- Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter, “Bring Your Love”
- Olivia Dean, “Man I Need”
- PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson, “Stateside”
- RAYE, “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!”
Best New Artist
- Bella Kay
- CORTIS
- Magnus Ferrell
- Malcolm Todd
- Myles Smith
- Sienna Spiro
- Stella Lefty
Best Collaboration
- Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T and Malice, “Chains & Whips”
- French Montana and Max B, “Ever Since U Left Me”
- Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter, “Bring Your Love”
- PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson, “Stateside”
- Shakira and Burna Boy, “Dai Dai”
- Teyana Taylor and Lucky Daye, “Hard Part”
Genre categories
Best Pop
- Ariana Grande, “hate that i made you love me”
- Charli xcx, “SS26”
- LISA, “Dream” feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi
- Olivia Rodrigo, “drop dead”
- Sabrina Carpenter, “House Tour”
- Tate McRae, “Nobody’s Girl”
- Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia”
Best Hip-Hop
- Cardi B feat. Kehlani, “Safe”
- Don Toliver, “E85”
- Drake, “Janice STFU”
- Megan Thee Stallion, “LOVER GIRL”
- Travis Scott, “DUMBO”
- Tyler, The Creator, “SUGAR ON MY TONGUE”
Best R&B
- Bruno Mars, “I Just Might”
- Chris Brown, “It Depends/Obvious”
- Dave and Tems, “Raindance”
- Justin Bieber, “YUKON”
- Kehlani, “Folded”
- Mariah the Scientist and Kali Uchis, “Is It a Crime”
Best Alternative
- Geese, “Taxes”
- mgk and Fred Durst, “FIX UR FACE”
- Noah Kahan, “The Great Divide”
- Olivia Rodrigo, “the cure”
- SOMBR, “Homewrecker”
- Tame Impala, “Dracula”
- twenty one pilots, “Drag Path”
Best Dance
- Bebe Rexha and Faithless, “New Religion”
- Harry Styles, “Aperture”
- Lady Gaga and Doechii, “RUNWAY”
- Madonna, Confessions II – The Film
- PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson, “Stateside”
- Slayyyter, “DANCE…”
- Tate McRae, “Nobody’s Girl”
Best K-Pop
- BLACKPINK, “JUMP”
- BTS, “SWIM”
- CORTIS, “REDRED”
- KATSEYE, “PINKY UP”
- LE SSERAFIM feat. j-hope, “SPAGHETTI”
- LISA, “Dream” feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi
Best Latin
- Anitta with Shakira, “Choka Choka”
- Bad Bunny, “NUEVAYoL”
- Fuerza Regida, “TU SANCHO”
- KAROL G, “Papasito”
- Rosalía feat. Yahritza Y Su Esencia, “La Perla”
- Ryan Castro, Kapo and GANGSTA, “LA VILLA”
- Shakira and Burna Boy, “Dai Dai”
Best Country
- Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas”
- Kacey Musgraves, “Dry Spell”
- Lainey Wilson, “Somewhere Over Laredo”
- Luke Combs, “Back in the Saddle”
- Shaboozey, “Cowgirl”
- Stella Lefty, “Boston”
- Tucker Wetmore, “Brunette”
Technical categories
Best Direction
- Ariana Grande, “hate that i made you love me”
- Bruno Mars, “I Just Might”
- GENER8ION, “STORM” starring Yung Lean
- Madonna, Confessions II – The Film
- Sabrina Carpenter, “House Tour”
- Taylor Swift, “Opalite”
Best Art Direction
- Charli xcx, “SS26”
- Lady Gaga and Doechii, “RUNWAY”
- Madonna, Confessions II – The Film
- PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson, “Stateside”
- SOMBR, “My Body Isn’t Ready”
- Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia”
Best Cinematography
- A$AP Rocky, “PUNK ROCKY”
- Ariana Grande, “hate that i made you love me”
- LISA, “Dream” feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi
- Madonna, Confessions II – The Film
- Shaboozey, “Cowgirl”
- Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia”
Best Editing
- Ariana Grande, “hate that i made you love me”
- Bruno Mars, “I Just Might”
- LISA, “Dream” feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi
- Madonna, Confessions II – The Film
- Sabrina Carpenter, “House Tour”
- Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia”
Best Choreography
- GENER8ION, “STORM” starring Yung Lean
- Harry Styles, “Dance No More”
- KATSEYE, “PINKY UP”
- Madonna, Confessions II – The Film
- Tate McRae, “Nobody’s Girl”
- Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia”
Best Visual Effects
- Ariana Grande, “hate that i made you love me”
- JISOO and ZAYN, “Eyes Closed”
- Madonna, Confessions II – The Film
- PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson, “Stateside”
- RAYE feat. Hans Zimmer, “Click Clack Symphony”
- Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia”
When Are The 2026 MTV VMAs?
The 2026 MTV VMAs will be held on Sunday 27 September 27 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
The ceremony will air live on CBS and MTV in the US and stream on Paramount+. It will also become available globally on Paramount+ and MTV the following day.
The show begins at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT.
It will be the first MTV VMAs staged in the Los Angeles area since 2017 and the first edition held in the autumn rather than late summer.
How To Vote For The 2026 MTV VMAs
Fan voting is open across 13 categories through September 25 at 6 p.m. ET, with Best New Artist remaining open until the show.
Fans can vote through the official MTV voting website.
