Madonna and Taylor Swift lead 2026 MTV Video Music Award nominations

Madonna and Taylor Swift lead 2026 MTV Video Music Award nominations

Madonna and Taylor Swift are poised for a high-profile showdown at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, securing the highest number of nominations for this year's ceremony. MTV officially announced the full list of nominees on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.

Madonna leads all artists with 11 nominations, a return to the spotlight more than 40 years after her "Like a Virgin" performance at the first-ever VMAs. Much of her success this year stems from the short film produced for her new album, Confessions II, which is nominated for Video of the Year, Best Direction, Cinematography, and Choreography. This visual also anchors the return of the Best Dance category, which has not been awarded since 2019. Additionally, Madonna is nominated for Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for the track Bring Your Love, a collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter that is also up for Best Collaboration.

Taylor Swift follows with nine nominations. According to reports, a single win could make her the most decorated artist in the history of the awards. Swift is nominated for Artist of the Year, and her video for the Life of a Showgirl track The Fate of Ophelia is in the running for Video of the Year, Best Pop, and several creative prizes. The visual for another Showgirl hit, Opalite, earned a nomination for Best Direction.

Rounding out the top nominees are Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter, who each earned seven nominations. Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress, and Zara Larsson each received five nods. Other notable counts include BLACKPINK's Lisa with four, and Shakira, Tate McRae, Gener8ion, and Yung Lean with three each.

Battle for Top Honors

The competition for the night's most prestigious awards features a mix of pop icons and contemporary stars. The Artist of the Year category includes:

• Madonna
• Taylor Swift
• Ariana Grande
• Bruno Mars
• Sabrina Carpenter
• Morgan Wallen

The race for Video of the Year pits Madonna's Confessions II - The Film and Swift's The Fate of Ophelia against Sabrina Carpenter's Tears, Ariana Grande's Hate That I Made You Love Me, Bruno Mars' I Just Might, and Gener8ion and Yung Lean's Storm.

In the Song of the Year category, Madonna and Carpenter's Bring Your Love will compete against a diverse field including BTS' Swim, Huntr/x's Golden from the film KPop Demon Hunters, Ella Langley's Choosin' Texas, Olivia Dean's Man I Need, Raye's Where Is My Husband!, and the Stateside remix by PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson.

K-Pop and Newcomers

K-pop artists have a strong presence in the 2026 nominations. Lisa earned four solo nominations for her music video Dream, featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi, across the Best Pop, Best K-Pop, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing categories. BLACKPINK also received a group nomination in Best K-Pop for JUMP.

The Best K-Pop category is highly contested, featuring:

Artist	Song
BLACKPINK	JUMP
BTS	SWIM
CORTIS	REDRED
KATSEYE	PINKY UP
LE SSERAFIM	SPAGHETTI
Lisa	Dream

BTS' Swim also earned a nomination for Song of the Year. LE SSERAFIM's SPAGHETTI features BTS' j-hope. Meanwhile, CORTIS secured the first VMA nominations of their career with two nods, including Best New Artist. KATSEYE's PINKY UP is nominated for Best Choreography and Best K-Pop.

Other first-time nominees include Stella Lefty, Gener8ion, and Yung Lean, as well as Don Toliver, Kali Uchis, Noah Kahan, Olivia Dean, Tucker Wetmore, and Sienna Spiro.

Ceremony Details

The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards will be held on September 27 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The ceremony will air live at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT on CBS and MTV, with a stream available on Paramount+.

Fan voting is open for 13 categories at vote.mtv.com. Voting for most categories closes on September 25 at 6 p.m. ET, though voting for Best New Artist will remain open until the live broadcast.