Music
Madonna and Taylor Swift Lead 2026 MTV VMA Nominations
The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards nominations were announced on Tuesday, August 18, and this year’s top nominees are being dominated by women. Seven of the eight artists with the most nominations are female, with Madonna leading the pack with 11 nods.
The 11 nominations mark a personal best for the music icon and the first time she has led the VMA nominations since 1998, the year she won Video of the Year for Ray of Light. She also led the nominations in 1990 with nine nods following the success of Vogue.
Photo: Getty Images
Taylor Swift, who is tied with Beyoncé for the most Moon Person wins, followed with nine nominations. Other artist with several nods are Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande with seven nominations each, Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson with five nominations, while Lisa followed with four.
Among the 26 first-time nominees are Don Toliver, Kali Uchis, Noah Kahan, Olivia Dean, Sienna Spiro, Tucker Wetmore and Yung Lean.
Fan voting is currently open in 13 categories through September 25, including Best Dance, which is returning for the first time in seven years. Voting for Best New Artist will remain open through the night of the ceremony.
This year’s ceremony will take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on September 27 and will mark the first time the VMAs have been held on the West Coast in nine years. The last Los Angeles ceremony took place in 2017 when Katy Perry hosted the show. A host for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards has not yet been announced.
See the full list of nominations below:
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Ariana Grande — Republic Records
Bruno Mars — Atlantic Records
Madonna — Warner Records
Morgan Wallen — Big Loud/Mercury Records
Sabrina Carpenter — Island Records
Taylor Swift — Republic Records
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Photo: Instagram
Ariana Grande — Hate That I Made You Love Me — Republic Records
Bruno Mars — I Just Might — Atlantic Records
GENER8ION — Storm Starring Yung Lean — Iconoclast Music
Madonna — Confessions II – The Film — Warner Records
Sabrina Carpenter — Tears — Island Records
Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia — Republic Records
SONG OF THE YEAR
BTS — Swim — BIGHIT MUSIC
Ella Langley — Choosin’ Texas — Columbia Records
HUNTR/X (Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami) — Golden — Republic Records/Visva Records
Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter — Bring Your Love — Warner Records
Olivia Dean — Man I Need — Island Records
PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson — Stateside — Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records
Raye — Where Is My Husband!! — Human Re Sources
BEST NEW ARTIST
Bella Kay — Atlantic Records
Cortis — BIGHIT MUSIC
Magnus Ferrell — Visva Records/Republic Records
Malcolm Todd — Columbia Records
Myles Smith — RCA Records
Sienna Spiro — Capitol Records
Stella Lefty — Sandlot/Atlantic Outpost
BEST COLLABORATION
Photo: Instagram
Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T and Malice — Chains & Whips — Roc Nation Distribution
French Montana and Max B — Ever Since U Left Me — Coke Boys Records
Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter — Bring Your Love — Warner Records
PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson — Stateside — Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records
Shakira and Burna Boy — Dai Dai — Sony Music US Latin
Teyana Taylor and Lucky Daye — Hard Part — Def Jam Recordings
BEST POP
Ariana Grande — Hate That I Made You Love Me — Republic Records
Charli XCX — SS26 — Atlantic Records
Lisa — Dream (feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi) — Lloud Co./RCA Records
Olivia Rodrigo — Drop Dead — Geffen Records
Sabrina Carpenter — House Tour — Island Records
Tate McRae — Nobody’s Girl — RCA Records
Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia — Republic Records
BEST HIP-HOP
Cardi B (feat. Kehlani) — Safe — Atlantic Records
Don Toliver — E85 — Cactus Jack/Atlantic Records
Drake — Janice STFU — OVO/Republic Records
Megan Thee Stallion — Lover Girl — Hot Girl Productions
Travis Scott — Dumbo — Cactus Jack/Epic Records
Tyler, the Creator — Sugar on My Tongue — Columbia Records
BEST R&B
Photo: Getty Images
Bruno Mars — I Just Might — Atlantic Records
Chris Brown — It Depends/Obvious — RCA Records
Dave and Tems — Raindance — Neighbourhood Recordings/Capitol Records
Justin Bieber — Yukon — Def Jam Recordings
Kehlani — Folded — Atlantic Records
Mariah the Scientist and Kali Uchis — Is It a Crime — Epic Records
BEST ALTERNATIVE
Geese — Taxes — Partisan Records/Play It Again Sam
MGK and Fred Durst — Fix Ur Face — EST 19XX LLC/Interscope Records
Noah Kahan — The Great Divide — Mercury Records
Olivia Rodrigo — The Cure — Geffen Records
Sombr — Homewrecker — SMB Music/Warner Records
Tame Impala — Dracula — Columbia Records
Twenty One Pilots — Drag Path — Fueled by Ramen
BEST DANCE
Bebe Rexha and Faithless — New Religion — Bebe Rexha Music LLC/EMPIRE
Harry Styles — Aperture — Columbia Records
Lady Gaga and Doechii — RUNAWAY — Lil Monsters/Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope Records/Capitol Records
Madonna — Confessions II – The Film — Warner Records
PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson — Stateside — Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records
Slayyyter — DANCE… — RECORDS/Columbia Records
Tate McRae — Nobody’s Girl — RCA Records
BEST LATIN
Anitta and Shakira — Choka Choka — Republic Records/UMLE
Bad Bunny — NUEVAYoL — Rimas Entertainment
Fuerza Regida — Tu Sancho — Rancho Humilde/Street Mob Records/Sony Music US Latin
Karol G — Papasito — Bichota Records/Interscope Records
Rosalía (feat. Yahritza Y Su Esencia) — La Perla — Columbia Records
Ryan Castro, Kapo and Gangsta — La Villa — AWOO Corp./Sony Music US Latin
Shakira and Burna Boy — Dai Dai — Sony Music US Latin
BEST K-POP
Blackpink — Jump — YG Entertainment
BTS — Swim — BIGHIT MUSIC
Cortis — REDRED — BIGHIT MUSIC
Katseye — Pinky Up — HYBE x Geffen Records
LE SSERAFIM (feat. J-Hope of BTS) — Spaghetti — SOURCE MUSIC
Lisa — Dream (feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi) — Lloud Co./RCA Records
BEST COUNTRY
Ella Langley — Choosin’ Texas — Columbia Records
Kacey Musgraves — Dry Spell — Lost Highway/Interscope Records
Lainey Wilson — Somewhere Over Laredo — Broken Bow Records
Luke Combs — Back in the Saddle — Columbia Nashville
Shaboozey — Cowgirl — American Dogwood/EMPIRE
Stella Lefty — Boston — Sandlot/Atlantic Outpost
Tucker Wetmore — Brunette — Back Blocks Music/Mercury Records
BEST DIRECTION
Photo: Getty Images
Ariana Grande — Hate That I Made You Love Me — Republic Records
Bruno Mars — I Just Might — Atlantic Records
GENER8ION — Storm Starring Yung Lean — Iconoclast Music
Madonna — Confessions II – The Film — Warner Records
Sabrina Carpenter — House Tour — Island Records
Taylor Swift — Opalite — Republic Records
BEST ART DIRECTION
Charli XCX — SS26 — Atlantic Records
Lady Gaga and Doechii — RUNAWAY — Lil Monsters/Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope Records/Capitol Records
Madonna — Confessions II – The Film — Warner Records
PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson — Stateside — Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records
Sombr — My Body Isn’t Ready — SMB Music/Warner Records
Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia — Republic Records
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 — Republic Records
Bruno Mars — I Just Might — Atlantic Records
Lisa — Dream (feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi) — Lloud Co./RCA Records
Madonna — Confessions II – The Film — Warner Records
Sabrina Carpenter — House Tour — Island Records
Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia — Republic Records
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Photo: Instagram
GENER8ION — Storm Starring Yung Lean — Iconoclast Music
Harry Styles — Dance No More — Columbia Records
Katseye — Pinky Up — HYBE x Geffen Records
Madonna — Confessions II – The Film — Warner Records
Tate McRae — Nobody’s Girl — RCA Records
Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia — Republic Records
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Ariana Grande — Hate That I Made You Love Me — Republic Records
Jisoo and Zayn — Eyes Closed — Warner Records
Madonna — Confessions II – The Film — Warner Records
PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson — Stateside — Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records
Raye (feat. Hans Zimmer) — Click Clack Symphony — Human Re Sources
Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia — Republic Records