MTV announced the nominees for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on August 18, 2026, and Madonna topped the field with 11 nominations, more than any other artist. Taylor Swift came in second with 9. Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter tied for third with 7 nominations each.
Key facts
- Nominations announced August 18, 2026
- Madonna leads the field with 11 nominations
- Taylor Swift follows with 9 nominations
- Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter tied for third with 7 nominations each
- Ceremony airs Sunday, September 27, 2026, from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles
- Broadcasts on CBS, simulcast on MTV, streaming on Paramount+
- Voting runs August 18 – September 25, 2026 for most categories
Madonna leads the nominations
Madonna’s total is driven largely by “Confessions II — The Film,” a film project of hers that picked up a Video of the Year nod alongside a run of technical and creative categories:
- Best Dance
- Best Choreography
- Best Editing
- Best Visual Effects
- Best Direction
- Best Art Direction
- Best Cinematography
She’s also nominated for Artist of the Year, and for Song of the Year and Best Collaboration for “Bring Your Love,” her track with Sabrina Carpenter.
Taylor Swift’s nominations
Swift’s nominations are led by “The Fate of Ophelia,” the video from her “Life of a Showgirl” era, which is up for Video of the Year, Best Pop and several creative categories. She’s also nominated for Artist of the Year. One notable omission is Song of the Year: despite her 9 total nominations, “The Fate of Ophelia” does not appear in the Song of the Year nominee list currently reported, and MTV has not given a public explanation for the omission.
Top category nominees
Video of the Year
- Ariana Grande — “hate that i made you love me”
- Bruno Mars — “I Just Might”
- GENER8ION featuring Yung Lean — “STORM”
- Madonna — “Confessions II — The Film”
- Sabrina Carpenter — “Tears”
- Taylor Swift — “The Fate of Ophelia”
Artist of the Year
- Madonna
- Taylor Swift
- Ariana Grande
- Bruno Mars
- Sabrina Carpenter
- Morgan Wallen
Song of the Year
Available reporting lists the following Song of the Year nominees:
- BTS — “Swim”
- Ella Langley — “Choosin’ Texas”
- HUNTR/X — “Golden”
- Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter — “Bring Your Love”
- Olivia Dean — “Man I Need”
- PinkPantheress featuring Zara Larsson — “Stateside”
- Raye — “Where Is My Husband!”
Other top nominees
Beyond the top of the field, Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson each picked up five nominations. Blackpink’s LISA led K-pop artists with four nominations of her own. Shakira and Tate McRae tied with three nominations each.
Best New Artist
Available reporting lists the following Best New Artist nominees:
- Bella Kay
- CORTIS
- Magnus Ferrell
- Malcolm Todd
- Myles Smith
- Sienna Spiro
- Stella Lefty
Category changes this year
The category lineup also shifted this year. Best Dance is reportedly returning after roughly seven years off the ballot, while the Best Rock category, which had run for more than 35 years, was reportedly dropped in favor of a new Best Alternative category.
Reactions to the nominee list
Not everyone was happy with the list. Entertainment outlets pointed to Olivia Rodrigo’s “The Cure” missing from Video of the Year, and to Kendrick Lamar’s nomination count falling to a single nod this year after 10 nominations in 2025, as the most-discussed perceived snubs — characterizations from critics and fans, not statements from MTV itself. The entertainment outlet Ebony published a piece arguing the nominee list is light on Black artists, pointing to Lamar’s steep drop in nominations as one sign of it.
When and where the ceremony airs
The ceremony airs live on Sunday, September 27, 2026, from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles — the first time the VMAs have been held in the Los Angeles area since 2017. It will broadcast on CBS, simulcast on MTV, and stream on Paramount+. A host has not yet been announced, and performers for the show have not been revealed either.
How to vote
Fans can vote in 13 of the categories at vote.mtv.com. Voting opened August 18, 2026 and runs through September 25, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. ET, except for Best New Artist, where voting reportedly stays open through the live broadcast on September 27. Some craft and creative categories are decided by industry professionals rather than fan vote.