Madonna leads the nominations for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards with 11 nods, putting the global pop icon at the top of this year’s list. Taylor Swift follows closely with nine nominations, while Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each received seven.
Madonna’s strong showing marks the first time she has led the MTV VMAs nominations since 1998. She also topped the nominations in 1990, when she received nine nods. Her 11 nominations this year represent a personal best.
Madonna is nominated for Video of the Year for her 14-minute film “Confessions II – The Film.” The long-form project follows a trend at the VMAs in which extended music films have successfully competed in major categories.
Taylor Swift, who has won a record 30 Moon Persons, is once again among the leading nominees. Her nine nominations reinforce her continued dominance at the VMAs and place her just behind Madonna in the 2026 nominations race.
Grande and Carpenter each received seven nominations, while Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson earned five apiece. LISA has four nominations, with women making up seven of the eight artists with the highest number of nominations this year.
The Video of the Year category features a strong lineup. Madonna, Swift and Grande are competing alongside Bruno Mars for “I Just Might,” Sabrina Carpenter for “Tears,” and GENER8ION for “Storm,” featuring Yung Lean.
“Storm” could become one of the more unexpected contenders in the category. GENER8ION is an audiovisual collaboration between French DJ Surkin and filmmaker Romain Gavras, while the video features Swedish rapper Yung Lean in a story set at an all-boys British boarding school.
The Artist of the Year category also includes several major names. Ariana Grande received a record-extending sixth nomination in the category, while Taylor Swift has earned her fifth. Morgan Wallen returns for his second nomination, with Bruno Mars receiving his third.
Sabrina Carpenter has her second Artist of the Year nomination, while Madonna receives her first nomination in the category.
This year’s Artist of the Year field also stands out for what it does not include. For the first time since the category was introduced in 2017, no hip-hop artists have been nominated. There are also no Latin artists in the category for the first time in five years.
The Best New Artist nominees include Bella Kay, CORTIS, Magnus Ferrell, Malcolm Todd, Myles Smith, Sienna Spiro and Stella Lefty. Spiro is considered a strong contender for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, although Ella Langley, another widely discussed contender, did not receive a nomination in this VMAs category.
Several artists are receiving multiple nominations for the first time. GENER8ION and Yung Lean each have three nominations, while CORTIS and Stella Lefty have two apiece. Don Toliver, Kali Uchis, Noah Kahan, Olivia Dean and Tucker Wetmore are also competing for their first Moon Person.
The Best Dance category is returning after a seven-year absence. Madonna is nominated in the category for “Confessions II – The Film,” despite never having won the award since it was first introduced in 1989.
Other Best Dance nominees include Bebe Rexha and Faithless for “New Religion,” Harry Styles for “Aperture,” Lady Gaga and Doechii for “RUNWAY,” PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson for “Stateside,” Slayyyter for “DANCE…” and Tate McRae for “Nobody’s Girl.”
Several categories that appeared at the previous ceremony were not included in the initial nominee announcement. These include Best Rock and Best Afrobeats, as well as Best Pop Artist, Push Performance of the Year, Best Album, Video for Good, Best Long-Form Video, Best Group and Song of Summer.
Fan voting is open in 13 categories through September 25 at 6 p.m. ET, while voting for Best New Artist will remain open during the ceremony. Fans can also earn double votes during the daily Power Hour between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. ET from August 20 through September 24.
The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards will take place at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 27, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. ET. The ceremony will air live on CBS, simulcast on MTV, and stream on Paramount+ in the United States.
The VMAs will also become available internationally on Paramount+ and MTV the following day. The ceremony marks the VMAs’ return to the Los Angeles area for the first time since 2017.
