Nominations for the 2026 VMAs have been announced.
MTV has officially revealed the nominations for the 2026 VMAs, with Madonna earning plenty of recognition.
For the first time in twenty years, Madonna has been nominated for the main three categories (Video of the Year, Song of the Year, Artist of the Year), with her Confessions II album earning her eleven nominations. This is very full circle, since Madonna iconically performed “Like a Virgin” at the very first VMAs in 1984.
Madonna is followed by Taylor Swift with nine nominations; Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter with seven each; Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress, and Zara Larsson with five each; LISA with four; and Shakira, Tate McRae, GENER8ION, and Yung Lean with three each. Madonna and Carpenter are the only two artists nominated in all three of the main categories.
My excitement was dampened when I saw that Olivia Rodrigo was snubbed. She has only two nominations, even though my album of the summer has absolutely been her brilliant you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.
Since the VMAs are fan-voted, while Madonna leads nominations, I have a feeling that Taylor Swift is going to take a lot of these awards home. I wasn’t a huge fan of The Life of a Showgirl and will be rooting primarily for Madonna, Grande, and Carpenter in the pop categories, but I really liked her music videos from this era. I hope that Madonna wins the night the way she won the nominations.
Below are all the 2026 VMA nominations:
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
| Artist | Song / Video | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Taylor Swift | “The Fate of Ophelia” | Republic Records |
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
| Artist | Label |
|---|---|
| Ariana Grande | Republic Records |
| Bruno Mars | Atlantic Records |
| Madonna | Warner Records |
| Morgan Wallen | Big Loud/Mercury Records |
| Sabrina Carpenter | Island |
| Taylor Swift | Republic Records |
SONG OF THE YEAR
| Artist | Song | Label |
|---|---|---|
| BTS | “Swim” | BIGHIT MUSIC |
| Ella Langley | “Choosin’ Texas” | Columbia Records |
| HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI | “Golden” | Republic Records/Visva Records |
| Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter | “Bring Your Love” | Warner Records |
| Olivia Dean | “Man I Need” | Island |
| PinkPantheress | “Stateside + Zara Larsson” | Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records |
| RAYE | “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” | Human Re Sources |
BEST NEW ARTIST, presented by The General Insurance®
| Artist | Label |
|---|---|
| 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
| Artist | Song | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T, Malice | “Chains & Whips” | Roc Nation Distribution |
| French Montana x Max B | “Ever Since U Left Me” | Coke Boys Records |
| Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter | “Bring Your Love” | Warner Records |
| PinkPantheress | “Stateside + Zara Larsson” | Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records |
| Shakira & Burna Boy | “Dai Dai” | Sony Music US Latin |
| Teyana Taylor & Lucky Daye | “Hard Part” | Def Jam Recordings |
BEST POP
| Artist | Song | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Tate McRae | “Nobody’s Girl” | RCA Records |
| Taylor Swift | “The Fate of Ophelia” | Republic Records |
BEST HIP-HOP
| Artist | Song | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Cardi B ft. 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
| Artist | Song | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Bruno Mars | “I Just Might” | Atlantic Records |
| Chris Brown | “It Depends/Obvious” | RCA Records |
| Dave & Tems | “Raindance” | Neighbourhood Recordings/Capitol Records |
| Justin Bieber | “YUKON” | Def Jam Recordings |
| Kehlani | “Folded” | Atlantic Records |
| Mariah the Scientist & Kali Uchis | “Is It a Crime” | Epic Records |
BEST ALTERNATIVE
| Artist | Song | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Geese | “Taxes” | Partisan Records/Play It Again Sam |
| mgk & 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, presented by BACARDÍ® Rum
| Artist | Song | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Bebe Rexha & Faithless | “New Religion” | Bebe Rexha Music LLC/EMPIRE |
| Harry Styles | “Aperture” | Columbia Records |
| Lady Gaga & Doechii | “RUNAWAY” | Lil Monsters/Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope Records/Capitol Records |
| Madonna | “Confessions II – The Film” | Warner Records |
| PinkPantheress | “Stateside + Zara Larsson” | Warner Records UK/Atlantic Records |
| Slayyyter | “DANCE…” | RECORDS/Columbia Records |
| Tate McRae | “Nobody’s Girl” | RCA Records |
BEST LATIN
| Artist | Song | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Anitta with 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 ft. Yahritza Y Su Esencia | “La Perla” | Columbia Records |
| Ryan Castro, Kapo & GANGSTA | “LA VILLA” | AWOO Corp./Sony Music US Latin |
| Shakira & Burna Boy | “Dai Dai” | Sony Music US Latin |
BEST K-POP
| Artist | Song | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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