The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs)
brought together some of the biggest names in music on Sunday, September 27, 2026,
at the Peacock Theater in
Los Angeles, with Snoop
Dogg serving as host.
The
ceremony celebrated artists across major, genre-specific, technical, and
special award categories, with Madonna
leading the night with seven wins. Her victories included Artist of the Year, Best Dance, Best
Collaboration alongside Sabrina Carpenter for “Bring Your Love,” and Best Album for Confessions II.
Taylor
Swift also enjoyed
a major night, taking home Video
of the Year for “The
Fate of Ophelia” and Best
Direction for “Opalite.”
She also received the inaugural MTV
VMA Artist Director Honors, recognising her contributions to
music video direction.
Other
notable winners included BTS,
who won Song of the Year
and Best K-Pop
for “Swim” and also took home Best
Group. Sienna
Spiro was named Best
New Artist, while LISA
won Best Pop
for “Dream” featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi. Cardi
B featuring Kehlani won Best Hip-Hop for “Safe,” Bruno Mars claimed Best
R&B for “I Just Might,” Olivia
Rodrigo won Best Alternative for “the cure,” Bad Bunny took Best
Latin for “NUEVAYoL,” and Ella
Langley won Best Country for “Choosin’ Texas.”
Here is the
full list of nominees and winners from the 2026 MTV VMAs:
Video of
the Year
- Ariana Grande – “hate that i made
you love me”
- Bruno Mars – “I Just Might”
- GENER8ION – “STORM” starring Yung
Lean
- Madonna – “Confessions II – The Film”
- Sabrina Carpenter – “Tears”
- WINNER: Taylor Swift – “The Fate of
Ophelia”
Artist of
the Year
- Ariana Grande
- Bruno Mars
- WINNER: Madonna
- Morgan Wallen
- Sabrina Carpenter
- Taylor Swift
Song of
the Year
- WINNER: BTS – “Swim”
- Ella Langley – “Choosin’ Texas”
- HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna &
REI AMI – “Golden”
- Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter –
“Bring Your Love”
- Olivia Dean – “Man I Need”
- PinkPantheress + Zara Larsson –
“Stateside”
- RAYE – “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!”
Best New
Artist
- Bella Kay
- CORTIS
- Magnus Ferrell
- Malcolm Todd
- Myles Smith
- WINNER: Sienna Spiro
- Stella Lefty
Best
Collaboration
- Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T
& Malice – “Chains & Whips”
- French Montana x Max B – “Ever
Since U Left Me”
- WINNER: Madonna & Sabrina
Carpenter – “Bring Your Love”
- PinkPantheress + Zara Larsson –
“Stateside”
- Shakira & Burna Boy – “Dai Dai”
- Teyana Taylor & Lucky Daye –
“Hard Part”
Best Pop
- Ariana Grande – “hate that i made
you love me”
- Charli xcx – “SS26”
- WINNER: LISA – “Dream” feat.
Kentaro Sakaguchi
- Olivia Rodrigo – “drop dead”
- Sabrina Carpenter – “House Tour”
- Tate McRae – “Nobody’s Girl”
- Taylor Swift – “The Fate of
Ophelia”
Best
Hip-Hop
- WINNER: Cardi B feat. Kehlani –
“Safe”
- Don Toliver – “E85”
- Drake – “Janice STFU”
- Megan Thee Stallion – “LOVER GIRL”
- Travis Scott – “DUMBO”
- Tyler, The Creator – “SUGAR ON MY
TONGUE”
Best
R&B
- WINNER: Bruno Mars – “I Just Might”
- Chris Brown – “It Depends/Obvious”
- Dave & Tems – “Raindance”
- Justin Bieber – “YUKON”
- Kehlani – “Folded”
- Mariah the Scientist & Kali
Uchis – “Is It a Crime”
Best
Alternative
- Geese – “Taxes”
- mgk & Fred Durst – “FIX UR
FACE”
- Noah Kahan – “The Great Divide”
- WINNER: Olivia Rodrigo – “the cure”
- SOMBR – “Homewrecker”
- Tame Impala – “Dracula”
- twenty one pilots – “Drag Path”
Best Dance
- Bebe Rexha & Faithless – “New
Religion”
- Harry Styles – “Aperture”
- Lady Gaga & Doechii – “RUNWAY”
- WINNER: Madonna – “Confessions II –
The Film”
- PinkPantheress + Zara Larsson –
“Stateside”
- Slayyyter – “DANCE…”
- Tate McRae – “Nobody’s Girl”
Best Latin
- Anitta with Shakira – “Choka Choka”
- WINNER: Bad Bunny – “NUEVAYoL”
- Fuerza Regida – “TU SANCHO”
- KAROL G – “Papasito”
- Rosalía ft. Yahritza Y Su Esencia –
“La Perla”
- Ryan Castro, Kapo & GANGSTA –
“LA VILLA”
- Shakira & Burna Boy – “Dai Dai”
Best K-Pop
- BLACKPINK – “JUMP”
- WINNER: BTS – “SWIM”
- CORTIS – “REDRED”
- KATSEYE – “PINKY UP”
- LE SSERAFIM feat. j-hope of BTS –
“SPAGHETTI”
- LISA – “Dream” feat. Kentaro
Sakaguchi
Best
Country
- WINNER: Ella Langley – “Choosin’
Texas”
- Kacey Musgraves – “Dry Spell”
- Lainey Wilson – “Somewhere Over
Laredo”
- Luke Combs – “Back in the Saddle”
- Shaboozey – “Cowgirl”
- Stella Lefty – “Boston”
- Tucker Wetmore – “Brunette”
Best
Direction
- Ariana Grande – “hate that i made
you love me”
- Bruno Mars – “I Just Might”
- GENER8ION – “STORM” starring Yung
Lean
- Madonna – “Confessions II – The
Film”
- Sabrina Carpenter – “House Tour”
- WINNER: Taylor Swift – “Opalite”
Best Art
Direction
- Charli xcx – “SS26”
- Lady Gaga & Doechii – “RUNWAY”
- Madonna – “Confessions II – The
Film”
- WINNER: PinkPantheress – “Stateside
+ Zara Larsson”
- SOMBR – “My Body Isn’t Ready”
- Taylor Swift – “The Fate of
Ophelia”
Best
Cinematography
- A$AP Rocky – “PUNK ROCKY”
- Ariana Grande – “hate that i made
you love me”
- LISA – “Dream” feat. Kentaro
Sakaguchi
- WINNER: Madonna – “Confessions II –
The Film”
- Shaboozey – “Cowgirl”
- Taylor Swift – “The Fate of
Ophelia”
Best
Editing
- Ariana Grande – “hate that i made
you love me”
- Bruno Mars – “I Just Might”
- LISA – “Dream” feat. Kentaro
Sakaguchi
- Madonna – “Confessions II – The
Film”
- WINNER: Sabrina Carpenter – “House
Tour”
- Taylor Swift – “The Fate of
Ophelia”
Best
Choreography
- GENER8ION – “STORM” starring Yung
Lean
- Harry Styles – “Dance No More”
- KATSEYE – “PINKY UP”
- WINNER: Madonna – “Confessions II –
The Film”
- Tate McRae – “Nobody’s Girl”
- Taylor Swift – “The Fate of
Ophelia”
Best
Visual Effects
- WINNER: Ariana Grande – “hate that
i made you love me”
- JISOO X ZAYN – “Eyes Closed”
- Madonna – “Confessions II – The
Film”
- PinkPantheress – “Stateside + Zara
Larsson”
- RAYE ft. Hans Zimmer – “Click Clack
Symphony.”
- Taylor Swift – “The Fate of
Ophelia”
Best Group
- BLACKPINK
- WINNER: BTS
- CORTIS
- FLO
- Fuerza Regida
- Geese
- KATSEYE
- Twenty One Pilots
Best Long
Form Video
- Charli xcx – Music, Fashion, Film
- Ella Langley – Choosin’ Texas
- GENER8ION – STORM starring Yung
Lean
- WINNER: Madonna – Confessions II
– The Film
Best Album
- Drake – ICEMAN
- WINNER: Madonna – Confessions II
- Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving
- Olivia Rodrigo – you seem pretty sad for a girl so
in love
- Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend
- Taylor Swift – The Life of a Showgirl
Song of
Summer
- WINNER: Ariana Grande – “hate that
i made you love me”
- Bruno Mars – “Risk It All”
- Charli xcx – “Camera”
- Ella Langley – “Choosin’ Texas”
- KATSEYE – “Hootie Frutti”
- Latto ft. Doja Cat – “Okayyy”
- Morgan Wallen – “Been By Now”
- Olivia Dean – “So Easy (To Fall in
Love)”
- Olivia Rodrigo – “Stupid Song”
- Sabrina Carpenter – “House Tour”
- Slayyyter – “Brand New Chanel$”
- sombr – “Homewrecker”
- Stella Lefty – “Boston”
- Tame Impala & JENNIE –
“Dracula”
- Taylor Swift – “I Knew It, I Knew
You”
Special
Awards
Video
Vanguard Award
WINNER:
Nirvana
MTV VMA
Artist Director Honors
WINNER:
Taylor Swift
The 2026 VMAs marked another
major night in music, with Madonna leading the ceremony with seven wins, while
Taylor Swift added to her record-breaking VMA history with Video of the Year
and the inaugural Artist Director Honors.