Madonna has been nominated for 11 awards at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), the most of any artist this year, according to the official nominations unveiled Tuesday. Taylor Swift follows with nine nominations, setting up a potential record-breaking outcome at the Sept. 27 ceremony in Los Angeles.
The video of the year category includes Swift’s The Fate of Ophelia and Madonna’s Confessions II — The Film, alongside entries from Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, Bruno Mars, and GENER8ION (featuring Yung Lean). The top prize will be decided during the live broadcast on CBS at 7:30 p.m. Eastern, simulcast on MTV and available to stream on Paramount+.
Madonna’s Nominations
Madonna, 68, is nominated in 11 categories, including video of the year, artist of the year, song of the year, best collaboration, dance video of the year, and technical categories such as best direction, cinematography, editing, choreography, art direction, and visual effects. Her nomination for Confessions II — The Film spans multiple craft categories, reflecting the video’s production scale.
If Madonna wins all 11 categories, she would tie Beyoncé and Taylor Swift for the most competitive VMA wins in history, each holding 30 awards. Madonna has previously won 19 VMAs over her four-decade career and was the first solo female artist to receive the Video Vanguard Award in 1986.
Taylor Swift’s Nominations
Swift, 36, is nominated for nine awards, including video of the year, artist of the year, best pop video, and multiple technical categories. Should she win even a single award, she would become the most-awarded artist in VMA history, surpassing Beyoncé and Madonna’s shared record of 30 wins.
Swift’s nominated works include The Fate of Ophelia for video of the year, as well as entries in the artist of the year and pop categories. She is also nominated for best direction, cinematography, editing, choreography, and visual effects.
Other Notable Nominees
Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each received seven nominations, while Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress, and Zara Larsson earned five. Blackpink’s LISA has four nominations, and Shakira, Tate McRae, GENER8ION (with Yung Lean), and Morgan Wallen each received three nods.
Ceremony Details
The 2026 VMAs will take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 27, with a 7:30 p.m. Eastern broadcast on CBS. The event will also stream live on MTV and be available on Paramount+ in the U.S. International viewers can access the show the following day via Paramount+ and MTV.
This year’s nominations mark Madonna’s continued dominance across decades, with her first VMA nomination in 1984 and her first win in 1985. Swift, meanwhile, has rapidly accumulated awards since her first VMA win in 2009, with her total currently tied with Beyoncé at 30.
The full list of nominees and categories is available on the official MTV VMAs website.