{"id":643791,"date":"2026-08-18T15:17:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T15:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/643791\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T15:17:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T15:17:14","slug":"2026-mtv-vma-nominations-list-madonna-leads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/643791\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 MTV VMA Nominations List: Madonna Leads"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tMadonna<\/a>, who stole the show at the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984 with a jaw-dropping performance of \u201cLike a Virgin,\u201d is the leading nominee for the 2026 VMAs with 11 nods. It\u2019s the first time Madonna has been the leading nominee since 1998, the year she won video of the year for the first time with \u201cRay of Light.\u201d She was also the leading nominee in 1990, the year she was nominated for the top award with \u201cVogue.\u201d In both of those years, she had nine nominations. This year\u2019s tally of 11 nods represents a personal best for the legendary star.<\/p>\n

\n\tMadonna\u2019s 14-minute \u201cConfessions II \u2013 The Film\u201d is nominated for video of the year. Two recent winners in that category were likewise longer-form pieces: Taylor Swift<\/a>\u2019s 15-minute \u201cAll Too Well: The Short Film,\u201d which won in 2022, and Ariana Grande<\/a>\u2019s 26-minute \u201cBrighter Days Ahead,\u201d which won last year.<\/p>\n

\n\tSwift, who has won a record 30 Moon Persons, is second on the leaderboard with nine nominations. Other top contenders include Grande and Sabrina Carpenter<\/a> (seven nods each); Bruno Mars<\/a>, PinkPantheress<\/a> and Zara Larsson<\/a> (five each); and LISA<\/a> (four). You\u2019ll notice that seven of the eight artists with the most nominations this year are women.<\/p>\n

\n\tThree past winners for video of the year are nominated in that marquee category again this year: Grande (\u201chate that i made you love me\u201d), Madonna (\u201cConfessions II \u2013 The Film\u201d) and Swift (The Fate of Ophelia).\u201d The three other nominees, vying for their first win in the category, are Mars (\u201cI Just Might\u201d), Carpenter (\u201cTears\u201d) and GENER8ION (\u201cStorm\u201d), starring Yung Lean.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe latter video may be the least known of this year\u2019s video of the year nominees and thus stands to gain the most by the nomination. Gener8ion is an audiovisual collaboration between French DJ Surkin and director Romain Gavras. \u201cStorm\u201d stars Swedish rapper Yung Lean, who plays a disruptive and aggressive student at an all-boys British boarding school.<\/p>\n

\n\tGrande is nominated for artist of the year for a record-extending sixth time. Swift is a beat behind, landing her fifth nomination in the category. Morgan Wallen is nominated for the second year in a row, giving country representation in a high-profile category. The other nominees in the category are Mars (his third), Carpenter (her second) and Madonna (her first). For the first time since the category was introduced in 2017, no hip-hop artists were nominated in the category. For the first time in five years, no Latin artists were nominated in the category.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe nominees for best new artist are Bella Kay, CORTIS, Magnus Ferrell, Malcolm Todd, Myles Smith, Sienna Spiro and Stella Lefty. Spiro is considered a leading candidate for the Grammy for best new artist, along with Ella Langley, who was nominated in this category at last year\u2019s VMAs (though she didn\u2019t advance to the final three).<\/p>\n

\n\tFirst-time nominees receiving multiple nods are GENER8ION and Yung Lean (three each) and CORTIS and Lefty (two each). Don Toliver, Kali Uchis, Noah Kahan, Olivia Dean and Tucker Wetmore are also among those competing for their first Moon Persons.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe best dance category returns for the first time in seven years. Madonna has yet to win in the category, which was first presented in 1989. She may well win this year for \u201cConfessions II \u2013the Film.\u201d The other nominees in the category are Bebe Rexha & Faithless\u2019 \u201cNew Religion,\u201d Harry Styles\u2019 \u201cAperture,\u201d Lady Gaga & Doechii\u2019s \u201cRUNWAY,\u201d PinkPantheress + Zara Larsson\u2019s \u201cStateside,\u201d Slayyyter\u2019s \u201cDANCE\u2026\u201d \u00a0and Tate McRae\u2019s \u201cNobody\u2019s Girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTwo genre categories that were presented on last year\u2019s show, best rock and best Afrobeats, were not in the initial announcement of nominees. Also missing, for now at least, are these categories that were presented last year: best pop artist, Push performance of the year, best album, video for good, best long-form video, best group and song of summer.<\/p>\n

\n\tAll of the lead nominees for best pop are women, though a few male artists who might have been nominated in that category wound up in different genre categories instead. Bruno Mars (\u201cI Just Wait\u201d) and Justin Bieber (\u201cYUKON\u201d) are nominated for best R&B; Harry Styles (\u201cAperture\u201d) for best dance.<\/p>\n

\n\tFan voting is now open for 13 categories by visiting vote.MTV.com<\/a> through Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. ET, except best new artist, which remains active into the show. Fans can get double the votes per category every day during \u201cPower Hour,\u201d running daily 1-2 p.m. ET from Aug. 20 through Sept. 24.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe VMAs will broadcast live from the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 27 (7:30-9:30 p.m. ET\/4:30-6:30 p.m. PT) on CBS. The show will simulcast on MTV and stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. The show will also be available globally the next day on Paramount+ and MTV.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis will be the first time the show has been held in the Los Angeles area since 2017, when Katy Perry hosted the show from The Forum in Inglewood. This will be the second year in a row that the show has aired on CBS. It will be the first time the VMAs have been held in the fall. Previous shows were all held in late summer.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 2026 VMAs are produced by Gunpowder & Sky. Van Toffler serves as producer for the second year in a row. Jesse Ignjatovic of Den of Thieves, Barbara Bialkowski and Bruce Gillmer serve as executive producers, alongside Barry Barclay and Floris Bauer. Melanie Block serves as co-executive producer and Gary Lanvy as co-producer.<\/p>\n

\n\tHere\u2019s the full list of nominees for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards. (Nominees are listed in alphabetical order by first name.)<\/p>\n