THE nominees for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards were announced on Aug. 18, 2026.
Madonna leads the list with 11 nominations, followed by Taylor Swift with nine. Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each received seven nominations.
Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson each earned five nominations, while LISA received four. Shakira and Tate McRae each received three.
Madonna has won 19 Moon Persons, the silver trophies given to VMA winners, throughout her career, while Swift has 30.
This year’s first-time nominees include GENER8ION, Yung Lean, CORTIS, Stella Lefty, Don Toliver, Kali Uchis, Noah Kahan, Olivia Dean, Sienna Spiro and Tucker Wetmore.
The nominees for the coveted Video of the Year award are Grande, Bruno Mars, GENER8ION, Madonna, Carpenter and Swift.
Fan voting for 13 award categories is now open at vote.mtv.com. Voting closes on Sept. 25.
The 2026 MTV VMAs will air live from Los Angeles on Sept. 27, on the CBS Television Network and will be simulcast on MTV. / TRC S
