Madonna leads 2026 MTV VMAs nominations with 11 nods

MUMBAI: The Queen of Pop is back on the throne at least on the nominations board. Madonna leads the 2026 MTV VMAs with 11 nominations, putting the veteran superstar ahead of Taylor Swift as this year’s awards race takes shape.

Madonna’s haul includes nods for Artist of the Year, Video of the Year and Song of the Year for her Sabrina Carpenter collaboration Bring Your Love. Her Confessions II – The Film is also competing for Video of the Year, while the track earns a Best Collaboration nomination alongside Carpenter.

Swift, the most-awarded act in VMAs history, follows with nine nominations, including Artist of the Year and Video of the Year for The Fate of Ophelia. Ariana Grande and Carpenter are tied in third place with seven nominations each, with both competing for Artist of the Year and Video of the Year.

The Video of the Year field also features Bruno Mars for I Just Might and GENER8ION for STORM starring Yung Lean. Mars has five nominations overall, while Morgan Wallen completes the Artist of the Year line-up alongside Madonna, Swift, Grande, Carpenter and Mars.

Madonna’s strong showing comes during a renewed run for the pop star. Her latest album Confessions II debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 last month and has been widely regarded as her strongest album since 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor.

The Song of the Year race brings together an eclectic field spanning K-pop, country, pop and soundtrack music. Nominees include BTS for Swim, Ella Langley for Choosin’ Texas, HUNTR/X for Golden from K-Pop Demon Hunters, Madonna and Carpenter for Bring Your Love, Olivia Dean for Man I Need, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson for Stateside and RAYE for WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!.

The Best New Artist category features Bella Kay, CORTIS, Magnus Ferrell, Malcolm Todd, Myles Smith, Sienna Spiro and Stella Lefty, giving the ceremony a fresh crop of contenders alongside its established names.

The genre categories are equally crowded. Best Pop includes Grande, Charli xcx, LISA, Olivia Rodrigo, Carpenter, Tate McRae and Swift, while Best Hip-Hop features Cardi B, Don Toliver, Drake, Megan Thee Stallion, Travis Scott and Tyler, The Creator.

Meanwhile, Best R&B brings together Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Dave and Tems, Justin Bieber, Kehlani and Mariah the Scientist with Kali Uchis. Best K-Pop features BLACKPINK, BTS, CORTIS, KATSEYE, LE SSERAFIM and LISA.

The VMAs are also bringing back a category that has been off the menu for a while. Best Dance returns for the first time in seven years, with nominees including Bebe Rexha and Faithless, Harry Styles, Lady Gaga and Doechii, Madonna, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson, Slayyyter and Tate McRae.

This year’s ceremony will air live from Los Angeles on 27 September, marking the VMAs’ first return to the city since 2017. The show will air on CBS and simulcast on MTV.

Fans can vote for the categories through 25 September at 6 pm ET, leaving the contenders with just over a month to turn nominations into votes and Madonna with an 11-song-sized head start in the race for bragging rights.