Madonna leads the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards nominations with 11 nods, marking her highest total since her career began. This achievement places her at the front of a field where seven of the eight most-nominated artists are women. Taylor Swift follows with nine nominations, while Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each earned seven. The ceremony will move to the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on September 27 and will broadcast on CBS.
Several long-form videos dominate the Video of the Year category. Madonna’s 14-minute Confessions II – The Film competes alongside work from Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Sabrina Carpenter, and the collaborative project GENER8ION. This shift toward longer visual projects mirrors recent trends seen with previous winners in this category.
Artist of the Year nominations highlight a range of top performers, including Morgan Wallen, who serves as the sole country artist in the category. Notably, this year marks the first time since the category appeared in 2017 that no hip-hop artists received nominations for top artist. The best new artist category features seven contenders, such as Sienna Spiro and Stella Lefty, while the best dance category returns after a seven-year absence.
Fans can participate in the selection process by voting in 13 categories at the official website through September 25. The show takes place in the fall for the first time in its history. This event marks the second consecutive year of CBS airing the broadcast, which will also be available on Paramount+ for viewers in the United States.