The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards are set to take place tonight at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater, with Snoop Dogg hosting the ceremony and a packed field of nominees competing for Moon Person trophies. This page will be updated throughout the night as the MTV VMAs 2026 winners are announced, with major categories including Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist.
The ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT on CBS and MTV, with streaming available through Paramount+ Premium in the U.S. International viewers can watch the show through Paramount+ and MTV the following day.
Madonna enters the 2026 MTV VMAs as the most-nominated artist of the night, with 13 nominations. Taylor Swift follows with 11, while Sabrina Carpenter has nine and Ariana Grande has eight. Swift is also guaranteed to leave with a new distinction after being selected as the first recipient of the MTV VMA Artist Director Award, recognizing her body of work behind the camera.
Swift’s special honor is separate from the competitive categories. The award also gives her a milestone in VMA history, taking her career total to 31 wins and putting her ahead of Beyoncé as the ceremony’s most-awarded artist.
As the show gets underway, this article will track the winners category by category. Check back throughout the 2026 MTV VMAs for updates as the Moon Person trophies are handed out and the night’s biggest winners emerge.
MTV VMAs 2026 Nominations
Video of the Year
hate that i made you love me – Ariana Grande
I Just Might – Bruno Mars
Storm starring Yung Lean – GENER8ION (starring Yung Lean)
Confessions II – Film – Madonna
Tears – Sabrina Carpenter
The Fate of Ophelia – Taylor Swift
Artist of the Year
Ariana Grande
Bruno Mars
Madonna *WINNER*
Morgan Wallen
Sabrina Carpenter
Taylor Swift
Song of the Year
SWIM – BTS
Choosin’ Texas – Ella Langley
Golden – HUNTR/X
Bring Your Love – Madonna
Man I Need – Olivia Dean
Stateside – PinkPantheress & Zara Larsson
WHERE IS MY HUSBAND! – RAYE
Best New Artist
Bella Kay
Cortis
Magnus Ferrell
Malcom Todd
Myles Smith
Sienna Spiro
Stella Lefty
Best Collaboration
Chains & Whips – Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T, Malice
Ever Since U Left Me – French Montana x Max B
Bring Your Love – Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter *WINNER*
Stateside – Pinkpantheress & Zara Larsson
Dai Dai – Shakira & Burna Boy
Hard Part – Teyana Taylor & Lucky Daye
Best Pop
hate that i made you love me – Ariana Grande
SS26 – Charli xcx
Dream – LISA ft. Kentaro Sakaguchi *WINNER*
Drop Dead – Olivia Rodrigo
House Tour – Sabrina Carpenter
Nobody’s Girl – Tate McRae
The Fate of Ophelia – Taylor Swift
Best Hip-Hop
Safe – Cardi B & Kehlani
E85 – Don Toliver
Janice STFU – Drake
Lover Girl – Megan Thee Stallion
Dumbo – Travis Scott
Sugar On My Tongue – Tyler, the Creator
Best R&B
I Just Might – Bruno Mars
It Depends/Obvious – Chris Brown
Raindance – Dave & Tems
Yukon – Justin Bieber
Folded – Kehlani
Is It a Crime – Mariah The Scientist
Best Alternative
Texas – Geese
Fix Ur Face- mgk & Fred Durst
The Great Divide – Noah Kahan
The Cure – Olivia Rodrigo
Homewrecker – Sombr
Dracula – Tame Impala
Drag Path – Twenty One Pilots
Best Latin
Choka Choka – Anitta & Shakira *WINNER*
Nuevayol – Bad Bunny
Tu Sancho – Fuerza Regida
Papasito – Karol G
La Perla – Rosalía ft. Yahritza Y Su Esencia
La Villa – Ryan Castro, Kapo & GANGSTA
Dai Dai – Shakira & Burna Boy
Best K-pop
Jump – BLACKPINK
Swim – BTS
REDRED – CORTIS
Pinky Up – KATSEYE
Spaghetti – LE SSERAFIM (feat. j-hope of BTS)
Dream – LISA ft. Kentaro Sakaguchi
Best Dance
Nobody’s Girl – Tate McRae
New Religion – Bebe Rexha & Faithless
Aperture – Harry Styles
RUNWAY – Lady Gaga and Doechii
Confessions II — The Film – Madonna
Stateside – PinkPantheress & Zara Larsson
DANCE… – Slayyyter
Best Country
Choosin’ Texas – Ella Langley
Dry Spell – Kacey Musgraves
Somewhere Over Laredo – Lainey Wilson
Back in the Studio – Luke Combs
Cowgirl – Shaboozey
Boston – Stella Lefty
Brunette – Tucker Wetmore
Best Direction
hate that i made you love me – Ariana Grande
I Just Might – Bruno Mars
Storm – GENER8ION
Confessions II – The Film – Madonna
House Tour – Sabrina Carpenter
Opaliteb- Taylor Swift
Best Art Direction
SS26 – Charli xcx
Runway – Lady Gaga & Doechii
Stateside – PinkPantheress & Zara Larsson
Confessions II – The Film – Madonna
My Body Isn’t Ready – sombr
The Fate of Ophelia – Taylor Swift
Best Cinematography
Punk Rocky – A$AP Rocky
hate that i made you love me – Ariana Grande
Dream – LISA
Confessions II – The Film – Madonna
Cowgirl – Shaboozey
The Fate of Ophelia – Taylor Swift
Best Editing
hate that i made you love me – Ariana Grande
I Just Might – Bruno Mars
Dream – LISA
Confessions II – The Film – Madonna
House Tour – Sabrina Carpenter
The Fate of Ophelia – Taylor Swift
Best Choreography
Storm starring Yung Lean – GENER8ION
Dance No More – Harry Styles
Pinky Up – KATSEYE
Confessions II – The Film – Madonna
Nobody’s Girl – Tate McRae
The Fate of Ophelia – Taylor Swift
Best Visual Effects
hate that i made you love me – Ariana Grande
Eyes Closed – JISOO & Zayn
Stateside – PinkPantheress & Zara Larsson
Confessions II – The Film – Madonna
Click Clack Symphony – RAYE
The Fate of Ophelia – Taylor Swift
Best Group
BLACKPINK
BTS
CORTIS
FLO
Fuerza Regida
Geese
KATSEYE
Twenty One Pilots
Best Long Form Video
Charli XCX — “Music, Fashion, Film”
Ella Langley — “Choosin’ Texas”
GENER8ION — “Storm” starring Yung Lean
Madonna — “Confessions II – The Film”
Best Album
Drake — Iceman
Madonna — Confessions II
Olivia Dean — The Art Of Loving
Olivia Rodrigo — You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love
Sabrina Carpenter — Man’s Best Friend
Taylor Swift — The Life of a Showgirl
Song of Summer
Ariana Grande — “hate that i made you love me”
Bruno Mars — “Risk It All”
Charli XCX — “Camera”
Ella Langley — “Choosin’ Texas”
KATSEYE — “Hootie Frutti”
Latto ft. Doja Cat — “Okayyy”
Morgan Wallen — “Been By Now”
Olivia Dean — “So Easy (To Fall In Love)”
Olivia Rodrigo — “Stupid Song”
Sabrina Carpenter — “House Tour”
Slayyyter — “brand new chanel$”
SOMBR — “Homewrecker”
Stella Lefty — “Boston”
Tame Impala & Jennie — “Dracula”
Taylor Swift — “I Knew It, I Knew You”
Vanguard Award
Nirvana
Artist Director Award
Taylor Swift
Photo: MTV
Leave a Reply