Madonna tops VMA nomination list with 11 nods, Swift follows with nine

Madonna has emerged as the most-nominated artist for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, securing eleven nominations that span video, artist and song of the year as well as technical categories like choreography and visual effects. Taylor Swift trails with nine nominations, also covering video and artist of the year among other fields. Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson each earned seven nominations, while LISA, Shakira, Tate McRae, GENER8ION and Yung Lean received three or four.

The event will be aired live from Los Angeles' Peacock Theater on September 27 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on one outlet, with simultaneous streams on MTV and Paramount+. Fan voting opened Tuesday for thirteen categories and will close on September 25, with the best new artist category remaining open during the broadcast. The ceremony also marks the return of the best dance category after a seven-year hiatus.