Source : the age
Hello and welcome to the 2026 VMAs! That’s right, it has somehow already been 12 months since Lady Gaga picked up artist of the year before doing a classic Irish goodbye and swooping off to Madison Square Garden. How time flies.
This year’s ceremony will see some of the world’s biggest artists go head-to-head, including Gen Z darling Sabrina Carpenter, Kpop sensation BTS, and pop veteran Madonna. Speaking of the queen of pop, this year’s show will also see her return to the VMA stage to perform for the first time in 23 years. Meanwhile, Snoop Dogg will be hosting tonight’s festivities – that man really is everywhere right now.
If you’re chained to your desk this morning, or busy wrangling the kids, fear not – you can catch every big moment here on our live blog. Deputy lifestyle editor Courtney Thompson will walk you through the best looks on the red carpet, while reporters Kayla Olaya, Bronte Gossling and I will be keeping you up to speed on the awards themselves.
If you’re so inclined, you can also stream the fan-voted award show yourself on Paramount+.
You never really know what will happen at the MTV Music Video Awards – could someone interrupt an acceptance speech, a la Kanye West at the 2009 VMAs, or will another meat dress rock up? Whatever happens, buckle up and get ready for a wild ride.
It’s a little quiet on the Aussie front this year, with only one homegrown artist nominated. Australian psychedelic rock outfit Tame Impala (led by Kevin Parker) is nominated for best alternative for their single Dracula. It did well on the Triple J Hottest 100, so fingers crossed it manages victory today.
It is going up against some tough competition though, including Olivia Rodrigo (the cure), Sombr (Homewrecker), Noah Kahan (The Great Divide) and Geese (Taxes). All we can do is hope…
It probably won’t surprise anyone that Taylor Swift is set to break more records tonight. The pop juggernaut will receive the inaugural VMA Artist Director Honours, marking her 31st VMA win overall and breaking her tie with Beyoncé to become the most-awarded artist in the award show’s history. In fact, she’s nominated for nine categories tonight (including video and artist of the year), so she may break this record and then some…
Elsewhere, Madonna received 13 nominations – the most of any other artist this year. She’s in with a chance to become the first two-time winner for best long-form video at the VMAs, having won the award back in 1991 for The Immaculate Collection. She’s nominated again this year for Confessions II: The Film.
Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande, meanwhile, are likely going to go head-for-head for video of the year, and Bruno Mars is the top male nominee with six nods (including song of the summer and best R&B).
BTS is back for their first VMAs since their hiatus ended, and they’re back in the running for best group, a prize they won four years in a row (between 2019 and 2022). The competition is hot, though, as they’ll need to beat fellow K-pop group Blackpink, who won in 2025 and 2023, to reclaim their throne.
And I’d be remiss not to mention Bad Bunny, the man who made history at the 2026 Grammys by becoming the first artist to win album of the year for a Spanish-language record. He won’t dominate this award show, having only been nominated for best Latin with NUEVAYoL, but he could still add to his growing tally.
Hello and welcome to the 2026 VMAs! That’s right, it has somehow already been 12 months since Lady Gaga picked up artist of the year before doing a classic Irish goodbye and swooping off to Madison Square Garden. How time flies.
This year’s ceremony will see some of the world’s biggest artists go head-to-head, including Gen Z darling Sabrina Carpenter, Kpop sensation BTS, and pop veteran Madonna. Speaking of the queen of pop, this year’s show will also see her return to the VMA stage to perform for the first time in 23 years. Meanwhile, Snoop Dogg will be hosting tonight’s festivities – that man really is everywhere right now.
If you’re chained to your desk this morning, or busy wrangling the kids, fear not – you can catch every big moment here on our live blog. Deputy lifestyle editor Courtney Thompson will walk you through the best looks on the red carpet, while reporters Kayla Olaya, Bronte Gossling and I will be keeping you up to speed on the awards themselves.
If you’re so inclined, you can also stream the fan-voted award show yourself on Paramount+.
You never really know what will happen at the MTV Music Video Awards – could someone interrupt an acceptance speech, a la Kanye West at the 2009 VMAs, or will another meat dress rock up? Whatever happens, buckle up and get ready for a wild ride.
