Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Madonna leads the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards nominations with 11 nods, Taylor Swift follows with nine, and BTS have scored two nominations for their comeback track SWIM. The nominations bring together some of the biggest names in pop, hip-hop, K-pop, Latin and country music, with Madonna once again at the centre of the VMA conversation.
Swift follows Madonna with nine nominations, while Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter have seven each. Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson have five nominations apiece, followed by BLACKPINK’s LISA with four. Shakira and Tate McRae have three nominations each.
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For BTS, SWIM has earned nominations for Song of the Year and Best K-Pop. The Song of the Year nod puts the group in one of the ceremony’s major categories, alongside Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter’s Bring Your Love, HUNTR/X’s Golden, Olivia Dean’s Man I Need, PinkPantheress’ Stateside + Zara Larsson, and RAYE’s WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!.
BTS’ second nomination comes in Best K-Pop, where SWIM will compete against BLACKPINK’s JUMP, CORTIS’ REDRED, KATSEYE’s PINKY UP, LE SSERAFIM’s SPAGHETTI featuring BTS’ j-hope, and LISA’s Dream feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi.
The nominations also add another chapter to Madonna’s long-running VMA legacy. The pop icon has been recognised across major and technical categories for Confessions II – The Film, including Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Dance, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Choreography and Best Visual Effects.
Swift, meanwhile, is in contention for Video of the Year and Artist of the Year, among several other categories. With 30 VMA wins, she is tied with Beyonc for the most Moon Person trophies in the ceremony’s history. A win this year would give Swift the record outright.
The 2026 ceremony will also mark the return of the Best Dance category after seven years. Fan voting is open across 13 categories, while voting for Best New Artist will remain open through the ceremony.
The 2026 MTV VMAs will take place in Los Angeles on September 27.
MTV VMAs 2026: Full nominations list
Video of the Year
Ariana Grande — hate that i made you love me
Bruno Mars — I Just Might
GENER8ION — STORM starring Yung Lean
Madonna — Confessions II – The Film
Sabrina Carpenter — Tears
Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia
Artist of the Year
Ariana Grande
Bruno Mars
Madonna
Morgan Wallen
Sabrina Carpenter
Taylor Swift
Song of the Year
BTS — SWIM
Ella Langley — Choosin’ Texas
HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI — Golden
Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter — Bring Your Love
Olivia Dean — Man I Need
PinkPantheress — Stateside + Zara Larsson
RAYE — WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!
Best New Artist
Bella Kay
CORTIS
Magnus Ferrell
Malcolm Todd
Myles Smith
Sienna Spiro
Stella Lefty
Best Collaboration
Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T, Malice — Chains & Whips
French Montana x Max B — Ever Since U Left Me
Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter — Bring Your Love
PinkPantheress — Stateside + Zara Larsson
Shakira & Burna Boy — Dai Dai
Teyana Taylor & Lucky Daye — Hard Part
Best Pop
Ariana Grande — hate that i made you love me
Charli xcx — SS26
LISA — Dream feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi
Olivia Rodrigo — drop dead
Sabrina Carpenter — House Tour
Tate McRae — Nobody’s Girl
Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia
Best Hip-Hop
Cardi B ft. Kehlani — Safe
Don Toliver — E85
Drake — Janice STFU
Megan Thee Stallion — LOVER GIRL
Travis Scott — DUMBO
Tyler, The Creator — SUGAR ON MY TONGUE
Best R&B
Bruno Mars — I Just Might
Chris Brown — It Depends/Obvious
Dave & Tems — Raindance
Justin Bieber — YUKON
Kehlani — Folded
Mariah the Scientist & Kali Uchis — Is It a Crime
Best Alternative
Geese — Taxes
mgk & Fred Durst — FIX UR FACE
Noah Kahan — The Great Divide
Olivia Rodrigo — the cure
SOMBR — Homewrecker
Tame Impala — Dracula
twenty one pilots — Drag Path
Best Dance
Bebe Rexha & Faithless — New Religion
Harry Styles — Aperture
Lady Gaga & Doechii — RUNWAY
Madonna — Confessions II – The Film
PinkPantheress — Stateside + Zara Larsson
Slayyyter — DANCE
Tate McRae — Nobody’s Girl
Best Latin
Anitta with Shakira — Choka Choka
Bad Bunny — NUEVAYoL
Fuerza Regida — TU SANCHO
KAROL G — Papasito
Rosala ft. Yahritza Y Su Esencia — La Perla
Ryan Castro, Kapo & GANGSTA — LA VILLA
Shakira & Burna Boy — Dai Dai
Best K-Pop
BLACKPINK — JUMP
BTS — SWIM
CORTIS — REDRED
KATSEYE — PINKY UP
LE SSERAFIM feat. j-hope of BTS — SPAGHETTI
LISA — Dream feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi
Best Country
Ella Langley — Choosin’ Texas
Kacey Musgraves — Dry Spell
Lainey Wilson — Somewhere Over Laredo
Luke Combs — Back in the Saddle
Shaboozey — Cowgirl
Stella Lefty — Boston
Tucker Wetmore — Brunette
Best Direction
Ariana Grande — hate that i made you love me
Bruno Mars — I Just Might
GENER8ION — STORM starring Yung Lean
Madonna — Confessions II – The Film
Sabrina Carpenter — House Tour
Taylor Swift — Opalite
Best Cinematography
A$AP Rocky — PUNK ROCKY
Ariana Grande — hate that i made you love me
LISA — Dream feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi
Madonna — Confessions II – The Film
Shaboozey — Cowgirl
Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia
Best Editing
Ariana Grande — hate that i made you love me
Bruno Mars — I Just Might
LISA — Dream feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi
Madonna — Confessions II – The Film
Sabrina Carpenter — House Tour
Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia
Best Choreography
GENER8ION — STORM starring Yung Lean
Harry Styles — Dance No More
KATSEYE — PINKY UP
Madonna — Confessions II – The Film
Tate McRae — Nobody’s Girl
Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia
Best Visual Effects
Ariana Grande — hate that i made you love me
JISOO X ZAYN — Eyes Closed
Madonna — Confessions II – The Film
PinkPantheress — Stateside + Zara Larsson
RAYE ft. Hans Zimmer — Click Clack Symphony.
Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia
The 2026 MTV VMAs will be held on September 27 in Los Angeles. The ceremony will air on CBS and MTV and stream on Paramount+ in the US, with the show available internationally the following day.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
