Madonna and Taylor Swift are dominating the nominations for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, with both superstars competing in major categories including Video of the Year and Artist of the Year. Madonna leads all nominees with 11 total nominations, largely driven by her short film accompanying her album “Confessions II.” The visual itself is in contention for Video of the Year alongside multiple technical awards spanning direction, cinematography, and choreography.
Taylor Swift secured nine nominations at the ceremony, with her “The Fate of Ophelia” music video competing for Video of the Year and Best Pop honors. The video also received recognition in several creative categories. Swift’s other major release from her project “Life of a Showgirl,” titled “Opalite,” earned an additional nomination for Best Direction.
Beyond the two pop icons, the award show features a competitive slate across all categories. The Video of the Year race includes entries from Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Sabrina Carpenter, and the collaborative effort “STORM” featuring Yung Lean. The Artist of the Year category brings together Grande, Mars, Carpenter, Morgan Wallen, Madonna, and Swift.
Fan voting for the 13 VMA categories is currently open and closes September 25 at 6 p.m. ET, with the exception of Best New Artist voting which continues through the live broadcast. The ceremony will air simultaneously across CBS, MTV, and Paramount+ on September 7 from Los Angeles.
Originally reported by Rollingstone →
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