Madonna and Taylor Swift are leading the field for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, according to E! News. The nominations were announced Aug. 18 ahead of the live show, which will air Sept. 27 on CBS and MTV.
Madonna earned 11 nominations for her Confessions II album, including nods for Video of the Year and Artist of the Year. Swift received nine nominations and will go up against Madonna in both of those major categories.
Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter followed with seven nominations each, including Best Pop. Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson each received five nominations, while LISA got four and Shakira tied with Tate McRae at three.
The 2026 VMAs could also be a milestone night for Swift, who is tied with Beyoncé for the most Moon Person wins ever at 30. The show will bring back the Best Dance category for the first time in seven years, and fans can vote in 13 categories through Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. ET, according to E! News.
