LOS ANGELES — The Queen of Pop is back on top of the MTV Video Music Awards race — but Taylor Swift could still walk away with the biggest record of all.
Madonna leads the nominations for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, scoring an impressive 11 nods as the music icon prepares for another major chapter in her decades-spanning relationship with MTV.
Taylor Swift is close behind with nine nominations, setting up a high-profile generational showdown between two of pop music’s most influential superstars.
But the numbers tell only part of the story.
Madonna Leads a Star-Studded VMA Field
Madonna’s 11 nominations include some of the night’s biggest prizes: Video of the Year, Artist of the Year and Song of the Year.
She is also nominated in categories including Best Collaboration, Best Dance, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Choreography and Best Visual Effects.
The achievement is particularly striking because Madonna’s nominations span a career that has stretched across several generations of MTV viewers.
The 68-year-old superstar was already one of the defining figures of MTV during the network’s early years. She became the first solo female recipient of the Video Vanguard Award in 1986, underscoring just how long her connection to the VMAs has lasted.
Now, four decades later, she is leading the nominations again.
Taylor Swift Has an Even Bigger Record Within Reach
Madonna may have the most nominations this year, but Swift enters the ceremony with a potentially historic advantage.
Swift currently has 30 career VMA wins, tied with Beyoncé at the top of the all-time musician rankings. Madonna has 19 competitive VMA trophies.
That means just one Swift victory at the 2026 ceremony could put her alone atop the VMA record books.
Madonna faces a steeper—but remarkable—path. A clean sweep of all 11 of her nominations would bring her to 30 competitive wins, tying Swift and Beyoncé’s current total.
The result is an unusual awards-night storyline: Madonna leads the nominations, but Swift may need only one Moon Person to make history.
Madonna vs. Taylor Swift in the Biggest Categories
The two superstars will go head-to-head in several marquee races.
The Artist of the Year lineup includes Madonna, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Sabrina Carpenter and Morgan Wallen.
They are also both contenders for Video of the Year, with Swift nominated for “The Fate of Ophelia” and Madonna competing with “Confessions II – The Film.”
That makes the 2026 ceremony more than another celebrity-filled awards show. It could become a symbolic battle between an artist who helped define MTV’s original pop era and one who has dominated much of the modern streaming era.
Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter Are Close Behind
The race isn’t limited to Madonna and Swift.
Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter earned seven nominations apiece, putting both performers firmly among this year’s leading contenders.
Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson received five nominations each, while Blackpink’s LISA earned four.
Shakira, Tate McRae, GENER8ION and Yung Lean each picked up three nominations.
The nominations also introduce a new generation of artists to the VMA stage, with the Associated Press reporting 26 first-time nominees in this year’s field.
When Are the 2026 MTV VMAs?
The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards are scheduled for Sunday, September 27, live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
The ceremony is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time and will air on CBS, with streaming through MTV and Paramount+.
Fan voting is open in 13 categories through September 25, according to the Associated Press.
Why This Year’s VMAs Could Be Historic
Madonna’s return to the top of the nominations leaderboard is significant on its own.
Few performers have maintained enough cultural relevance to compete for MTV’s biggest awards across multiple decades. Madonna isn’t simply receiving a career-achievement tribute—she is competing against some of today’s biggest artists for the night’s premier awards.
Swift, meanwhile, enters the ceremony with an opportunity to move ahead of Beyoncé and become the outright most-awarded musician in VMA history.
That leaves the September ceremony with one enormous question:
Will Madonna turn her 11 nominations into a career-defining VMA comeback—or will Taylor Swift need just one victory to rewrite MTV history?
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