Madonna Tops 2026 VMAs Nominations as Women Lead the Pack

Madonna leads the 2026 MTV VMAs with 11 nominations, a personal best and the most nods this year, as seven of the eight top-nominated artists are women; Taylor Swift is second with nine, with Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each at seven. Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson have five; LISA has four. The ceremony airs Sept. 27 in Los Angeles on CBS, with fan voting open through Sept. 25 and streaming on Paramount+ and MTV; Madonna is among the top contenders in multiple categories, with 'Confessions II – The Film' up for video of the year, and the show features a broad slate across genre-neutral and genre-specific awards.