Madonna and Taylor Swift Are the Pop Icons Leading the Nominees for the 2026 MTV VMAs

By Jon Blistein

Jon Blistein

Madonna and Taylor Swift will go toe to toe at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, with the two pop icons picking up the most nominations this year.

Madonna led all nominees with 11, thanks largely to the short film she made for her celebrated new album, Confessions II. The visual is up for Video of the Year, as well as a host of creative categories like Best Direction, Cinematography, and Choreography. It also anchors the returning Best Dance category, which was given out regularly for decades starting in 1989, but hasn’t been awarded since 2019.

Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter’s Confessions II track, “Bring Your Love” also picked up nods for Song of the Year and Best Collaboration, while Madonna is up for Artist of the Year, too. 

Swift, meanwhile, earned nine nominations. She, too, is up for Artist of the Year, while the video for her Life of a Showgirl hit, “The Fate of Ophelia” is nominated for Video of the Year, Best Pop, and numerous creative prizes. The visual for Swift’s other big Showgirl hit, “Opalite,” also scored a lone nod for Best Direction. 

For Video of the Year, the Confessions II short film and “The Fate of Ophelia” will compete against Ariana Grande’s “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” Bruno Mars’ “I Just Might,” Gener8ion and Yung Lean’s “Storm,” and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Tears.”

As for the VMAs’ other big categories, Artist of the Year will find Madonna and Swift competing against Grande, Mars, Carpenter, and Morgan Wallen. And in Song of the Year, Madonna and Carpenter’s “Bring Your Love” will go up against BTS’ “Swim,” Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas,” Huntr/x’s “Golden,” Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need,” PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson’s “Stateside” remix, and Raye’s “Where Is My Husband!”

Lastly, the VMAs’ Best New Artist category will feature newcomers Bella Kay, Cortis, Magnus Ferrell, Malcolm Todd, Myles Smith, Sienna Spiro, and Stella Lefty. 

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