Madonna leads the nominations for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards with 11 nods, edging out Taylor Swift, who receives nine. Multiple outlets report the network announced the list on Tuesday ahead of the ceremony next month.
The coverage broadly agrees on the top placement and the size of the nomination totals. Several also add that Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter tie for third with seven nominations each, while other artists receive fewer nominations. NME’s reporting additionally notes that groups and artists including BTS and Charli XCX are among those earning nods, though the specific counts for each act vary by outlet’s summary. Daily Mail and others frame the result as a close race at the top, while CBS highlights that a “full sweep” would tie Madonna with Beyoncé and Taylor Swift for the most VMA wins in history. Times of India includes further names and counts, extending beyond the leading artists.
Overall, outlets converge on the central points: Madonna tops the field, Swift follows, and Grande and Carpenter are the next-highest nominees, with the remaining nominees listed with differing levels of detail.
