Madonna leads the nominations for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards with 11 nods, as announced by MTV on Tuesday. The nominations also place Taylor Swift in second with nine nominations.
Other artists with multiple nominations include Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter, who are tied for third with seven nominations each, according to outlets reporting the announced list. One outlet also notes that an additional act receives a single nomination, though it does not specify further details. Coverage across the sources largely focuses on the ranking of the top nominees—Madonna first, Swift second, and Grande and Carpenter tied—rather than the specific categories or winners.
While the outlets vary slightly in wording, they agree on the core numbers and order of the leading contenders for the 2026 VMAs.
