Madonna leads 2026 MTV VMA nominations with 11 nods

NEW YORK (AP) - Madonna leads the 2026 MTV Video Music Award nominations, the network announced Tuesday. The pop superstar has been nominated in every decade of her musical career. She has 19 competitive MTV VMA wins and in 1986 became the first solo female artist to receive the Video Vanguard Award. She is up for 11 awards at this year's ceremony, including video, artist, and song of the year, as well as best collaboration, dance, direction, art direction, cinematography, editing, choreography, and visual effects. If she were to sweep, she'd tie Beyoncé and Taylor Swift for the title of most-awarded musician in VMA history, both with 30 awards. Eminem is the male artist with the most VMAs, with 15. Speaking of Swift, she follows Madonna with the second-most nominations, with nine. If Swift takes home even one award, she will become the most-awarded artist in VMA history. Madonna and Swift are followed by Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter with seven nods each, while Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress, and Zara Larsson have five. Blackpink's LISA has four, and Shakira, Tate McRae, GENER8ION, and Yung Lean are tied for three. The top prize of the night, video of the year, features nominees including Swift's 'The Fate of Ophelia,' Madonna's 'Confessions II - The Film,' Grande's 'Hate That I Made You Love Me,' Mars' 'I Just Might,' Carpenter's 'Tear,' and GENER8ION's 'Storm' with Yung Lean. The two-hour show will broadcast live on CBS on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern and 4:30 p.m. Pacific, from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. It will also simulcast on MTV and be available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. Globally, it will be available the next day on Paramount+ and MTV. CBS hosts several award shows, including the Grammys, which will move to ABC in 2027. This year's Video Music Awards features 26 first-time nominees, including GENER8ION and Yung Lean (with three nods for their 'Storm' collaboration) and the K-pop boy band CORTIS and singer Stella Lefty with two each. Other notable first-time nominees include Don Toliver, Kali Uchis, Noah Kahan, Olivia Dean, Tucker Wetmore, and Sienna Spiro. The best dance category returns for the first time in seven years, with nominees including McRae's 'Nobody's Girl,' Bebe Rexha and Faithless' 'New Religion,' Harry Styles' 'Aperture,' Lady Gaga and Doechii's 'Runway,' Madonna's 'Confessions II - The Film,' PinkPantheress' 'Stateside' with Larsson, and Slayyyter's 'Dance.' Fan voting began online Tuesday across 13 categories and ends Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. Eastern and 3 p.m. Pacific. Voting in the best new artist category will continue during the show.