2026 VMAs Winners: Taylor Swift and Madonna Dominate MTV’s Big Night

The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards took over the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with Snoop Dogg hosting the ceremony. Madonna and Taylor Swift were among the night’s biggest winners, while Sienna Spiro earned Best New Artist, BTS collected three awards, and Nirvana received the Video Vanguard Award. See the complete winners list below.

The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards went down Sunday night at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with Snoop Dogg hosting for the first time. The VMAs used to be MTV’s big summer event, a night that always brought out the biggest names in music, and we’ve followed it for years, from how to watch the 2023 show to the 2024 nominations.

Times have changed, but stars of the new generation like Taylor Swift, Charli xcx and Sabrina Carpenter still showed up. Madonna opened the show alongside Carpenter and Charli xcx with “Bring Your Love,” her first VMAs performance in 23 years.

Swift and Madonna dominated the night. Madonna took home seven awards, including Artist of the Year, Best Collaboration, Best Dance and Best Album. Swift won Video of the Year for “The Fate of Ophelia” and Best Direction for “Opalite,” received the inaugural Artist Director Honors, and premiered her “Patient Zero” video during the show. She dedicated her Video of the Year win to Dolly Parton, who was honored earlier with a Kacey Musgraves tribute. Elsewhere, Sienna Spiro won Best New Artist, BTS took home three awards, and Nirvana’s surviving members accepted the Video Vanguard Award. Check out the full list of winners below.

Special Honors

• Video Vanguard Award: Nirvana
• MTV VMA Artist Director Honors: Taylor Swift

Video of the Year

• Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia” — Winner
• Ariana Grande, “Hate That I Made You Love Me”
• Bruno Mars, “I Just Might”
• GENER8ION, “STORM” starring Yung Lean
• Madonna, “Confessions II – The Film”
• Sabrina Carpenter, “Tears”

Artist of the Year

• Madonna — Winner
• Ariana Grande
• Bruno Mars
• Morgan Wallen
• Sabrina Carpenter
• Taylor Swift

Song of the Year

• BTS, “Swim” — Winner
• Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas”
• HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI, “Golden”
• Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter, “Bring Your Love”
• Olivia Dean, “Man I Need”
• PinkPantheress + Zara Larsson, “Stateside”
• RAYE, “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!”

Best New Artist

• Sienna Spiro — Winner
• Bella Kay
• CORTIS
• Magnus Ferrell
• Malcolm Todd
• Myles Smith
• Stella Lefty

Best Collaboration

• Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter, “Bring Your Love” — Winner
• Clipse & Kendrick Lamar, “Chains & Whips”
• French Montana x Max B, “Ever Since U Left Me”
• PinkPantheress + Zara Larsson, “Stateside”
• Shakira & Burna Boy, “Dai Dai”
• Teyana Taylor & Lucky Daye, “Hard Part”

Best Pop

• LISA feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi, “Dream” — Winner
• Ariana Grande, “Hate That I Made You Love Me”
• Charli xcx, “SS26”
• Olivia Rodrigo, “Drop Dead”
• Sabrina Carpenter, “House Tour”
• Tate McRae, “Nobody’s Girl”
• Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia”

Best Hip-Hop

• Cardi B feat. Kehlani, “Safe” — Winner
• Don Toliver, “E85”
• Drake, “Janice STFU”
• Megan Thee Stallion, “Lover Girl”
• Travis Scott, “Dumbo”
• Tyler, The Creator, “Sugar on My Tongue”

Best R&B

• Bruno Mars, “I Just Might” — Winner
• Chris Brown, “It Depends/Obvious”
• Dave & Tems, “Raindance”
• Justin Bieber, “Yukon”
• Kehlani, “Folded”
• Mariah the Scientist & Kali Uchis, “Is It a Crime”

Best Alternative

• Olivia Rodrigo, “The Cure” — Winner
• Geese, “Taxes”
• mgk & Fred Durst, “Fix Ur Face”
• Noah Kahan, “The Great Divide”
• Sombr, “Homewrecker”
• Tame Impala, “Dracula”
• Twenty One Pilots, “Drag Path”

Best Dance

• Madonna, “Confessions II – The Film” — Winner
• Bebe Rexha & Faithless, “New Religion”
• Harry Styles, “Aperture”
• Lady Gaga & Doechii, “Runway”
• PinkPantheress + Zara Larsson, “Stateside”
• Slayyyter, “Dance…”
• Tate McRae, “Nobody’s Girl”

Best Latin

• Bad Bunny, “NUEVAYoL” — Winner
• Anitta with Shakira, “Choka Choka”
• Fuerza Regida, “Tu Sancho”
• Karol G, “Papasito”
• Rosalía feat. Yahritza Y Su Esencia, “La Perla”
• Ryan Castro, Kapo & Gangsta, “La Villa”
• Shakira & Burna Boy, “Dai Dai”

Best K-Pop

• BTS, “Swim” — Winner
• BLACKPINK, “Jump”
• CORTIS, “RedRed”
• KATSEYE, “Pinky Up”
• Le Sserafim feat. j-hope of BTS, “Spaghetti”
• LISA feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi, “Dream”

Best Country

• Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas” — Winner
• Kacey Musgraves, “Dry Spell”
• Lainey Wilson, “Somewhere Over Laredo”
• Luke Combs, “Back in the Saddle”
• Shaboozey, “Cowgirl”
• Stella Lefty, “Boston”
• Tucker Wetmore, “Brunette”

Best Direction

• Taylor Swift, “Opalite” — Winner
• Ariana Grande, “Hate That I Made You Love Me”
• Bruno Mars, “I Just Might”
• GENER8ION, “STORM” starring Yung Lean
• Madonna, “Confessions II – The Film”
• Sabrina Carpenter, “House Tour”

Best Art Direction

• PinkPantheress + Zara Larsson, “Stateside” — Winner
• Charli xcx, “SS26”
• Lady Gaga & Doechii, “Runway”
• Madonna, “Confessions II – The Film”
• Sombr, “My Body Isn’t Ready”
• Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia”

Best Cinematography

• Madonna, “Confessions II – The Film” — Winner
• A$AP Rocky, “Punk Rocky”
• Ariana Grande, “Hate That I Made You Love Me”
• LISA feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi, “Dream”
• Shaboozey, “Cowgirl”
• Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia”

Best Editing

• Sabrina Carpenter, “House Tour” — Winner
• Ariana Grande, “Hate That I Made You Love Me”
• Bruno Mars, “I Just Might”
• LISA feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi, “Dream”
• Madonna, “Confessions II – The Film”
• Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia”

Best Choreography

• Madonna, “Confessions II – The Film” — Winner
• GENER8ION, “STORM” starring Yung Lean
• Harry Styles, “Dance No More”
• KATSEYE, “Pinky Up”
• Tate McRae, “Nobody’s Girl”
• Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia”

Best Visual Effects

• Ariana Grande, “Hate That I Made You Love Me” — Winner
• JISOO x ZAYN, “Eyes Closed”
• Madonna, “Confessions II – The Film”
• PinkPantheress + Zara Larsson, “Stateside”
• RAYE feat. Hans Zimmer, “Click Clack Symphony”
• Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia”

Best Group

• BTS — Winner
• BLACKPINK
• CORTIS
• FLO
• Fuerza Regida
• Geese
• KATSEYE
• Twenty One Pilots

Best Long Form Video

• Madonna, Confessions II – The Film — Winner
• Charli xcx, Music, Fashion, Film
• Ella Langley, Choosin’ Texas
• GENER8ION, STORM starring Yung Lean

Best Album

• Madonna, Confessions II — Winner
• Drake, Iceman
• Olivia Dean, The Art of Loving
• Olivia Rodrigo, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love
• Sabrina Carpenter, Man’s Best Friend
• Taylor Swift, The Life of a Showgirl

Song of Summer

• Ariana Grande, “Hate That I Made You Love Me” — Winner
• Bruno Mars, “Risk It All”
• Charli xcx, “Camera”
• Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas”
• KATSEYE, “Hootie Frutti”
• Latto feat. Doja Cat, “Okayyy”
• Morgan Wallen, “Been By Now”
• Olivia Dean, “So Easy (To Fall in Love)”
• Olivia Rodrigo, “Stupid Song”
• Sabrina Carpenter, “House Tour”
• Slayyyter, “Brand New Chanel$”
• Sombr, “Homewrecker”
• Stella Lefty, “Boston”
• Tame Impala & JENNIE, “Dracula”
• Taylor Swift, “I Knew It, I Knew You”