--- title: "Madonna Leads 2026 VMAs Nominations With 11" url: https://projectchintan.com/article/madonna-leads-2026-vmas-nominations-rho2d publisher: Project Chintan author: Project Chintan Newsroom section: Entertainment published: 2026-08-20T02:30:43.594Z modified: 2026-08-20T05:00:05.901Z language: en-IN --- # Madonna Leads 2026 VMAs Nominations With 11 Madonna dominates the 2026 VMAs nominations with 11 nods, ahead of Taylor Swift's nine. The ceremony is set for September 27 in Los Angeles, with fan voting open in 13 categories. ## Key takeaways - Madonna leads the 2026 VMAs nominations with 11 nods, ahead of Taylor Swift with 9. - The ceremony is set for September 27 in Los Angeles, at the Peacock Theatre, broadcast across CBS, MTV and Paramount+. - Fan voting runs in 13 categories through September 25, with Best New Artist voting continuing into the live show. ## What Happened The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards nominations were announced with Madonna leading the field by a wide margin, collecting 11 nods. Taylor Swift trails closely with nine nominations, while Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each have seven. Other artists receiving multiple nominations include Bruno Mars, Zara Larsson and PinkPantheress with five; Lisa of Blackpink with four; and Tate McRae and Shakira with three apiece. BTSalso received nominations, including two for their comeback track SWIM in Song of the Year and Best K-Pop categories. The ceremony will return to Los Angeles, taking place at the Peacock Theatre, marking the first west-coast VMAs since 2017. The two-hour show is scheduled for September 27 and will air live on CBS, MTV and Paramount+ from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. PT). Host information had not been announced at the time of the nomination release. Fan voting opened across 13 categories and runs until September 25; Best New Artist voting continues into the live telecast. The nominations also feature Madonna in multiple major categories, including Artist of the Year and Video of the Year for Confessions II: The Film, alongside Swift’s entries in several top categories tied to The Fate of Ophelia and other works. The official nominations list spans a mix of pop, hip-hop, K-pop, Latin and country artists, reflecting a broad cross-section of contemporary music. The event’s producers include Gunpowder & Sky with veteran MTV figure Van Toffler, and several executive producers listed for the show. ## Why It Matters Madonna’s lead underscores her enduring influence in the VMAs’ history, as confirmed by multiple outlets reporting her 11 nominations and the broader spread across top and technical categories. Swift’s position continues a long-running pattern of heavy VMAs recognition, with the potential to set a new record for Moon Person trophies depending on results. The return to the West Coast after a seven-year gap and the live, cross-platform broadcast reinforce the VMAs’ ongoing prominence in the pop music calendar and in digital and traditional media ecosystems. ## Background The VMAs have staged the ceremony at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles for 2026, continuing the tradition of episodic, cross-genre nomination exposure across 13 categories plus a separate Best New Artist track. Voting is split between fan-driven categories and artist-specific recognitions, with live ceremony timing established for late September. Previous West Coast VMAs last occurred in 2017, hosted in Los Angeles by Katy Perry. ## Key Facts - Madonna has 11 nominations for the 2026 VMAs. - Taylor Swift has 9 nominations; Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter have 7 each. - Bruno Mars, Zara Larsson and PinkPantheress have 5 nominations each; Lisa of Blackpink has 4; Tate McRae and Shakira have 3 each. - BTS has 2 nominations for SWIM (Song of the Year and Best K-Pop). - The VMAs will be held at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on September 27, 2026. - The show will be broadcast live on CBS, MTV and Paramount+ from 7:30–9:30 p.m. ET. - Fan voting is open across 13 categories and runs through September 25; Best New Artist voting continues into the live telecast. - Artist of the Year nominees include Madonna, Swift, Grande, Carpenter, Bruno Mars and Morgan Wallen. ## What Happens Next Voting remains open in 13 categories until September 25; Best New Artist voting continues through the live show. The ceremony’s broadcast schedule and host announcement were not finalized in the initial release, with live telecast details set for September 27. --- Canonical: https://projectchintan.com/article/madonna-leads-2026-vmas-nominations-rho2d Reported from: Multiple Sources