Taylor Swift and Madonna were the big winners at the MTV Video Music Awards 2026, with Swift extending her record as the recipient of the most MTV VMAs in history. Swift took home the coveted Video of the Year for “The Fate of Ophelia,” while Madonna won Artist of the Year, among several other awards.
Top Honors and Major Wins
Madonna claimed the Artist of the Year award, beating out nominees including Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Morgan Wallen, Sabrina Carpenter, and Taylor Swift. She also won Best Long Form Video for “Confessions II: The Film,” Best Dance for the same project, and Best Album for “Confessions II.”
BTS won Song of the Year for “Swim” and also took home Best Group and Best K-pop. Sienna Spiro was named Best New Artist, while Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter won Best Collaboration for “Bring Your Love.”
Genre Winners and Professional Categories
Other genre winners included Lisa for Best Pop with “Dream (ft Kentaro Sakaguchi),” Cardi B for Best Hip-Hop with “Safe (ft Kehlani),” and Bruno Mars for Best R&B with “I Just Might.” Olivia Rodrigo won Best Alternative for “The Cure,” Bad Bunny won Best Latin for “Nuevayol,” and Ella Langley won Best Country for “Choosin’ Texas.”
In the professional categories, voted by industry professionals, Taylor Swift won Best Direction for “Opalite,” PinkPantheress won Best Art Direction for “Stateside + Zara Larsson,” and Madonna won Best Cinematography for “Confessions II: The Film.” Sabrina Carpenter won Best Editing for “House Tour,” and Madonna also took Best Choreography for “Confessions II: The Film.” Ariana Grande won Best Visual Effects for “Hate That I Made You Love Me.”
Special Awards and Record Extension
Nirvana received the Video Vanguard Award, and Taylor Swift was honored with the MTV VMA Artist Director Honors. With her wins, Swift continued to extend her record as the artist with the most MTV VMAs in history.
