NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� leads the 2026 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 and for the title of in VMA history. They have 30 each. (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 she takes home even one award, she will become the most-awarded artist in VMA history.
Swift is up for video and artist of the year as well as best pop, direction, art direction, cinematography, editing, choreography and visual effects.
Madonna and Swift are followed by and Sabrina Carpenter with seven nods to their name as well as Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson with five. Blackpink’s LISA has four and Shakira, Tate McRae, GENER8ION and Yung Lean are tied for three.
Rounding out the artist of the year category nominees are Grande, Mars, Carpenter and Morgan Wallen, in addition to Madonna and Swift.
The top prize of the night, video of the year, sees Swift’s 鈥淭he Fate of Ophelia鈥� compete against Madonna鈥檚 鈥淐onfessions II 鈥� The Film,鈥� Grande鈥檚 鈥淗ate That I Made You Love Me,鈥� Mars’ 鈥淚 Just Might,鈥� Carpenter鈥檚 鈥淭ear鈥� and GENER8ION鈥檚 鈥淪torm鈥� starring Yung Lean.
The two-hour show 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.
The show will become available to stream globally the next day on Paramount+ and MTV.
CBS is home to a number of award shows, including the Tony Awards and the American Music Awards. It has aired the Grammys since 1973, though that show will .
This year鈥檚 Video Music Awards features 26 first-time nominees, which include GENER8ION and Yung Lean (with their aforementioned three nods, for their 鈥淪torm鈥� collaboration) and the K-pop boy band CORTIS and viral 鈥淏oston鈥� singer Stella Lefty with two each. Other notable first-time nominees include Don Toliver, Kali Uchis, Noah Kahan, Olivia Dean, Tucker Wetmore .
The best dance category has returned for the first time in seven years. Nominees include McRae’s 鈥淣obody鈥檚 Girl,鈥� Bebe Rexha and Faithless’ 鈥淣ew Religion,鈥� Harry Styles’ 鈥淎perture,鈥� Lady Gaga and Doechii’s 鈥淩unaway,鈥� Madonna’s 鈥淐onfessions II 鈥� The Film,鈥� PinkPantheress’ 鈥淪tateside鈥� with Larsson and Slayyyter’s 鈥淒ance 鈥︹��
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 remain active during the show.
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