Pop star Madonna won seven awards, including Artist of the Year, at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, turning 11 nominations into the night's biggest haul.
TL;DR
- Madonna won seven trophies, including Artist of the Year, Best Album and Best Collaboration with singer Sabrina Carpenter.
- Singer Taylor Swift won Video of the Year and Best Direction, plus the inaugural Artist Director Honors.
- BTS won three awards, and a British newcomer took Best New Artist.
- Nirvana received the Video Vanguard Award at the Peacock Theater.
| Seven | 33 | 23 years |
| Madonna's wins from 11 nominations | Swift's career VMAs, a record | Since Madonna last performed at the show |
How Madonna won seven VMAs
Madonna opened the show with Carpenter, performing "Bring Your Love" in her first VMAs performance in 23 years, according to IBTimes UK. The pair later won Best Collaboration, and Madonna said Carpenter took five days to reply when first approached, Hollywood Reporter reported.
Her film Confessions II – The Film won Best Dance, Best Cinematography, Best Choreography and Best Long Form Video. The album Confessions II took Best Album.
Madonna, 68, also topped her six-win haul for Ray of Light in 1998, according to Deadline.
Taylor Swift breaks the VMAs record
Swift won Video of the Year for "The Fate of Ophelia" and Best Direction for "Opalite". Actor Dakota Johnson presented her with the first Artist Director Honors, according to NBC News.
Those three awards took Swift to 33 career VMAs, the most in the ceremony's history, according to NBC Los Angeles. She had been tied with singer Beyoncé on 30 going into the night.
Swift dedicated Video of the Year to the late country star Dolly Parton, whom she called the "ultimate showgirl", NBC News reported. She also premiered the video for "Patient Zero", which stars Johnson and actor Colin Farrell. Our earlier report covers how Swift announced the single.
BTS, Ariana Grande and Olivia Rodrigo also win
BTS won Song of the Year and Best K-Pop for "Swim", plus the fan-voted Best Group, according to IBTimes UK. Singer Ariana Grande took Best Visual Effects and Song of Summer for "hate that i made you love me".
Singer Olivia Rodrigo won Best Alternative for "the cure". Her song "Brutal" also soundtracks the trailer for Freeform's Coven Academy. Rapper Snoop Dogg hosted the show.
What UK viewers need to know
The ceremony began at 12:30 a.m. BST on Monday, Sept. 28, according to IBTimes UK. The outlet said it identified no UK live broadcaster. The show is available globally on Paramount+ and MTV the next day, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Paramount+ also launched MobLand season two globally on Sept. 18.
British singer-songwriter Sienna Spiro won Best New Artist on the night she made her VMAs performance debut with "Great Expectation", according to Yahoo Entertainment. "I didn't think this would happen," Spiro said in her speech.
Gig Noise reported that she is the first British artist to win the category since One Direction in 2012. British singer Raye also joined singers Sombr and Teddy Swims for a tribute to the late George Michael, according to IBTimes UK.
MTV VMAs 2026 complete winners list
Winners are as reported by Haute Living and Yahoo Entertainment's live coverage.
| Category | Winner |
| Video of the Year | Taylor Swift, "The Fate of Ophelia" |
| Artist of the Year | Madonna |
| Song of the Year | BTS, "Swim" |
| Best New Artist | Sienna Spiro |
| Best Collaboration | Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter, "Bring Your Love" |
| Best Pop | LISA feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi, "Dream" |
| Best Hip-Hop | Cardi B feat. Kehlani, "Safe" |
| Best R&B | Bruno Mars, "I Just Might" |
| Best Alternative | Olivia Rodrigo, "the cure" |
| Best Dance | Madonna, Confessions II – The Film |
| Best Latin | Bad Bunny, "NUEVAYoL" |
| Best K-Pop | BTS, "Swim" |
| Best Country | Ella Langley, "Choosin' Texas" |
| Best Direction | Taylor Swift, "Opalite" |
| Best Art Direction | PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson, "Stateside" |
| Best Cinematography | Madonna, Confessions II – The Film |
| Best Editing | Sabrina Carpenter, "House Tour" |
| Best Choreography | Madonna, Confessions II – The Film |
| Best Visual Effects | Ariana Grande, "hate that i made you love me" |
| Best Group (fan vote) | BTS |
| Best Long Form Video (fan vote) | Madonna, Confessions II – The Film |
| Best Album (fan vote) | Madonna, Confessions II |
| Song of Summer (fan vote) | Ariana Grande, "hate that i made you love me" |
| Video Vanguard Award | Nirvana |
| Artist Director Honors | Taylor Swift |
Reported from publicly available interviews and verified press sources. Last reviewed Sept. 28, 2026.
