The 2026 MTV VMAs ended with Madonna as the night’s biggest competitive winner, collecting seven awards during the ceremony at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater on Sunday, September 27.
Madonna won Artist of the Year, Best Collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter for “Bring Your Love,” Best Dance, Best Cinematography, Best Choreography, Best Long Form Video and Best Album for Confessions II.
The result marked a major night for the veteran performer, whose “Confessions II – The Film” also won in several video-making categories.
The project earned recognition for its cinematography, choreography and long-form presentation, extending Madonna’s presence beyond the main artist awards.
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2026 MTV VMAs winners included Taylor Swift and BTS
Taylor Swift won Video of the Year for “The Fate of Ophelia” and Best Direction for “Opalite.”
She also received the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors, a special award recognizing her work behind the camera and her contribution to visual storytelling.
BTS took home Song of the Year and Best K-Pop for “Swim.”
The double win gave the group two of the evening’s major honours and placed the track among the ceremony’s most recognized releases.
Sienna Spiro won Best New Artist, while LISA collected Best Pop for “Dream” featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi.
Cardi B and Kehlani won Best Hip-Hop for “Safe,” and Bruno Mars won Best R&B for “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.”
Complete list of major 2026 MTV VMAs winners
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Video of the Year | Taylor Swift — “The Fate of Ophelia” |
| Artist of the Year | Madonna |
| Best Collaboration | Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter — “Bring Your Love” |
| Best Dance | Madonna — “Confessions II – The Film” |
| Best New Artist | Sienna Spiro |
| Best Pop | LISA — “Dream” featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi |
| Song of the Year | BTS — “Swim” |
| Best Hip-Hop | Cardi B featuring Kehlani — “Safe” |
| Best R&B | Bruno Mars — “I Just Might” |
| Best Alternative | Olivia Rodrigo — “the cure” |
| 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 — “Stateside + Zara Larsson” |
| 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 | BTS |
| Best Long Form Video | Madonna — “Confessions II – The Film” |
| Best Album | Madonna — Confessions II |
| Song of Summer | Ariana Grande — “hate that i made you love me” |
The full winners announcement was issued by Paramount Press Express following the live broadcast.
Nirvana receives the Video Vanguard Award
Nirvana received the Video Vanguard Award, one of the VMAs’ highest career honours.
The award recognized the band’s lasting influence on music videos and popular culture.
The ceremony was hosted by Snoop Dogg and broadcast from Los Angeles.
MTV and CBS promoted the show as a live event airing on CBS, with streaming available through Paramount+ Premium in the United States, according to MTV.
The return to Los Angeles also gave the 2026 show a different setting from the previous year’s ceremony.
The programme combined competitive awards with special honours for artists whose influence extends beyond individual releases.
What stood out from the ceremony
Madonna’s seven-award haul was the clearest result of the night, but the distribution of honours also highlighted several distinct parts of contemporary pop music.
Taylor Swift’s wins connected the traditional Video of the Year category with the new Artist Director Honors, reflecting the growing importance of artists’ creative control over music-video production.
BTS, meanwhile, won both a genre award and one of the ceremony’s headline honours for “Swim.”
The result gave the group a strong showing across both fan-facing and broad competitive categories.
With the winners now announced, the 2026 VMAs move into the record of the ceremony’s returning Los Angeles era, led by Madonna’s seven competitive awards and a group of major special recognitions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the most awards at the 2026 MTV VMAs?
Madonna was the night’s biggest competitive winner, taking home seven awards.
Who won Video of the Year at the 2026 MTV VMAs?
Taylor Swift won Video of the Year for “The Fate of Ophelia.”
What did BTS win at the 2026 VMAs?
BTS won Song of the Year and Best K-Pop for “Swim,” and was also named Best Group.
Who received the 2026 Video Vanguard Award?
Nirvana received the Video Vanguard Award at the 2026 ceremony.
Who hosted the 2026 MTV VMAs?
Snoop Dogg hosted the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles.
Fact-Checked: Key winners, honours, host information and broadcast details were checked against the official Paramount Press Express and MTV announcements.
Disclaimer: Award listings and programme details reflect the official information released for the September 27, 2026 ceremony.