Madonna, Taylor Swift Dominate 2026 MTV VMAs as Women Sweep Major Awards
Madonna and Taylor Swift were the biggest winners at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, as female artists dominated the major categories at the ceremony in Los Angeles.
Madonna entered the night with 13 nominations and finished with seven awards, including Artist of the Year, Best Dance and Best Collaboration for her work with Sabrina Carpenter.
The 68-year-old singer also opened the ceremony at the Peacock Theater, returning to the VMAs stage for the first time in 23 years.
Madonna performed songs from her latest project with Carpenter before joining Charli xcx for a lively performance celebrating New York’s 1980s club culture.
While accepting the Artist of the Year award, Madonna reflected on her long association with the VMAs, recalling that she had performed at the first edition of the ceremony 43 years ago.
She said the past year and a half had given her time to rediscover herself, build confidence and concentrate on making music she truly wanted to create.
Swift also enjoyed a major night after winning Video of the Year for “The Fate of Ophelia” and receiving the first-ever Artist Director Honors.
The new award recognises artists whose work behind the camera has expanded the creative possibilities of music videos.
Swift dedicated her award to Dolly Parton, who died last month at the age of 80 after being diagnosed with cancer.
She praised Parton’s music, career and relationship with her audience, describing herself as fortunate to have lived in the same era as the country music legend.
Swift later unveiled the video for “Patient Zero”, featuring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell.
K-pop star Lisa won Best Pop for “Dream”, while British newcomer Sienna Spiro was named Best New Artist after fans voted throughout the ceremony.
Nirvana also received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in recognition of the lasting impact of the band’s music videos.
Accepting the honour, bassist Krist Novoselic paid tribute to late frontman Kurt Cobain and the creative vision behind videos such as “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, “Come As You Are” and “Heart-Shaped Box”.
Novoselic said Nirvana’s music continues to connect with audiences because people still value authenticity and music that feels genuine.
Other winners included BTS, which collected Best Group, Best K-Pop and Song of the Year for “Swim”.
Bruno Mars won Best R&B, Cardi B and Kehlani took Best Hip-Hop, Bad Bunny won Best Latin, Olivia Rodrigo received Best Alternative and Ella Langley won Best Country.
Hosted by Snoop Dogg, the ceremony featured performances, tributes and appearances from some of the biggest names in contemporary music.
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