The 2026 MTV VMAs winners have been announced following the ceremony at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater on September 27, 2026. Madonna led the night with seven awards. Taylor Swift also took major prizes, including Video of the Year and Best Direction.
For Afrobeats fans, Burna Boy and Tems also appeared among the nominees. Burna Boy was nominated for Best Collaboration and Best Latin with “Dai Dai” alongside Shakira. Tems appeared in the Best R&B category with Dave for “Raindance.”
Major 2026 MTV VMAs Winners
Here are some of the night’s headline results:
- 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, “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: 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”
Special 2026 MTV VMA Honors
The ceremony also featured two major special honors. Nirvana received the Video Vanguard Award, recognizing the band’s lasting impact on music video culture.
Meanwhile, Taylor Swift became the recipient of the first MTV VMA Artist Director Honors. The new honor recognizes artists who have developed a distinct directorial voice through their visual work.
Madonna and Taylor Swift Lead the Night
#Madonna makes a major comeback at the 2026 MTV VMAs, winning 7 awards out of 13 nominations, the Most wins for any Artist this year, including Artist of the Year, and gives the Best speech ever! 💪👸🔙💥7⃣📽️🎼🏆🐐👑❤️🔥
🏆 Artist of the Year
🏆 Best Collaboration — “Bring Your…— World Music Awards (@WORLDMUSICAWARD) September 28, 2026
Madonna entered the ceremony with the most nominations and finished with seven awards.
Her wins included Artist of the Year, Best Dance, Best Collaboration, Best Cinematography, Best Choreography, Best Long Form Video, and Best Album.
Taylor Swift also had a major night. She won Video of the Year for “The Fate of Ophelia” and Best Direction for “Opalite.” She also received the inaugural Artist Director Honors.
Elsewhere, BTS picked up three wins across Song of the Year, Best K-Pop, and Best Group.
LISA won Best Pop, while Ariana Grande took Best Visual Effects and Song of Summer.
African Artists at the 2026 MTV VMAs
African music was represented among this year’s nominees through artists including Burna Boy and Tems.
Burna Boy’s “Dai Dai” with Shakira received nominations in both Best Collaboration and Best Latin. However, Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter won Best Collaboration, while Bad Bunny took Best Latin.
Tems and Dave’s “Raindance” was nominated for Best R&B, with Bruno Mars ultimately taking the category for “I Just Might.”
The results add another chapter to the growing presence of African artists at major global music award shows.
The ceremony also kept African music in the wider conversation through nominees such as Burna Boy, Tems, and LISA.
AfrobeatsGlobal will continue tracking how African artists show up on major international award stages.
Follow AfrobeatsGlobal for more global music news, award updates, and African music stories. Check out our previous blog post on Young Jonn Drops Dear London After Wembley Show.
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Madonna opens the 2026 MTV #VMAs with Sabrina Carpenter for their collab “Bring Your Love,” marking the Queen of Pop’s first live VMAs performance in 23 years. pic.twitter.com/HzYnGHUuqJ
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) September 28, 2026
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