The annual MTV Video Music Awards — 2026 took place in Los Angeles, once again bringing some of the biggest names in global music together on one stage. This year’s winners included Madonna, Taylor Swift, BTS, LISA, Ariana Grande and many other artists.

 

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Madonna was the star of the night. The 68-year-old singer took home seven trophies, including awards for «Artist of the Year», «Best Album» for «Confessions II» and «Best Collaboration» for her duet with Sabrina Carpenter, «Bring Your Love».

The ceremony was especially significant for Madonna because it marked her return to the VMA stage for the first time in 23 years. The singer opened the show alongside Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX, setting another record in the process — it was the fifth VMA ceremony to be opened by Madonna.

 

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She last performed at the VMAs in 2003. At the time, her performance made music history thanks to her now-famous kiss with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

Taylor Swift was another multiple winner of the evening. Her video «The Fate of Ophelia» took home the night’s top prize, «Video of the Year», while her «Opalite» video won the award for Best Direction. The singer also became the first recipient of the new special «Artist Director Honors» award, recognizing her contribution to the development of music videos as a director.

 

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The ceremony also paid special tribute to legends of music. Nirvana received an honorary award for its contribution to the development of music.

Musical tributes were another highlight of the evening. Dolly Parton was honored with a performance of «I Will Always Love You» — the song she wrote and originally recorded herself. Kacey Musgraves performed the iconic track on stage.

 

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Another tribute was dedicated to George Michael. Young artists performed some of his most iconic hits, including «Careless Whisper», «Freedom» and «Father Figure».

Among the other winners of the evening was South Korean group BTS, which took home awards for «Song of the Year» for «SWIM» and «Best Group». LISA won the award for Best Pop Video for «Dream».

 

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The title of «Best New Artist» went to 20-year-old British singer Sienna Spiro.

 

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Ariana Grande received the «Song of the Summer» award for «hate that i made you love me».

Snoop Dogg hosted the «MTV Video Music Awards 2026». Guests at the ceremony included Dakota Johnson, Paris and Nicky Hilton, Teyana Taylor and many other celebrities.

 

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On the eve of the annual MTV Video Music Awards 2025 in New York, the world’s biggest stars gathered for a night of glitz, glamour, and celebration.

The evening’s top prize, Video of the Year, went to Ariana Grande for her music video Brighter Days Ahead. With the same hit, the singer also claimed the award for Best Pop Performance.

 

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However, the undisputed queen of the night was Lady Gaga, who took home four awards, including Artist of the Year, Best Collaboration for her duet Die With a Smile with Bruno Mars, and two accolades for the direction of her Abracadabra video.

 

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Sabrina Carpenter also received notable recognition: her album Short n’ Sweet was named Album of the Year, while her video for Manchild earned the award for Best Visual Effects.

Other winners included Rosé and Bruno Mars for Song of the Year (APT.), Katseye for Performance of the Year with Touch, Alex Warren as Best New Artist, Blackpink as Group of the Year, and Tate McRae for Song of the Summer (Just Keep Watching).

 

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Special honors this year celebrated iconic legends of the music industry. Mariah Carey received the prestigious Video Vanguard Award, Busta Rhymes became the inaugural recipient of the Rock the Bells Visionary Award, and Ricky Martin was recognized as a Latin Icon.

 

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MTV has revealed the list of nominees for the 2025 Video Music Awards. Lady Gaga leads with the most potential awards. Right behind her are Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar, each with 10 nominations.

Rosé and Sabrina Carpenter received 8 nominations each, while Ariana Grande and The Weeknd have 7. Billie Eilish is nominated in 6 categories, and Charli XCX in 5. Several artists, including Bad Bunny, Doechii, Ed Sheeran, Jelly Roll, Miley Cyrus, and Tate McRae, received 4 nominations each. The ceremony will take place on September 8.

2025 MTV Video Music Awards — Main Categories

Video of the Year

Ariana Grande — Brighter Days Ahead
Billie Eilish — Birds of a Feather
Kendrick Lamar — Not Like Us
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars — Die With a Smile
Rosé & Bruno Mars — Apt.
Sabrina Carpenter — Manchild
The Weeknd & Playboi Carti — Timeless

Artist of the Year

Bad Bunny
Beyoncé
Kendrick Lamar
Lady Gaga
Morgan Wallen
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd

Song of the Year

Alex Warren — Ordinary
Billie Eilish — Birds of a Feather
Doechii — Anxiety
Ed Sheeran — Sapphire
Gracie Abrams — I Love You, Iʼm Sorry
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars — Die With a Smile
Lorde — What Was That
Rosé & Bruno Mars — Apt.
ae — Sports Car
The Weeknd & Playboi Carti — Timeless

Best New Artist

Alex Warren
Ella Langley
Gigi Perez
Lola Young
Sombr
The Marías

Best Pop Artist

Ariana Grande
Charli XCX
Justin Bieber
Lorde
Miley Cyrus
Sabrina Carpenter
Tate McRae

Best Collaboration

Bailey Zimmerman & Luke Combs — Backup Plan
Kendrick Lamar & SZA — Luther
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars — Die With a Smile
Post Malone Featuring Blake Shelton — Pour Me a Drink
Rosé & Bruno Mars — Apt.
Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco — Sunset Blvd

Best Pop Video

Alex Warren — Ordinary
Ariana Grande —Brighter Days Ahead
Ed Sheeran — Sapphire
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars — Die With a Smile
Rosé & Bruno Mars — Apt.
Sabrina Carpenter — Manchild

Best Hip-Hop Video

Doechii — Anxiety
Drake — Nokia
Eminem Featuring Jelly Roll — Somebody Save Me
Glorilla Featuring Sexyy Red — Whatchu Kno About Me
Kendrick Lamar — Not Like Us
LL Cool J Featuring Eminem — Murdergram Deux
Travis Scott — 4×4

Best R&B Video

Chris Brown — Residuals
Leon Thomas & Freddie Gibbs — Mutt (Remix)
Mariah Carey — Type Dangerous
PartyNextDoor — No Chill
Summer Walker — Heart of a Woman
SZA — Drive
The Weeknd & Playboi Carti — Timeless

Best Alternative Video

Gigi Perez — Sailor Song
Imagine Dragons — Wake Up
Lola Young — Messy
MGK & Jelly Roll — Lonely Road
Sombr — Back to Friends
The Marías — Back to Me

Best Rock Video

Coldplay — All My Love
Evanescence — Afterlife (from the Netflix series «Devil May Cry»)
Green Day — One Eyed Bastard
Lenny Kravitz — Honey
Linkin Park — The Emptiness Machine
Twenty One Pilots — The Contract

Best K-pop Video

Aespa — Whiplash
Jennie — Like Jennie
Jimin — Who
Jisoo — Earthquake
Lisa Featuring Doja Cat & Raye — Born Again
Stray Kids — Chk Chk Boom
Rosé — Toxic Till the End

Album of the Year

Bad Bunny — Debí Tirar Más Fotos
Kendrick Lamar — GNX
Lady Gaga — Mayhem
Morgan Wallen — Iʼm the Problem
Sabrina Carpenter — Short n» Sweet
The Weeknd — Hurry Up Tomorrow

The MTV Video Music Awards is an annual ceremony recognizing excellence in music videos. Originally created as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category), the first VMA ceremony was held in 1984 at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.