The VMAs 2026 winners list belonged to Madonna and Taylor Swift, with a Dolly Parton tribute in between.
The VMAs 2026 winners list was a two-woman show. Madonna led Sunday night’s MTV Video Music Awards with seven trophies, the most of anyone, while Taylor Swift took the night’s biggest prize, video of the year, for “The Fate of Ophelia.”
Snoop Dogg hosted the ceremony from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, which aired live on CBS and MTV and streamed on Paramount+. It was a night of legacy acts and big returns, from Madonna’s sweep to a Video Vanguard Award for Nirvana to tributes honoring the late Dolly Parton and George Michael.
Taylor Swift Wins Video of the Year and a New Honor
Swift’s night went beyond one trophy, putting her near the top of the VMAs 2026 winners list. Along with video of the year, she won best direction for “Opalite” and received the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors, presented by Dakota Johnson. Johnson also stars in Swift’s new video for “Patient Zero,” which premiered during the broadcast.
Accepting video of the year, Swift told fans they are the reason she loves making videos. She dedicated the award to the “ultimate showgirl,” Dolly Parton, a nod to her own album The Life of a Showgirl.
Madonna Sweeps the VMAs 2026 Winners List
Madonna’s seven wins, the most of any of the VMAs 2026 winners, came almost entirely from Confessions II and its companion film. She took artist of the year, best album, best long form video, best dance, best cinematography and best choreography. The seventh came with Sabrina Carpenter, as the pair won best collaboration for “Bring Your Love” shortly after opening the show with it.
Madonna had a story about that collaboration, too. When she first reached out to Carpenter about working together, she said, Carpenter did not get back to her for five days.
Accepting artist of the year, Madonna spoke to the younger artists in the room. “I spent the last year and a half finding myself, believing in myself, and making the music I want to make,” she said. “That is the definition of being an artist.”
Nirvana, Dolly Parton and the Rest of the Night
Chuck D presented Nirvana with the Video Vanguard Award, accepted by Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear. Kacey Musgraves led the tribute to Parton, while Raye, Sombr and Teddy Swims honored George Michael.
Among the other VMAs 2026 winners, BTS won group of the year, song of the year and best K-pop for “Swim.” Lisa took best pop for “Dream,” and Sienna Spiro was named best new artist. Ariana Grande won song of summer and best visual effects for “hate that i made you love me.” Other winners included Bad Bunny, Cardi B, Olivia Rodrigo, Bruno Mars and Ella Langley.
Presenters included Teyana Taylor, Charli xcx, David Corenswet, Belmont Cameli, Jeff Probst, Rachel Dratch, Troye Sivan, Tyla, Emma Bunton and Paris Hilton. Lisa, Shaboozey, Gunna, Yung Lean, Gener8ion and Sienna Spiro also performed.
Madonna’s First VMAs Performance in 23 Years
The awards told one story. The performances told a better one. There were no pre-show sets this year, so every performance landed on the main telecast, and the best of them came from the night’s biggest winner.
Madonna had not performed at the VMAs since 2003, the year she kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera onstage and handed MTV one of its most replayed moments. Her return opened the show and played like a victory lap for Confessions II. After “Bring Your Love” with Sabrina Carpenter, she brought out Charli xcx for the “Danceteria Afterhours” remix, restaging the nightclub bathroom scene from her Confessions II film.
The stage filled with nods to the queer club culture she has championed for four decades, from leather and drag to a parade of cameos. Julia Garner, once cast to play Madonna in a biopic that never got made, turned up in full Madonna styling. Debi Mazar, Fab 5 Freddy, producer Andrew Watt, Sombr and a leather-clad Seth Rogen all made appearances, and Madonna grabbed ex-boyfriend Tony Ward at an onstage urinal in the performance’s cheekiest bit. If any of the VMAs 2026 winners owned the room, it was her.
Lisa, Raye and the George Michael Tribute
Lisa had a point to prove. Her 2024 solo VMAs debut drew mixed reviews, and this time she came back with “SaWaDiKa,” a tribute to her Thai heritage, riding a full-size tuk-tuk across the stage with her dancers through a neon version of Bangkok. She sang live and loose, reworking the melody on the fly, in a wrestler-inspired look with “LISA WORLDWIDE” across the chest. It doubled as a victory lap: she was already one of the VMAs 2026 winners, having taken best pop earlier in the night.
Raye performed barefoot, as she often does, running through “I Will Overcome” and her song of the year nominee “Where Is My Husband!” from This Music May Contain Hope, and joked that she has been promoting the song for ages and still has not found one.
She came back for the night’s best group moment. The George Michael tribute had Sombr on “Faith” and “Father Figure,” Raye on “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” and Teddy Swims on “Careless Whisper.” Adam Lambert then led “Freedom! ’90” with MNEK, Saint Harison and MEEK, all added the day of the show, before the full group closed it together.
The Rest of the VMAs 2026 Performances
Kacey Musgraves returned to the VMAs for the first time in five years to honor Dolly Parton with “I Will Always Love You,” framed by vintage footage of Parton herself. Shaboozey and Gunna turned “Cowgirl” and “High Noon” into a full Western, complete with a saloon brawl and a set that burned down by the end. Yung Lean and Gener8ion recreated their “Storm II” video with more than 60 dancers in prep-school uniforms.
Sienna Spiro, fresh off winning best new artist, sang “Great Expectation” on a stage built to look like a giant record player. Bruno Mars appeared in a pre-taped performance of “Dance With Me” from his tour, and Taylor Swift premiered her self-directed “Patient Zero” video. Among the VMAs 2026 winners, few had a bigger night on both the stage and the podium than Madonna and Lisa.
Full List of VMAs 2026 Winners
Video of the Year: Taylor Swift, “The Fate of Ophelia”
Artist of the Year: Madonna
Best New Artist: Sienna Spiro
Best Collaboration: Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter, “Bring Your Love”
Song of the Year: BTS, “Swim”
Song of Summer: Ariana Grande, “hate that i made you love me”
Best Pop: Lisa, “Dream feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi”
Best Album: Madonna, Confessions II
Best Long Form Video: Madonna, Confessions II: The Film
Group of the Year: BTS
Best Visual Effects: Ariana Grande, “hate that i made you love me”
Best Cinematography: Madonna, Confessions II: The Film
Best Editing: Sabrina Carpenter, “House Tour”
Best Choreography: Madonna, Confessions II: The Film
Best Art Direction: PinkPantheress, “Stateside + Zara Larsson”
Best Direction: Taylor Swift, “Opalite”
Best Country: Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas”
Best K-Pop: BTS, “Swim”
Best Latin: Bad Bunny, “NUEVAYoL”
Best Dance: Madonna, Confessions II: The Film
Best Alternative: Olivia Rodrigo, “the cure”
Best R&B: Bruno Mars, “I Just Might”
Best Hip-Hop: Cardi B featuring Kehlani, “Safe”
Video Vanguard Award: Nirvana
MTV VMA Artist Director Honors: Taylor Swift
The full broadcast featuring all the VMAs 2026 winners is streaming globally on Paramount+.
