2026 VMAs Nominations Are In: Madonna Leads with 11 Nods, Zero Black Artists in Video of the Year
The 42nd VMAs will take place September 27 in Los Angeles, with Madonna leading the pack at 11 nominations and Taylor Swift close behind with 9. But this year's Video of the Year category features zero Black artists, while country music's visibility keeps climbing.
Madonna's 11 nominations this year sound flashy, but breaking down the list reveals it's really propped up by a single project: her short film "CONFESSIONS II" alone racked up eight technical nods—Video of the Year, Best Choreography Video, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Choreography, and Best Visual Effects. The companion concept album then earned her an Artist of the Year nomination, while "Bring Your Love" with Sabrina Carpenter landed nods for both Song of the Year and Best Collaboration. Taylor Swift trails close behind with 9 nominations, and this year's list also includes 26 first-time nominees. The 42nd MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) will be held Sunday, September 27, in Los Angeles, with nominations announced this past Tuesday.
Zero Black Artists in This Year's Video of the Year Category
But behind this seemingly star-studded list, The FADER reports that 80% of nominees in the two heaviest-hitting categories—Artist of the Year and Video of the Year—are white artists, with Best New Artist coming in at 60% as well. The numbers are even starker: not a single Black artist made the Video of the Year category this year, and Best New Artist includes only two Black artists, Myles Smith and Bella Kay. By contrast, Best Hip-Hop and Best R&B are almost entirely dominated by Black artists—meaning hip-hop and rap are nearly shut out of the major awards, with pop essentially owning the marquee categories. The one exception is Song of the Year, where nominees include Olivia Dean, RAYE, PinkPantheress, BTS, and HUNTR/X, showing far more diversity than the other top categories.
Country Music Keeps Pushing Into the Major Categories, Yung Lean Pulls Off a Surprise Video of the Year Nod
Another trend worth watching is country music's growing presence. From 2021 to 2023, the four major categories—Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist—were entirely devoid of country music or country artists. The turning point came in 2024, when Beyoncé's "Texas Hold 'Em" landed a Song of the Year nod and Shaboozey scored a Best New Artist nomination. In 2025, buzzy Morgan Wallen made it into Artist of the Year while Ella Langley landed in Best New Artist. This year, Morgan Wallen is back in Artist of the Year, and Ella Langley returns too, with "Choosin' Texas" nominated for both Song of the Year and Best Country Video. Country's visibility in the top categories has now held for three straight years.
The most unexpected pick in the Video of the Year lineup belongs to French producer Surkin's creative project GENER8ION, teaming up with Swedish rapper Yung Lean on "STORM." Directed by Romain Gavras, the short film sets the scene at a boarding school, with Yung Lean in full student uniform leading his crew through campus chaos—absurd, youthful, and off-kilter in tone. It's competing for Video of the Year alongside Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and Madonna, making it the sole underground representative on the list. Paired with Yung Lean's earlier announcement of a solo art exhibition in Stockholm, this nomination further cements his identity as a cross-medium creator.
Several first-time nominees also scored multiple nods at once: GENER8ION and Yung Lean's "STORM" landed three nominations—Video of the Year, Best Direction, and Best Choreography; South Korean boy group CORTIS took Best New Artist and Best K-Pop Video for "REDREAD"; and Stella Lefty scored double nods for "Boston" in Best New Artist and Best Country Video.
