Madonna tops VMA nominations with 11

Madonna led the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards nominations when MTV unveiled the ballot on August 18, giving the singer 11 nods and her largest VMA showing in years. Taylor Swift followed with nine nominations, while Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each received seven, according to nomination lists published by Billboard and iHeartRadio. (billboard.com) MTV’s voting site says the ceremony is set for Sunday, September 27, at 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS, with streaming on Paramount+. (en.koreaportal.com) The 2026 slate also drew attention for what was missing. The long-running Best Rock category does not appear on this year’s ballot, a change reported by multiple music outlets after MTV published the nominations. (vote.mtv.com) Fan voting is already open on MTV’s official site under the network’s 2026 voting rules. ### How far ahead is Madonna in this year’s field? Madonna’s 11 nominations put her ahead of every other artist on the 2026 ballot. Billboard’s full nominations list said she topped the field, with Swift next on nine and Grande and Carpenter on seven each. iHeartRadio’s recap of the August 18 announcement matched those totals. (billboard.com) Billboard said seven of the eight most-nominated artists this year are women. The same list placed Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson on five nominations each, adding to a field dominated by pop acts. (consequence.net) ### Where does Taylor Swift stand? Taylor Swift’s nine nominations leave her within range of the top of the ballot but still behind Madonna’s total. Coverage of the August 18 nominations rollout consistently listed Swift as the second-most nominated artist this year. The 2026 nominations list places Swift in the same upper tier as Grande and Carpenter, but with a clear numerical edge over both. (billboard.com) That makes the Madonna-Swift gap one of the simplest headline numbers in this year’s race: 11 to 9. ### Which K-pop acts made the ballot? Lisa collected four nominations, more than any other K-pop artist in this year’s VMA field. Korea Portal said those nods came for “Dream” in Best Pop, Best K-Pop, Best Cinematography and Best Editing. (billboard.com) BTS, BLACKPINK, CORTIS, KATSEYE, LE SSERAFIM and HUNTR/X were all named in 2026 VMA coverage focused on K-pop nominees. Soompi and other outlets said MTV’s August 18 nominations included several K-pop acts, with category strength concentrated in Best K-Pop and nearby technical fields rather than the top all-genre races. (billboard.com) ### Why is the missing rock category getting attention? The 2026 ballot does not include Best Rock, ending a category that music outlets said had been part of the VMAs for decades. Consequence reported that MTV had dropped the long-running award from this year’s ceremony, while Loudwire traced the category’s roots to the late 1980s. (en.koreaportal.com) NME reported that the category was absent from the 2026 nominations list and pointed readers instead to a broader Best Alternative field. MTV has not, in the sources reviewed here, published a separate public explanation attached to the voting page for the change. (soompi.com) ### When are the awards and what happens next? MTV’s official voting site says the 2026 Video Music Awards will air on September 27 at 7:30 p.m. ET, with CBS carrying the broadcast and Paramount+ streaming it. The same site hosts the full ballot and directs viewers to cast votes before the show. (consequence.net) MTV’s published voting rules for the 2026 awards are already live, laying out eligibility and the structure for fan participation. The next concrete milestone is the September 27 ceremony, when the Moon Person winners will be announced on air. (mtv.com) (vote.mtv.com) (nme.com)