VMAs 2026 Winners List: Lisa Awarded Best Pop and More

The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards are officially underway at Los Angeles's Peacock Theater, with West Coast rap legend Snoop Dogg taking on hosting duties for the evening. Since its 2007 opening, the 7,100-capacity Peacock Theater in downtown L.A.'s entertainment district has become a familiar backdrop for the VMAs and other major televised productions. Organizers revealed ahead of the broadcast that several special honors would be handed out, including the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award to Nirvana and a newly created Artist Director Award to Taylor Swift.

Snoop Dogg, whose debut album Doggystyle dropped in 1993 and helped define West Coast G-funk, brings three decades of stagecraft to the podium. The show is poised to blend throwback moments with fresh categories, and the introduction of the Artist Director Award suggests MTV is increasingly spotlighting behind-the-scenes visionaries rather than performers alone. Veteran music industry analyst Karen Whitfield argues this kind of category reflects a wider recalibration across awards shows. "For years, the people shaping an artist's visual language worked in the shadows," Whitfield said. "Honoring them on a stage this size isn't just a gesture, it's an acknowledgment that image-making is now inseparable from music-making."

Competition across the night's flagship categories is fierce. The Best Pop slate features Ariana Grande's "Hate That I Made You Love Me," Charli xcx's "SS26," Olivia Rodrigo's "Drop Dead," Sabrina Carpenter's "House Tour," Tate McRae's "Nobody's Girl," Taylor Swift's "The Fate of Ophelia," and Lisa's "Dream" with Kentaro Sakaguchi. Video of the Year pits Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, GENER8ION starring Yung Lean, Madonna, Sabrina Carpenter, and Taylor Swift against one another. Artist of the Year nominees include Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Madonna, Morgan Wallen, Sabrina Carpenter, and Taylor Swift. For Song of the Year, BTS's "Swim" faces Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas," HUNTR/X's "Golden" featuring Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter's "Bring Your Love," Olivia Dean's "Man I Need," PinkPantheress's "Stateside + Zara Larsson," and Raye's "Where Is My Husband!!"

The remaining categories round out a sprawling competitive field. Best New Artist contenders include Bella Kay, Cortis, Magnus Ferrell, Malcolm Todd, Myles Smith, Sienna Spiro, and Stella Lefty. Best Collaboration nominees span Clipse with Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T, and Malice; French Montana and Max B; Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter; PinkPantheress; Shakira and Burna Boy; and Teyana Taylor and Lucky Daye. Genre-specific awards cover Hip-Hop, R&B, Alternative, Dance, Latin, K-Pop, and Country, while craft categories honor direction, art direction, cinematography, editing, choreography, and visual effects. Notably, the VMAs have long served as a barometer for industry shifts, and this year's expanded craft recognition echoes a trend seen at the Grammys, where production and engineering fields have gradually gained more visibility in recent seasons.