2026 MTV VMAs Winners: Madonna, Sabrina Carpenter and LISA Take Top Honors

Madonna, Sabrina Carpenter and LISA Shine at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards

Tempatdonasi.com – Music’s biggest video celebration returned to Los Angeles on September 27, 2026, as the 43rd MTV Video Music Awards filled the Peacock Theater with major stars, acclaimed performers and landmark career recognitions. Hosted by Snoop Dogg, the ceremony put the spotlight on the visual side of contemporary music, honoring both chart-leading artists and the directors, collaborators and production teams behind memorable videos.

Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter emerged among the evening’s headline winners after taking Best Collaboration for “Bring Your Love.” LISA also earned a major prize, winning Best Pop for “Dream featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi.” Beyond the competitive categories, Taylor Swift and Nirvana received special honors that marked significant moments in VMA history.

Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter Win Best Collaboration

“Bring Your Love,” performed by Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter, received the award for Best Collaboration. The pairing joined a field that included Clipse with Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T and Malice for “Chains & Whips,” French Montana x Max B for “Ever Since U Left Me,” PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson for “Stateside + Zara Larsson,” Shakira and Burna Boy for “Dai Dai,” and Teyana Taylor with Lucky Daye for “Hard Part.”

The honor added another high-profile VMA moment for Madonna, who arrived as one of the show’s most prominent nominees. Carpenter also entered the ceremony with a strong presence across the nominations, including recognition in the pop and video categories.

LISA Takes Best Pop for “Dream”

LISA won Best Pop with “Dream featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi,” a release credited to Lloud Co./RCA Records. Her win came from a competitive category that also featured 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,” and Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia.”

The BLACKPINK member’s “Dream” was recognized in several areas of the ceremony. Along with the Best Pop victory, the song received nominations for Best K-pop, Best Cinematography and Best Editing, underlining its broad technical and artistic reach within the awards lineup.

Taylor Swift Reaches a New VMA Milestone

Taylor Swift received the inaugural Artist Director Honors, an award created to acknowledge her role behind the camera and her influence on music-video storytelling. The distinction brought her career total to 31 VMAs, making her the most-awarded artist in the event’s history.

Swift also used the night to premiere the music video for “Patient Zero,” which features Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell. Her appearance reflected the continued importance of the VMA stage as a place for artists to introduce ambitious visual projects as well as collect awards.

Nirvana Receives the Video Vanguard Award

Nirvana was presented with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, one of the ceremony’s most prestigious non-competitive distinctions. The award recognized the band’s lasting place in both music-video culture and popular music, honoring an artistic legacy that has continued far beyond its original era.

Special awards such as the Vanguard honor are designed to look beyond a single release or album cycle. In Nirvana’s case, the recognition placed the group alongside artists whose visual identity and musical impact have helped shape the wider culture surrounding music videos.

Key Categories at the 2026 Ceremony

The Video of the Year field included Ariana Grande for “hate that i made you love me,” Bruno Mars for “I Just Might,” GENER8ION for “STORM starring Yung Lean,” Madonna for “Confessions II – The Film,” Sabrina Carpenter for “Tears,” and Taylor Swift for “The Fate of Ophelia.”

Artist of the Year nominees were Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Madonna, Morgan Wallen, Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift. The Song of the Year lineup featured BTS’ “Swim,” Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas,” HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI’s “Golden,” Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Bring Your Love,” Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need,” PinkPantheress’ “Stateside + Zara Larsson,” and RAYE’s “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!”

The Best New Artist category highlighted Bella Kay, CORTIS, Magnus Ferrell, Malcolm Todd, Myles Smith, Sienna Spiro and Stella Lefty. Meanwhile, the Best Hip-Hop nominations included Cardi B featuring Kehlani’s “Safe,” Don Toliver’s “E85,” Drake’s “Janice STFU,” Megan Thee Stallion’s “LOVER GIRL,” Travis Scott’s “DUMBO,” and Tyler, The Creator’s “SUGAR ON MY TONGUE.”

Best R&B contenders included Bruno Mars with “I Just Might” and Chris Brown with “It Depends/Obvious.” Across the full program, the 2026 VMAs brought together commercial success, visual experimentation and cross-genre collaboration, with Madonna, Carpenter, LISA, Swift and Nirvana providing some of the ceremony’s defining moments.