VMAs 2026: Madonna wins artist of the year as Taylor Swift makes history
Madonna won artist of the year and best collaboration on her VMAs return, Taylor Swift became the show's most-awarded artist, and Afrobeats had no category of its own this year.
By John Christian Mmaduabuchi, Chief Editor
· · Video
The gist in 30 seconds
- Madonna won artist of the year and best collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter
- Taylor Swift's new Artist Director Honors made her the VMAs' most-awarded artist
- No Best Afrobeats category this year; Burna Boy's 'Dai Dai' lost out in best collaboration
The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards took over the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday 27 September, with Snoop Dogg as host, and the night belonged to two pop giants from different generations.
Madonna opened the show with her first VMAs performance in 23 years, joined by Sabrina Carpenter on their single ‘Bring Your Love’. The pair later picked up best collaboration, and Madonna was also named artist of the year, according to winners lists published by Forbes and Paste.
Taylor Swift received the first ever MTV VMA Artist Director Honors, a new award for artists whose work behind the camera has pushed music videos forward. The Associated Press reported that the honour would lift her past Beyoncé, with whom she had been tied on 30 wins, making her the most-awarded artist in VMA history. She also premiered the video for her new single, ‘Patient Zero’, which she directed herself.
Other winners and moments
- LISA won best pop for ‘Dream’, featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi.
- Nirvana received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.
The African angle
Afrobeats fans noticed a gap: there was no Best Afrobeats category this year. MTV introduced it in 2023, when Rema and Selena Gomez won for the ‘Calm Down’ remix, and South Africa’s Tyla then won it in 2024 and 2025. MTV has not given a public reason for dropping it, BellaNaija and IOL reported, and it was not the only category to go.
Burna Boy was still in the conversation. His collaboration with Shakira, ‘Dai Dai’, was nominated for both best collaboration and best Latin, and lost out in best collaboration to Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter.
The bigger question for the continent is what happens without a dedicated lane. African stars will now have to break through in the general and genre categories alongside everyone else, which is a tougher road but, if they manage it, a louder statement.
Sources
We checked this story against these sources. How we check
- Associated Press (via ABC News): The MTV VMAs are here with Taylor Swift making history and Madonna leading the nods: How to watch
- NBC Los Angeles: Who are the 2026 MTV VMA winners? See the full list
- Forbes: Taylor Swift Unveils World Premiere Of 'Patient Zero', Honored: MTV VMAs Winners List (UPDATING)
- Paste: 2026 VMAs: See the full list of winners
- Pitchfork (via Yahoo News Canada): Watch Madonna Bring Out Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX at the 2026 VMAs
- Latin Times: MTV VMAs 2026: Shakira Was Performing in Madrid When She Won Her Seventh Award with Anitta and Made History With 'Choka Choka'
- BellaNaija: MTV VMAs 2026 Removes Best Afrobeats Category After Three Years
- IOL: MTV VMAs drops Best Afrobeats category after Tyla's historic wins
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John Christian Mmaduabuchi is a Nigerian filmmaker, creative director, and media professional with extensive experience in digital storytelling, visual journalism, and contemporary media. His Journalism interests span Nigerian and African current affairs, entertainment, culture, technology, lifestyle, media, and the people shaping public conversation. With a background in film direction and documentary production, he brings a strong visual and narrative perspective to editorial work, with particular attention to context, clarity, and compelling storytelling. John is also a creative entrepreneur focused on storytelling, entertainment, culture, and digital content. His professional experience across directing, cinematography, editing, media strategy, and emerging AI technologies gives him a broad understanding of how stories are created, distributed, and consumed in the digital age. At GistMatrix, John contributes to the development and presentation of timely, engaging, and relevant stories for a contemporary audience. His approach to editorial work is grounded in accuracy, context, responsible storytelling, and a commitment to covering stories that matter.
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