Taylor Swift will receive the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.
CBS and MTV announced Monday that the singer-songwriter will be honored with the new award that recognizes “groundbreaking music artists whose work behind the camera has expanded the possibilities of music video and advanced the art of visual storytelling.”
Swift is recognized as the most-awarded act in VMAs history, having won four VMAs and nominated in the best director category seven times including for her videos and films “The Fate of Ophelia,” “Opalite,” “The Man,” “cardigan,” “willow,” “All Too Well: The Short Film,” “Anti-Hero,” “Bejeweled,” “Fortnight (feat. Post Malone),” “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault),” “Karma (feat. Ice Spice)” and “Lavender Haze.”
“Across her work, Swift has brought an increasingly expansive approach to storytelling, creating interconnected narratives, cinematic worlds and recurring details that invite audiences deeper into each project,” MTV and CBS said in their announcement of the award. “The inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors recognizes that body of work, while also underscoring the growing role artists play in shaping how their music is brought to life on screen.”
Going into the ceremony Swift is the second most nominated artist with nine nominations, behind Madonna‘s 11. Swift‘s nine nominations include artist of the year and video of the year with “The Fate of Ophelia.”
Snoop Dogg is set to host the VMAs, airing live from Los Angeles on Sunday at 7:30-9:30 p.m. ET/4:30-6:30 p.m. PT, marking the first time the awards show has taken place in the city in nearly a decade.
Madonna will open the show in her first time returning to the VMAs stage in 23 years. Other performers taking the stage on Sunday include Lisa, Shaboozey, Raye, Sienna Spiro, GENER8ION, Gunna and Yung Lean.
Nirvana will receive the Video Vanguard Award though details have not yet been made available regarding who will be accepting the award on the band’s behalf.
The VMAs will air on CBS and MTV and stream on Paramount+ (Premium) in the U.S. It also will be available globally the next day on Paramount+ and MTV.
The VMAs are produced by Gunpowder & Sky. Van Toffler serves as producer. Jesse Ignjatovic of Den of Thieves, Barb Bialkowski and Bruce Gillmer serve as executive producers, alongside Barry Barclay and Floris Bauer. Melanie Block serves as co-executive producer and Gary Lanvy as co-producer. Snoop Dogg is executive producer alongside producers Sara Ramaker and Jasmin Ratansi. Jen Proctor is executive talent producer.
BACARDÍ Rum, Dunkin’, The General Insurance, Gillette Venus, Spotify, Tide evo and Under Armour are the event‘s sponsors.