Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
Madonna got 11 nominations for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.
This is the most nominations she has ever gotten.
Taylor Swift got nine nominations too.
The award show will happen on September 27 in Los Angeles.
- nomination
- being chosen as a possible winner of an award
- award
- a prize given for doing something well
- video
- a moving picture, often with music
- song
- a piece of music with words
- duet
- a song sung by two people together
- ceremony
- a formal event where awards are given out
- career-best
- the best result someone has had in their whole career
- artist
- a person who makes music, art, or performances
Level 2 — Elementary
Madonna is leading the nominations for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards with 11 nods, the most of her long career.
Her nominations include Video of the Year for 'Confessions II - The Film' and Song of the Year for 'Bring Your Love,' a duet with singer Sabrina Carpenter.
Taylor Swift came in second place with nine nominations, while Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each earned seven nominations of their own.
The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards will air live from Los Angeles on Sunday, September 27, broadcast on both CBS and MTV.
- nod
- an informal way of saying a nomination for an award
- broadcast
- to send out a television or radio program to viewers
- category
- a group that things or people are sorted into
- lead
- to be in first place or ahead of others
- collaboration
- when two or more artists work together
- release
- when new music or a video is made available to the public
- network
- a company that broadcasts television programs
- live
- happening in real time, not recorded beforehand
Level 3 — Intermediate
Madonna has emerged as the leading nominee for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, securing 11 nominations that represent a personal best across her four-decade career, according to nominations released this week.
Her nominated work spans several major categories: Video of the Year for 'Confessions II - The Film,' Song of the Year for 'Bring Your Love,' a collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter, and additional nods for Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Choreography, and Best Visual Effects.
Taylor Swift trailed closely with nine nominations for 'The Fate of Ophelia,' while Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each collected seven nominations for their respective videos, 'Hate That I Made You Love Me' and 'Tears.'
The competitive Video of the Year category also includes Bruno Mars' 'I Just Might' and Gener8ion's 'Storm,' starring Yung Lean, while the ceremony itself is scheduled to air live from Los Angeles on Sunday, September 27, simulcast on CBS and MTV.
- emerge
- to become known or apparent after a process
- secure
- to obtain or achieve something, often through effort
- span
- to extend across or cover a range of things
- choreography
- the arrangement of dance moves in a performance
- cinematography
- the art of camera work and visual style in film or video
- trail
- to be behind someone else in a competition or ranking
- competitive
- involving strong rivalry between participants
- simulcast
- to broadcast a program on multiple channels at the same time
Level 4 — Advanced
Madonna has vaulted to the top of the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards nominations tally with 11 nods, a career-best haul that underscores a remarkable late-career resurgence nearly four decades after her recording debut, driven largely by the multimedia rollout accompanying 'Confessions II.'
The bulk of her nominations cluster around the accompanying film for the album, which earned a Video of the Year nod alongside a slate of craft-category recognitions, including Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Choreography, and Best Visual Effects, a breadth that reflects voters' apparent enthusiasm for the project's ambitious visual scope rather than a single standout single.
She is trailed by Taylor Swift, whose 'The Fate of Ophelia' earned nine nominations, and by Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter, who notched seven apiece for 'Hate That I Made You Love Me' and 'Tears' respectively; Carpenter also shares billing with Madonna on 'Bring Your Love,' the pair's Song of the Year contender, illustrating how intergenerational collaborations have become a defining feature of this year's field.
The Video of the Year race additionally features Bruno Mars' 'I Just Might' and Gener8ion's 'Storm,' fronted by Yung Lean, positioning the category as an unusually eclectic mix of pop veterans and rising acts ahead of the ceremony's live simulcast from Los Angeles on CBS and MTV on Sunday, September 27.
- vault
- to jump or rise suddenly to a higher position
- resurgence
- a renewed rise in popularity or activity after a decline
- rollout
- the introduction or release of a new product or project
- craft category
- an award category recognizing technical or artistic skill
- breadth
- the wide range or scope of something
- intergenerational
- involving people from different age generations
- eclectic
- made up of a wide and diverse variety of elements
- billing
- the way performers are credited or listed for a project
_(53269593787)_(cropped).jpg%3Fwidth%3D800&w=3840&q=75)
Talk about this article with KatePractice this story's vocabulary in a real spoken conversation with your AI tutor