Taylor Swift to Be First Recipient of Artist Director Honors at 2026 MTV VMAs

Taylor Swift is adding another notable honor to her collection.

CBS and MTV announced Monday (Sept. 21) that the 36-year-old pop superstar will receive the inaugural Artist Director Honors at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 27.

The new award recognizes “groundbreaking music artists whose work behind the camera has expanded the possibilities of music video and advanced the art of visual storytelling” and “celebrates a sustained and influential body of work from artists who have pushed creative boundaries and developed a clear directorial voice,” according to a press release.

Swift, who currently has 30 Moon Persons, made her solo directorial debut in 2020 with the music video for her Lover single “The Man,” taking home best direction at that year’s VMAs. She followed that with her filmmaking debut, All Too Well: The Short Film, which premiered in 2021 and went on to win video of the year, best longform video and best direction at the 2022 VMAs.

Swift is a seven-time VMAs best direction nominee and four-time winner in the category. Her nominations include “The Man,” “Cardigan,” “Willow,” All Too Well: The Short Film, “Anti-Hero,” “Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)” and “Opalite.”

Her directing work also includes “Bejeweled,” “Lavender Haze,” “Karma (feat. Ice Spice),” “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” and “The Fate of Ophelia.”

The Artist Director Honors announcement comes as Swift heads into this year’s VMAs with 11 nominations, second only to Madonna’s 13.

Swift is nominated for video of the year, best pop, best art direction, best cinematography, best editing, best choreography and best visual effects for “The Fate of Ophelia,” as well as best direction for “Opalite,” artist of the year, best album for The Life of a Showgirl and song of summer for “I Knew It, I Knew You.”

Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson are also among this year’s leading nominees. Nirvana will receive the coveted Video Vanguard Award at this year’s ceremony.

Hosted by Snoop Dogg, the 2026 VMAs will air live from Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater on Sept. 27, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. ET (4:30 to 6:30 p.m. PT) on CBS, with a simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S. The show will be available globally on Paramount+ and MTV the following day.