BTS is setting its sights on one of the biggest prizes at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards following the group’s return after four years.
According to Billboard’s August 18th announcement of this year’s nominees, BTS’ “Swim” earned two nominations, including Song of the Year and Best K-Pop. Song of the Year is considered one of the VMAs’ top honors alongside Artist of the Year and Video of the Year.
Also competing for Song of the Year is “Golden,” the breakout theme song from last year’s animated film KPop Demon Hunters, which went on to win both Grammy and Academy Awards.
Among K-pop artists, BLACKPINK’s Lisa received the most nominations this year, earning four for “Dream”: Best Pop, Best K-Pop, Best Cinematography and Best Editing.
“Dream,” which appears on Lisa’s first full-length solo album Alter Ego, features Japanese actor Kentaro Sakaguchi in its music video.
CORTIS, meanwhile, scored nominations for Best New Artist and Best K-Pop, while KATSEYE is up for Best Choreography and Best K-Pop.
BLACKPINK’s Jisoo also earned a nomination for Best Visual Effects with “Eyes Closed,” her collaboration with former One Direction member Zayn Malik. BLACKPINK’s “Jump” and LE SSERAFIM’s “Spaghetti” are among the other nominees for Best K-Pop.
BTS first broke into the VMAs in 2019, when the group earned two awards. Since then, a growing number of K-pop artists have taken home trophies at the MTV ceremony.
Last year, BLACKPINK’s Rosé became the first K-pop artist to win Song of the Year, one of the show’s major categories.
This year’s ceremony is also drawing attention for the return of Madonna, one of the most iconic figures in VMA history. She leads the nominations with 11 nods, including Artist of the Year and Video of the Year.
The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards are scheduled to take place on September 27th at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
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