Country Music Shows Up Big in the 2026 MTV VMA Nominations

The nominations are officially here, and some of country's biggest names aren't just competing in the Best Country category — they're going up against the biggest stars across all genres.

Taylor Swift to release new album, 'Midnights,' in October — Source: Taylor Swift accepts the Video of the Year award onstage at the 2022 MTV VMAs at Prudential Center on August 28, 2022, in Newark, New Jersey.

Country music is making its presence known at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards!

The nominations are officially here, and some of country’s biggest names aren’t just competing in the Best Country category — they’re going up against the biggest stars across all genres.

Leading the country charge is Ella Langley, whose massive hit “Choosin’ Texas” earned nominations for both Best Country and Song of the Year.

Morgan Wallen also landed one of the night’s biggest nominations, earning a spot in the Artist of the Year category alongside Taylor Swift, Madonna, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars and Sabrina Carpenter.

Best Country Nominees

The 2026 nominees for Best Country are:

Ella Langley — “Choosin’ Texas”
Kacey Musgraves — “Dry Spell”
Lainey Wilson — “Somewhere Over Laredo”
Luke Combs — “Back in the Saddle”
Shaboozey — “Cowgirl”
Stella Lefty — “Boston”
Tucker Wetmore — “Brunette”

Country’s VMA representation doesn’t stop there. Shaboozey’s “Cowgirl” is also nominated for Best Cinematography, while Stella Lefty scored a nomination for Best New Artist.

It’s especially notable considering Best Country is still a very new category for the VMAs. MTV introduced the award for the first time in 2025, with Megan Moroney becoming its inaugural winner for “Am I Okay?”

Now, just one year later, country artists are competing not only within their own category but for some of the biggest awards of the entire night.

The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards take place Sunday, September 27 in Los Angeles, with fan voting open ahead of the show.