2026 MTV VMAs nominations - the Professional Playlist
Promonews - 26th Aug 2026
The MTV Video Music Awards always comes with fanfare for the nominated artists - much less so for the people who made their videos. But the VMAs still comes with six prized Professional awards - and here's a playlist of each video nominated for a Professional category at the 2026 VMAs.
The nominations for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards have been announced, with customary emphasis on the talent in front of the camera. But the raft of Professional categories honouring the talent behind the camera at the VMAs still exists. So outside of our own UK Music Video Awards, it's still arguably the most important awards show for music video creativity.
Here are the Professional category nominations in full. And the videos themselves are collected in a new Promonews Playlist.
With the odd exception, it's highly poptastic - and it begins with the multi-nominated video for Ariana Grande's Hate That I Made You Love Me.
Best Direction
Ariana Grande 'Hate That I Made You Love Me' (Director: Christian Breslauer)
Bruno Mars 'I Just Might' (Directors: Peter Hernandez and Daniel Ramos)
Gener8ion featuring Yung Lean 'Storm' (Director: Romain Gavras)
Madonna 'Confessions II – The Film' (Director: TORSO)
Sabrina Carpenter 'House Tour' (Directors: Sabrina Carpenter and Margaret Qualley)
Taylor Swift "Opalite' (Director: Taylor Swift)
Best Art Direction
Charli xcx 'SS26' (Art Director: Nicola Scarlino)
Lady Gaga and Doechii 'Runway' (Art Director: Freyja Bardell)
Madonna 'Confessions II – The Film' (Art Director: Camille Spiller)
PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson 'Stateside' (Art Director: Isabella Furness)
Sombr 'My Body Isn't Ready' (Art Director: Olivia McManus)
Taylor Swift 'The Fate of Ophelia' (Art Director: Ethan Tobman)
Best Cinematography
A$AP Rocky 'Punk Rocky' (Director of Photography: Jake Gabbay)
Ariana Grande 'Hate That I Made You Love Me' (Director of Photography: Janusz Kamiński)
Lisa featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi 'Dream' (Director of Photography: Eumko)
Madonna 'Confessions II – The Film' (Director of Photography: Daniel Landin)
Shaboozey 'Cowgirl' (Director of Photography: Mitchell Maher Perrin)
Taylor Swift 'The Fate of Ophelia' (Director of Photography: Rodrigo Prieto)
Best Editing
Ariana Grande 'Hate That I Made You Love Me' (Editor: Luis Caraza Peimbert)
Bruno Mars 'I Just Might' (Editor: Daniel Ramos)
Lisa featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi 'Dream' (Editor: Kwon O-jun)
Madonna 'Confessions II – The Film' (Editors: Danny Tull and Lauren Friedman)
Sabrina Carpenter 'House Tour' (Editor: Sofia Kerpan at Modern Post)
Taylor Swift 'The Fate of Ophelia' (Editor: Chancler Haynes)
Best Choreography
Gener8ion featuring Yung Lean – "Storm" (Choreographer: Damien Jalet)
Harry Styles – "Dance No More" (Choreographer: Ryan Heffington)
Katseye – "Pinky Up" (Choreographers: Grant Gilmore, Sohey Sugihara, Sergio Reis, and Zacc Milne)
Madonna – Confessions II – The Film (Choreographer: Damien Jalet)
Tate McRae – "Nobody's Girl" (Choreographer: (LA)HORDE, Arthur Harel, Marine Brutti, and Jonathan Debrouwer)
Taylor Swift – "The Fate of Ophelia" (Choreographers: Mandy Moore and Amanda Balen)
Best Visual Effects
Ariana Grande – "Hate That I Made You Love Me" (Visual Effects: Mathematic Studio, Hadi Dahrouge, and Jehan Bouazza)
Jisoo and Zayn – "Eyes Closed" (Visual Effects: Serhii Solodkyi)
Madonna – Confessions II – The Film (Visual Effects: Monumental)
PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson – "Stateside" (Visual Effects: Copenhagen VFX)
Raye featuring Hans Zimmer – "Click Clack Symphony" (Visual Effects: Frame23 Studio)
Taylor Swift – "The Fate of Ophelia" (Visual Effects: Parliament)
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