Madonna won Artist of the Year and Confessions II: The Film won four awards, while Taylor Swift won Video Of The Year and Best Direction at this year's MTV VMAs, held in Los Angeles last night.

it was a stunning return to former glories for Madonna at this year's MTV Video Music Awards. She won seven awards: Artist of the Year, Best Collaboration and Best Album, while her visual magnum opus Confessions II: The Film took four prizes. 

Madonna also performed live at the start of the MTV VMAs TV broadcast, the first time she had performed at the VMAs since 2003, when she notoriously planted a kiss on Britney Spears's mouth. And on receiving the Artist Of The Year honour, she reminded the audience that she had also performed at the first VMAs 43 years ago, in 1983. 

Taylor Swift strengthened her position as the artist with most wins at the VMAs by taking the Video of the Year honour for the self-directed The Fate Of Ophelia, and also Best Direction for her direction of her video for Opalite, the biggest prize in the VMAs' Professional categories - voted by industry members, and not included in the telecast. 

The TV broadcast also featured a live version of the school photo sequence in second half of the Gener8ion's Storm video, with the choreography by Damian Jalet being recreated by 'schoolboy' dancers around a statuesque Yung Lean - holding an ice cream rather than a cigarette.

But having garnered several nominations, the Romain Gavras-directed video won no awards at the ceremony - not even Best Choreography. That went to Madonna's Confessions II: The Film, to which Damian Jalet also contributed, with Megan Lawson, Young Boy Dancing Group and Nicolas Huchard. 

• Full list of winners at the 2026 MTV VMAs here