The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards Reveal ‘Best Country’ Nominations

Ella Langley, Shaboozey and Stella Lefty are leading the way for country music in this year’s nominations for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.

Each artist is nominated twice, with one in the country-focused category and one in an all-genre area.

Country Artists Nominated for All-Genre Awards at the 2026 MTV VMAs

Country music has pretty much ruled the charts this year — thanks mostly to Langley — so it’s not surprising the genre is popping up in categories that feature all forms of music.

While no one is nominated for the for the biggest award, Video of the Year, Morgan Wallen has landed in what is arguably the next best thing. He’s up for Artist of the Year and, given that he is currently at No. 2 on Billboard‘s Artist 100 list, he has a fairly good chance at winning it.

Next, Langley’s ever popular “Choosin’ Texas” is up for Song of the Year. The country hit has been a favorite across all genres for the better part of the year, and the official music video has garnered more than 70 million views.

Elsewhere, Shaboozey’s music video for his song “Cowgirl” has found itself up for Best Cinematography, and country newcomer Stella Lefty received her first-ever nomination at the awards show. She’s up for New Artist of the Year.

The Nominations for Best Country at the 2026 MTV VMAs Are Stacked

The MTV Video Music Awards also hands out hardware for specific genres, and this year’s Best Country list is loaded with some of the biggest names in country music right now.

Here are the country-specific nods:

Ella Langely, “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”

Where Can I Watch the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards?

This year’s MTV Video Music Awards are scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 27 at 7:30PM ET. Fans can tune in to CBS and MTV or stream it live on Paramount+.