Taylor Swift Is About to Receive a New MTV VMA That Did Not Exist Until Now

Taylor Swift is set to pick up a VMA that is brand new this year. MTV and CBS have announced she will be the first recipient of a fresh honour created for artists who also direct their own music videos.

CBS and MTV said Monday that Swift will receive the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors at Sunday night's awards. The ceremony is being held at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.

The new honour is aimed at artists who direct some or all of their own music videos. In announcing it, the networks said the award is meant to recognise performers whose work behind the camera has helped expand what a music video can be and pushed visual storytelling forward, while also highlighting artists with a clear and influential directing voice over time.

Swift has become an obvious fit for that description. In recent years, she has directed all of her own music videos. She has also been nominated seven times for Best Director at the VMAs and has won that prize four times. Her directing credits include The Man, Cardigan, Willow, All Too Well: The Short Film, Anti-Hero, Bejeweled, Fortnight featuring Post Malone, I Can See You (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault), Karma featuring Ice Spice, Lavender Haze, The Fate of Ophelia and Opalite.

The announcement did not confirm whether Swift will attend the show in person, but it is already likely to add even more attention to the telecast. Fans are also watching closely because Swift has used the VMAs stage for major news before. At the 2022 ceremony, she used an acceptance speech to announce Midnights.

That has only added to unconfirmed fan speculation around a possible future release linked to her 2006 debut album. When Swift bought back her Big Machine-era master recordings in May 2025, she told fans that the two remaining older albums without Taylor's Version releases were Reputation and Taylor Swift. She said she had not rerecorded Reputation and did not feel a need to, but that she had completed a new version of Taylor Swift and would probably release it eventually.

Sunday's show will also feature Madonna opening the VMAs with her first performance on the event in 23 years.