The American Music Awards have announced important details for the upcoming 2026 edition. What are the categories? When will nominations be announced? And when can you start to get your votes in the pick the winners?
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 American Music Awards.
Queen Latifah will host the 2026 AMAsDick Clark Productions
The Time and Date
The AMAs will take place this Memorial Day — May 25, 2026 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
How to Watch
The AMAs will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
The Venue
After moving to Las Vegas for the 2025 edition, the AMAs will stay in Sin City, but move to the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The Presenters
A few days out from the awards themselves, the AMAs announced a star-studded slew of presenters, led by Olympic gold medalist Alyssa Liu.
She will take the stage in Vegas to hand out an awards along with Anthony Ramos, Ejae, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Hannah Berner, Hilary Duff, Jason Derulo, John Legend, Lisa Rinna, Ludacris, Mariah the Scientist, Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs, Melanie Martinez, Nikki Glaser, Paula Abdul, REI AMI, Russell Dickerson, and more.
The Performances
The Pussycat Dolls will mark 20 years since their first AMAs performance by returning to the stage with special guest Busta Rhymes. The appearance will be the group’s first major one since cancelling the US leg of their upcoming tour due to poor ticket sales.
Recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honoree Billy Idol will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award and deliver a medley of some of his biggest hits, marking his first time on the AMAs stage since presenting in 2004 and his first AMAs performance ever. Previous recipients of the AMA’s Lifetime Achievement Award include Diana Ross and Rod Stewart.
Colombian megastar Karol G has been set as a performer and also the recipient of the International Artist Award of Excellence. The singer most recently made history with her headlining performance at Coachella. The honor has previously only been handed out to seven artists: Michael Jackson, Rod Stewart, Led Zeppelin, Bee Gees, Aerosmith, Beyoncé, and Whitney Houston.
Karol GAMAs
In addition to Karol G, recent Oscar nominee Teyana Taylor will perform a medley from her latest album, Escape Room, at the upcoming ceremony.
The AMAs expanded their list of scheduled performances in early May to include an anniversary performance from Hootie & the Blowfish, marking 30 years since their win for Best Pop/Rock New Artist. They’ll be joined by Keith Urban, Maluma, Riley Green, Sombr, Teddy Swims, and Twenty One Pilots, who will all take the stage to perform.
Recent Best New Artist nominees Katseye (minus Manon Bannerman, who is on hiatus from the group) were announced as the first performers for the 2026 AMAs. At the time of the news, Katseye was just a week and a half out from their latest video, “Pinky Up,” the first featuring their abbreviated lineup.
The Host
Queen Latifah is set as the host of the 2026 AMAs. This will be her second time hosting, having previously served as emcee for the 1995 edition of the awards.
The Nominations
Nominations for the 2026 AMAs were announced on April 14. Taylor Swift lead the field with eight nominations. Olivia Dean, Sabrina Carpenter, Sombr, and Morgan Wallen were just behind her with seven.
Find the full list of nominees here.
The Categories
Here are all the categories that will be awarded:
Artist of the Year
New Artist of the Year
Album of the Year
Song of the Year
Collaboration of the Year
Social Song of the Year
Best Music Video
Best Soundtrack
Tour of the Year
Breakthrough Touring Artist
Breakthrough Album of the Year
Throwback Song of the Year
Best Vocal Performance
Song of the Summer
Best Male Pop Artist
Best Female Pop Artist
Breakthrough Pop Artist
Best Pop Song
Best Pop Album
Best Male Country Artist
Best Female Country Artist
Best Country Duo or Group
Breakthrough Country Artist
Best Country Song
Best Country Album
Best Male Hip-Hop Artist
Best Female Hip-Hop Artist
Breakthrough Hip-Hop Artist
Best Hip-Hop Song
Best Hip-Hop Album
Best Male R&B Artist
Best Female R&B Artist
Breakthrough R&B Artist
Best R&B Song
Best R&B Album
Best Male Latin Artist
Best Female Latin Artist
Best Latin Duo/Group
Breakthrough Latin Artist
Best Latin Song
Best Latin Album
Best Rock/Alternative Artist
Breakthrough Rock/Alternative Artist
Best Rock/Alternative Song
Best Rock/Alternative Album
Best Dance/Electronic Artist
Best Male K-Pop Artist
Best Female K-Pop Artist
Best Afrobeats Artist
Best Americana/Folk Artist
The Voting
As the AMAs are chosen by the general public, voting on them will open the day that nominations are announced, April 14, and close on May 8.
American Music Awards producer Dick Clark Productions is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge and Penske Media Corporation, which owns Gold Derby.
Originally published March 10; updated March 11 with additional details; on April 6 with the host news; on April 21 with performer news; on May 7, May 13, May 14, and May 21 with additional performances and honorees.