The 2026 edition of the American Music Awards is hours away. 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.
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
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.
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 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 canceling the US leg of their upcoming tour due to poor ticket sales.
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.
