The iHeartRadio Music Awards 2026 is two months away from its worldwide live telecast. The 13th annual star-studded ceremony will take place in March to celebrate the most-played songs and artists across the iHeartRadio stations and the iHeartRadio app in the previous year. The awards will be presented in multiple categories, including surprise guests and collaborations.
The organizers have introduced three new award categories: favorite K-pop collab, favorite debut album, and favorite TikTok dance. The winners in these three categories, and the other eight categories, including favorite Broadway debut, best lyrics, best music video, favorite on-screen, favorite tour photographer, favorite soundtrack, favorite tour style, and favorite tour tradition, will be determined based on fan voting. Social voting began on Thursday (January 8) and will close on Thursday (March 19) at 11:59 pm EST.
Here is everything you need to know about the iHeartRadio Music Awards 2026, including the date, venue, time, hosts, nomination list, and live streaming details.
When is it and how to watch?
The 13th annual award ceremony will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday (March 26th) at 8:00 pm EST. Music lovers worldwide can watch the star-studded event live online on FOX. The award show will also be broadcast live online on iHeartRadio stations in the US and on the iHeartRadio app.
Who were Nominated?
The nominees for this year were announced on Thursday (January 8). Taylor Swift topped the nomination list with nine nods, followed by Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, and Alex Warren with eight nominations each. The other nominees with multiple nominations are Benson Boone, BLACKPINK, Chris Brown, Ed Sheeran, Ella Langley, GloRilla, Grupo Frontera, HUNTR/X: EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI, Jelly Roll, JENNIE, j-hope, KATSEYE, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Leon Thomas, Linkin Park, LISA, Mariah the Scientist, MOLIY, Morgan Wallen, Myles Smith, RAYE, ROSÉ, Sabrina Carpenter, Shinedown, sombr, SZA, Tate McRae, Taylor Swift, Twenty One Pilots, and Zara Larsson.
iHeartRadio Music Awards 2026 Nomination List:
Song of the Year
- Anxiety by Doechii
- Good News by Shaboozey
- Love Somebody by Morgan Wallen
- luther by Kendrick Lamar and SZA
- Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter
- MUTT by Leon Thomas
- Ordinary by Alex Warren
- Sorry I'm Here For Someone Else by Benson Boone
- Stargazing by Myles Smith
- The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift
Artist of the Year
- Bad Bunny
- Benson Boone
- Chris Brown
- Jelly Roll
- Kendrick Lamar
- Lady Gaga
- Morgan Wallen
- Sabrina Carpenter
- Tate McRae
- Taylor Swift
Pop Artist of the Year
- Alex Warren
- Benson Boone
- Sabrina Carpenter
- Tate McRae
- Taylor Swift
Pop Song of the Year
- Golden by HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI
- Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter
- Ordinary by Alex Warren
- Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan
- The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift
Best New Artist (Pop)
- Alex Warren
- Jessie Murph
- Myles Smith
- Ravyn Lenae
- sombr
Duo/Group of the Year
- HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI
- Linkin Park
- Maroon 5
- Shinedown
- Twenty One Pilots
Best Collaboration
- All The Way by BigXthaPlug ft. Bailey Zimmerman
- APT. by ROSÉ & Bruno Mars
- luther by Kendrick Lamar and SZA
- Timeless by The Weeknd ft. Playboi Carti
- WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME by GloRilla ft. Sexyy Red
Country Song of the Year
- After All The Bars Are Closed by Thomas Rhett
- Good News by Shaboozey
- Liar by Jelly Roll
- Love Somebody by Morgan Wallen
- Whiskey Drink by Jason Aldean
Country Artist of the Year
- Jason Aldean
- Jelly Roll
- Lainey Wilson
- Luke Combs
- Morgan Wallen
Best New Artist (Country)
- Chase Matthew
- Ella Langley
- Hudson Westbrook
- Josh Ross
- Zach Top
Hip-Hop Song of the Year
- luther by Kendrick Lamar and SZA
- NOKIA by Drake
- Outside by Cardi B
- The Largest by BigXthaPlug
- WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME by GloRilla ft. Sexyy Red
Hip-Hop Artist of the Year
- Cardi B
- GloRilla
- Kendrick Lamar
- Playboi Carti
- Tyler, The Creator
Best New Artist (Hip-Hop)
- MOLIY
- PLUTO
- Real Boston Richey
- YKNIECE
- ZEDDY WILL
R&B Song of the Year
- Burning Blue by Mariah the Scientist
- Folded by Kehlani
- MUTT by Leon Thomas
- Residuals by Chris Brown
- SOMEBODY LOVES ME by PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake
R&B Artist of the Year
- Chris Brown
- Kehlani
- Leon Thomas
- Mariah the Scientist
- SZA
Best New Artist (R&B)
- Jenevieve
- Kwn
- Leon Thomas
- Mariah the Scientist
- Sailorr
World Artist of the Year
- Ayra Starr
- Jackson Wang
- JO1
- MOLIY
- Tyla
Alternative Song of the Year
- Back To Friends by sombr
- Ensenada by Sublime
- One Eyed Bastard by Green Day
- Stargazing by Myles Smith
- The Contract by Twenty One Pilots
Alternative Artist of the Year
- Cage the Elephant
- Green Day
- Linkin Park
- Sublime
- Twenty One Pilots
Best New Artist (Alternative)
- almost monday
- Gigi Perez
- Lola Young
- Role Model
- sombr
Rock Song of the Year
- Afterlife by Evanescence
- Bad Guy by Falling In Reverse ft. Saraya
- Dance, Kid, Dance by Shinedown
- Even If It Kills Me by Papa Roach
- Heavy Is the Crown by Linkin Park
Rock Artist of the Year
- Linkin Park
- Papa Roach
- Shinedown
- Sleep Token
- Three Days Grace
Best New Artist (Rock)
- Architects
- Poppy
- Return to Dust
- Sleep Theory
- Spiritbox
Dance Song of the Year
- Blessings by Calvin Harris feat. Clementine Douglas
- In My Arms by ILLENIUM & HAYLA
- No Broke Boys by Disco Lines & Tinashe
- Save My Love by Marshmello, Ellie Goulding and AVAION
- Won't Be Possible by Tiësto, Odd Mob & Goodboys
Dance Artist of the Year
- Calvin Harris
- David Guetta
- John Summit
- Martin Garrix
- Tiësto
Latin Pop/Urban Song of the Year
- Angel by Grupo Frontera & Romeo Santos
- DEGENERE by Myke Towers & benny blanco
- DtMF by Bad Bunny
- Qué Pasaría... by Rauw Alejandro and Bad Bunny
- Soltera by Shakira
Latin Pop/Urban Artist of the Year
- Bad Bunny
- Feid
- J Balvin
- Karol G
- Shakira
Best New Artist (Latin Pop/Urban)
- Alleh
- Beéle
- De La Rose
- Dei V
- Louis BPM
Regional Mexican Song of the Year
- Amor Bonito by Luis Angel "El Flaco"
- El Amor De Mi Vida by Calibre 50
- Flores by Xavi
- Hecha Pa' Mi by Grupo Frontera
- Lejos Estamos Mejor by Eden Muñoz
Regional Mexican Artist of the Year
- Alejandro Fernández
- Carín León
- Fuerza Regida
- Grupo Frontera
- Luis Angel "El Flaco"
Best New Artist (Regional Mexican)
- Clave Especial
- Edgardo Nuñez
- Los Dos De Tamaulipas
- Óscar Maydon
- Oscar Ortiz
K-pop Artist of the Year
- JENNIE
- j-hope
- Jin
- LISA
- ROSÉ
K-pop Group of the Year
- ATEEZ
- BLACKPINK
- ENHYPEN
- Stray Kids
- TWICE
K-pop Song of the Year
- APT. by ROSÉ & Bruno Mars
- Golden by HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI
- JUMP by BLACKPINK
- Killin' It Girl by j-hope feat. GloRilla
- like JENNIE by JENNIE
Best New Artist (K-pop)
- 82Major
- AllDay Project
- Cortis
- Hearts2Hearts
- Meovv
Songwriter of the Year
- Amy Allen
- Ashley Gorley
- Cal Shapiro
- Charlie Handsome
- Julia Michaels
Producer of the Year
- Andrew Watt
- Dijon
- Jack Antonoff
- Max Martin & Shellback
- Sounwave
Favorite Broadway Debut: *Socially Voted Category
- Ashley Graham for Chicago
- Cheryl Porter for & Juliet
- Durrell "Tank" Babbs for Hell's Kitchen
- Gabrielle Nevaeh Green for Stranger Things: The First Shadow
- Jack Wolfe for Hadestown
- Kelsie Watts for Six! The Musical
- Lencia Kebede for Wicked
- Lizzy McAlpine for Floyd Collins
- Meg Donnelly for Moulin Rouge! The Musical
- Ne-Yo for Hell's Kitchen
- Tom Felton for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
- Trisha Paytas for Beetlejuice
Favorite TikTok Dance: *Socially Voted Category
- Abracadabra by Lady Gaga
- Gnarly by KATSEYE
- GO! by CORTIS
- Happen To Me by Russell Dickerson
- JUMP by BLACKPINK
- like JENNIE by JENNIE
- Midnight Sun by Zara Larsson
- MONA LISA by j-hope
- Revolving Door by Tate McRae
- SPAGHETTI by LE SSERAFIM, j-hope
- The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift
Favorite Debut Album: *Socially Voted Category
- Addison Rae for Addison
- Alex Warren for You'll Be Alright, Kid
- Audrey Hobert for Who's the Clown?
- Calum Hood for ORDER chaos ORDER
- Coco Jones for Why Not More?
- JADE for THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY!
- JENNIE for Ruby
- LISA for Alter Ego
- Michael Clifford for SIDEQUEST
- Perrie for Perrie
- sombr for I Barely Know Her
- Tucker Wetmore for What Not To
Best Lyrics: *Socially Voted Category
- Anxiety by Doechii
- BAILE INoLVIDABLE by Bad Bunny
- Camera by Ed Sheeran
- Choosin' Texas by Ella Langley
- DAISIES by Justin Bieber
- Golden by HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI
- Man I Need by Olivia Dean
- Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter
- Ordinary by Alex Warren
- The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift
- undressed by sombr
- WHERE IS MY HUSBAND! by RAYE
Best Music Video: *Socially Voted Category
- Abracadabra by Lady Gaga
- BAILE INoLVIDABLE by Bad Bunny
- BORN AGAIN by LISA feat. Doja Cat & RAYE
- Gabriela by KATSEYE
- JUMP bh BLACKPINK
- like JENNIE by JENNIE
- Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter
- Ordinary by Alex Warren
- Sapphire by Ed Sheeran
- Shake It to the Max (FLY) (Remix) by MOLIY, Shenseea, Skillibeng, Silent Addy
- The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift
- toxic till the end by ROSÉ
Favorite On Screen: *Socially Voted Category
- AJ McLean, Nicole Scherzinger, Liam Payne, Kelly Rowland for Building the Band
- Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo for Wicked: For Good
- Bad Bunny for Happy Gilmore 2
- Becky G for REBBECA
- Ed Sheeran for ONE SHOT with Ed Sheeran: A Musical Experience
- Jimin and Jungkook for Are You Sure?!
- Jonas Brothers for A Very Jonas Christmas Movie
- Karol G for Karol G: Tomorrow Was Beautiful
- Lady Gaga for Wednesday
- LISA for The White Lotus
- Taylor Swift for Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The End of an Era
- Zara Larsson for Up Close
Favorite Tour Photographer: *Socially Voted Category
- Abby Waisler for Gracie Abrams
- Adam DeGross for Post Malone
- Anna Lee for Coldplay
- baeth for Tate McRae
- Chris Cornejo for Shakira
- Cynthia Parkhurst for Katy Perry
- Henry Hwu for Billie Eilish
- Hyghly for The Weeknd
- Joshua Halling for Oasis
- Rahul Bhatt for KATSEYE
- Thomas Falcone for Shawn Mendes
- Tom Pallant for YUNGBLUD
Favorite Soundtrack: *Socially Voted Category
- A Very Jonas Christmas Movie (Original Soundtrack)
- F1 the Album
- Frankenstein (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film)
- KPop Demon Hunters
- Nobody Wants This Season 2: The Soundtrack
- Sinners (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- Smurfs Movie Soundtrack (Music From & Inspired By)
- Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
- Tron: Ares (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- Wicked: For Good – The Soundtrack
- Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires (Original Soundtrack)
Favorite Tour Style: *Socially Voted Category
- Bad Bunny for DeBí TiRaR MáS FOtoS World Tour
- Beyonce for Cowboy Carter Tour
- Billie Eilish for Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour
- BLACKPINK for Deadline World Tour
- Dua Lipa for Radical Optimism Tour
- Ella Langley for Still Hungover Tour
- KATSEYE for Beautiful Chaos Tour
- Lady Gaga for The Mayhem Ball
- Sabrina Carpenter for Short n' Sweet Tour
- Tate McRae for Miss Possessive Tour
- Taylor Swift for Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour
- Zara Larsson for Midnight Sun Tour
Favorite Tour Tradition: *Socially Voted Category
- Benson Boone, Cover song
- Beyoncé, Blue Ivy & Rumi on stage
- Billie Eilish, "when the party's over" silent loop
- Coldplay, Crowd cam
- Dua Lipa, Surprise guest
- Jonas Brothers, Surprise guest
- KATSEYE, "Gnarly" dance break
- Lainey Wilson, Cowgirl of the night
- ROLE MODEL, Sally
- Sabrina Carpenter, Celebrity "Juno" arrest
- Tate McRae, Fan cam on stage
- Zara Larsson, "Lush Life" star
Favorite K-pop Collab: *Socially Voted Category
- Blink by Corbyn Besson & TZUYU of TWICE
- BORN AGAIN by LISA feat. Doja Cat & RAYE
- BUCK by Jackson Wang feat. Diljit Dosanjh
- Confessions by Flo Rida, HEESEUNG & JAKE of ENHYPEN, Paul Russell
- Dirty Work by aespa feat. Flo Milli
- ExtraL by JENNIE, Doechii
- EYES CLOSED by JISOO X ZAYN
- Illegal + SEVENTEEN by PinkPantheress, SEVENTEEN
- On My Mind by Alex Warren & ROSÉ
- Sweet Dreams (feat. Miguel) by j-hope, Miguel
- TOO BAD by G-DRAGON feat. Anderson .Paak
- WE PRAY (TWICE Version) by Coldplay, TWICE, Burna Boy, Elyanna, TINI, Little Simz
