Nirvana Is the 2026 MTV Video Vanguard Recipient

The trio will be the first band to receive the honor since Duran Duran in 2003.

Nirvana

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Nirvana is set to receive the Video Vanguard Award at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, which will be presented on Sept. 27 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The trio will be the first band to receive the honor since Duran Duran in 2003. It will be the first band to receive the award after it disbanded since The Beatles in 1964.

In making the announcement on Wednesday (Sept. 9), MTV noted in its Instagram post: “This day in 1992, Nirvana took to the VMAs stage for the first time — shaping music, culture and MTV forever.”