Verified VMA Wins Count for Ariana Grande Through 2025
As of the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, Ariana Grande has won 5 VMAs total across her career. This number reflects wins from 2019 and 2021 ceremonies; she has not added a new moonman through the 2025 show. This overview explains which categories she won, the years of her wins, and how this places her among peers in VMA history. Read on for a year-by-year breakdown, context on nominations that did not convert to wins, and how these awards fit into her broader recognition at the VMAs.
How VMA Wins Are Recorded and Verified
MTV officially announces VMA winners each year during the ceremony and maintains an archive of past winners on MTV.com and the VMAs’ digital properties. Wins are counted per category and per year; a single performance or release can yield multiple awards if a video wins in more than one category. For this profile, a verified win means the artist is listed as the official winner on the event’s recap and in MTV’s archives. This matters because pre-show announcements, fan expectations, and media summaries sometimes misreport totals. Below is a concise fact table that separates confirmed wins from notable nominations that did not result in a moonman.
Key Distinctions in VMA Awards
- Moonman: The top honor for Video of the Year and related major categories.
- Special Awards: Includes the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award and other honors that may not reflect a single video’s performance.
- Nomination ≠ Win: An artist may be nominated many times without a win; only confirmed victories are tallied here.
Year-by-Year Breakdown of Ariana Grande’s VMA Wins
The following list includes only wins with an official MTV source as of the 2025 ceremony. It excludes nominations, preshow honors, and non-MTV recognition.
| Year | VMA Category | Work | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Best Pop | "Thank U, Next" | Win |
| 2019 | Best Editing | "Thank U, Next" | Win |
| 2019 | Best Choreography | "Thank U, Next" | Win |
| 2019 | Song of Summer | "Thank U, Next" | Win |
| 2021 | Best Art Direction | "Positions" | Win |
| 2025 | — | — | No new win reported |
Notes: Totals above reflect confirmed MTV VMA wins only. The 2019 and 2021 ceremonies produced five wins. The 2025 show did not add to this count.
Context: What 5 VMAs Means in Her Career
Five VMAs place Grande among a strong cohort of pop artists who have achieved major video recognition without necessarily reaching the very top tier of moonman winners. She is also a multiple nominee, having appeared on many ballots across categories such as Song of the Year, Best Female Video, and Group/Collaboration. These nominations reflect sustained cultural impact and fan engagement, even if the win totals are modest compared with artists with 10+ moonmen. Importantly, Grand master has earned signature accolades outside the VMAs, including multiple Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, and Guinness World Records, which contextualize her overall industry stature.
Common Misconceptions and Why Numbers Get Confused
Several factors can cause the reported number of Ariana Grande’s VMAs to vary in articles and social posts:
- Inclusion or exclusion of special awards such as the Vanguard Award (if granted, it would appear as a distinct honor rather than a standard music-video category).
- Counting nominations as wins in headlines or promotional materials.
- Mixing up ceremony years, such as crediting 2020-era wins to 2021 or assuming wins from unaired or canceled events.
- Conflating different award bodies (e.g., MTV Europe Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards) with VMAs.
When you see a claim that she has 7, 9, or more VMAs, compare the cited sources against MTV’s official recap pages for the specific ceremony. The 5-win figure above reflects the verified, source-backed total as of 2025.
How to Track Future VMA Wins and Changes
Because awards can be updated in rare cases due to tie rulings or correction disclosures, the most reliable method to monitor changes is to check MTV’s official VMA coverage and the winners section of the VMAs site shortly after each ceremony. Subscriptions to MTV’s newsletter and trusted music-industry databases provide timely, accurate updates without waiting for third-party summaries. This approach ensures you see the exact number of confirmed VMAs for any artist at any given time.
Summary
Ariana Grande had won 5 VMAs as of the 2025 ceremony. All confirmed wins occurred at the 2019 and 2021 MTV Video Music Awards across categories such as Best Pop, Best Editing, Best Choreography, and Song of Summer. No new VMA wins were added in 2025. This total reflects verified MTV records and distinguishes actual wins from nominations and special honors.