BTS, who boycotted the Grammys, win the MTV VMA Grand Prize… take home ‘Song of the Year’

The group BTS ultimately took home the Song of the Year trophy, the grand prize at the MTV VMA that they had narrowly missed out on five years ago.

On the 27th (local time), BTS won Song of the Year at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards (hereinafter, the “2026 MTV VMA”), held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, United States.

That day, “SWIM,” the title track from BTS’s fifth studio album, “ARIRANG,” was announced as the winner of Song of the Year.

“SWIM” competed against Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Bring Your Love,” PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson’s “Stateside,” and RAYE’s “Where Is My Husband!”

This win is especially meaningful because it erased the disappointment of failing to win five years ago. At the 2021 MTV VMA, BTS became the first Korean act to be nominated for Song of the Year with “Dynamite,” but did not go on to win.

Five years later, BTS returned to the same category and finally claimed the trophy with “SWIM.”

The win is even more significant as it came at the VMA’s equivalent of a grand prize after BTS raised concerns about the Grammy Awards’ plan to create a new Asian Pop category next year and effectively announced a boycott by saying they would not submit entries for next year’s ceremony.

That day, BTS received nominations in three categories, including Song of the Year, Best Group, and Best K-Pop.