This year’s MTV Video Music Awards nominations are officially in, and it’s making us even more excited about the show! Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande are leading the pack of nominees with nine nods each thanks in large part to their instant club collaboration “Rain on Me,” followed by Billie Eilish and The Weeknd with six nominations each. Not only does this year’s list of nominees have two pandemic-specific categories (best music video from home and best quarantine performance), but it also has a couple of history-makers: Eilish is the first artist in VMAs history to nab two video of the year nominations while still in their teens, and Grande is the first artist to be nominated for video of the year three years in a row since Beyoncé’s run from 2014 to 2016, just to name a couple. Plus, Keke Palmer is set to host and there are a handful of star-studded performances lined up, so you know it’s going to be a big night! Who will take home a Moon Person this year? Tune in on Aug. 30 to find out!
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
“Everything I Wanted” by Billie Eilish
“Godzilla” by Eminem feat. Juice Wrld
“Life Is Good” by Future feat. Drake
“Rain on Me” by Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande
“The Man” by Taylor Swift
“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
DaBaby
Justin Bieber
Lady Gaga
Megan Thee Stallion
Post Malone
The Weeknd
BEST NEW ARTIST
Doja Cat
Jack Harlow
Lewis Capaldi
Roddy Ricch
Tate McRae
Yungblud
SONG OF THE YEAR
“Everything I Wanted” by Billie Eilish
“Say So” by Doja Cat
“Rain on Me” by Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande
“Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion
“Circles” by Post Malone
“The Box” by Roddy Ricch
BEST COLLABORATION
“Stuck With U” by Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber
“Ritmo (Bad Boys for Life)” by Black Eyed Peas feat. J Balvin
“Beautiful People” by Ed Sheeran feat. Khalid
“Life Is Good” by Future feat. Drake
“Tusa” by Karol G feat. Nicki Minaj
“Rain on Me” by Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande
BEST POP
“On” by BTS
“You Should Be Sad” by Halsey
“What a Man Gotta Do” by Jonas Brothers
“Intentions” by Justin Bieber feat. Quavo
“Rain on Me” by Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande
“Lover” by Taylor Swift
BEST HIP-HOP
“Bop” by DaBaby
“Godzilla” by Eminem feat. Juice Wrld
“Life Is Good” by Future feat. Drake
“Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion
“The Box” by Roddy Ricch
“Highest in the Room” by Travis Scott
BEST R&B
“Underdog” by Alicia Keys
“Do It” by Chloe x Halle
“Slide” by H.E.R. feat. YG
“Eleven” by Khalid feat. Summer Walker
“Cuz I Love You” by Lizzo
“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd
BEST K-POP
“On” by BTS
“Obession” by EXO
“Oh My God” by (G)I-DLE
“Someone’s Someone” by Monsta X
“Psycho” by Red Velvet
“9 and Three Quarters (Run Away)” by Tomorrow X Together
BEST LATIN
“China” by Anuel AA feat. Daddy Yankee, Ozuna, Karol G, and J Balvin
“Yo Perreo Sola” by Bad Bunny
“Mamacita” by Black Eyed Peas feat. Ozuna and J. Rey Soul
“Amarillo” by J Balvin
“Tusa” by Karol G feat. Nicki Minaj
“Qué Pena” by Maluma feat. J Balvin
BEST ROCK
“Happy Days” by Blink-182
“Orphans” by Coldplay
“Wasted on You” by Evanescence
“Dear Future Self (Hands Up)” by Fall Out Boy feat. Wyclef Jean
“Oh Yeah!” by Green Day
“Caution” by The Killers
BEST ALTERNATIVE
“If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)” by The 1975
“Some Kind of Disaster” by All Time Low
“Let’s Fall in Love For the Night” by Finneas
“Doin’ Time” by Lana Del Rey
“Bloody Valentine” by Machine Gun Kelly
“Level of Concern” by Twenty One Pilots
BEST MUSIC VIDEO FROM HOME
“Wildflower” by 5 Seconds of Summer
“Stuck With U” by Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber
“Happy Days” by Blink-182
“Toosie Slide” by Drake
“Bigger Love” by John Legend
“Level of Concern” by Twenty One Pilots
BEST QUARANTINE PERFORMANCE
“Do It” by Chloe x Halle from MTV Prom-Athon
CNCO’s MTV Unplugged at Home
DJ D-Nice’s Club MTV Presents: #DanceTogether
John Legend’s #TogetherAtHome Concert Series
“Smile” by Lady Gaga from One World: Together at Home
Post Malone’s Nirvana Tribute
VIDEO FOR GOOD
“Lockdown” by Anderson .Paak
“All the Good Girls Go to Hell” by Billie Eilish
“I Love Me” by Demi Lovato
“I Can’t Breathe” by H.E.R.
“The Bigger Picture” by Lil Baby
“The Man” by Taylor Swift
BEST DIRECTION
“Xanny” by Billie Eilish, directed by Billie Eilish
“Say So” by Doja Cat, directed by Hannah Lux Davis
“Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa, directed by Nabil
“Adore You” by Harry Styles, directed by Dave Meyers
“The Man” by Taylor Swift, directed by Taylor Swift
“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd, directed by Anton Tammi
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Old Me” by 5 Seconds of Summer, cinematography by Kieran Fowler
“My Oh My” by Camila Cabello feat. DaBaby, cinematography by Scott Cunningham
“All the Good Girls Go to Hell” by Billie Eilish, cinematography by Christopher Probst
“Harleys in Hawaii” by Katy Perry, cinematography by Arnau Valls
“Rain on Me” by Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande, cinematography by Thomas Kloss
“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd, cinematography by Oliver Millar
BEST ART DIRECTION
“Babushka Boi” by A$AP Rocky, art direction by A$AP Rocky and Nadia Lee Cohen
“Physical” by Dua Lipa, art direction by Anna Colomé Nogu ́
“Adore You” by Harry Styles, art direction by Laura Ellis Cricks
“Mother’s Daughter” by Miley Cyrus, art direction by Christian Stone
“Boyfriend” by Selena Gomez, art direction by Tatiana Van Sauter
“Lover” by Taylor Swift, art direction by Ethan Tobman
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“All the Good Girls Go to Hell” by Billie Eilish, visual effects by Drive Studios
“I Love Me” by Demi Lovato, visual effects by Hoody FX
“Physical” by Dua Lipa, visual effects by Eighty4
“Adore You” by Harry Styles, visual effects by Mathematic
“Rain on Me” by Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande, visual effects by Ingenuity Studios
“Highest in the Room” by Travis Scott, visual effects by Artjail, Scissor Films, and Frender
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
“On” by BTS, choreography by The Lab and Son Sung Deuk
“Honey Boo” by CNCO and Natti Natasha, choreography by Kyle Hanagami
“Bop” by DaBaby, choreography by Dani Leigh and Cherry
“Physical” by Dua Lipa, choreography by Charm La’Donna
“Rain on Me” by Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande, choreography by Richy Jackson
“Motivation” by Normani, choreography by Sean Bankhead
BEST EDITING
“Graveyard” by Halsey, edited by Emilie Aubry, Janne Vartia, and Tim Montana
“Can’t Believe the Way We Flow” by James Blake, edited by Frank Lebon
“Good as Hell” by Lizzo, edited by Russell Santos and Sofia Kerpan
“Mother’s Daughter” by Miley Cyrus, edited by Alexandre Moors and Nuno Xico
“A Palé” by Rosalía, edited by Andre Jones
“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd, edited by Janne Vartia and Tim Montana
