Culture

MTV VMAs 2025 Nominations: See Every Category and Nominee Here

Collage showing pictures of Sabrina Carpenter Bruno Mars Lady Gaga BLACKPINK's Ros and Kendrick Lamar the five artists...
Composite: Getty Images

The MTV VMAs 2025 nominations are here, and Lady Gaga is in the lead this year with a whopping 12 nods, including Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year. The feat marks the third time the artist has led the VMAs nominations, having achieved it twice in the past in 2010 and 2020.

Since its inception in 1984, the VMAs have become a summer staple, marking the end of the sunny season. The MTV VMAs 2025 are set to take place in New York's UBS Arena on Sunday, September 7, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The ceremony will be aired live on CBS as well as via simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+. If you live outside of the US, the ceremony will also be available globally in over 150 countries.

Kevin Winter/MTV VMAs 2020/Getty Images

Trailing Lady Gaga for most nominations are Bruno Mars (who secured 11 nods), Kendrick Lamar (with 10), as well as BLACKPINK's Rosé and Sabrina Carpenter tied with eight noms each, the former making her first solo nominations. Other top contenders include Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, Bad Bunny, Doechii, Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, Tate McRae, and more. The likes of KATSEYE, Role Model, Jennie, Jisoo, sombr, and more have also secured their first-ever VMAs noms.

Quantity seems to be the name of the game this year, as both Beyoncé and Taylor Swift secure nominations for Artist of the Year, igniting the race for the title for most-ever VMAs wins once again. (ICYMI: Last year, Swift became the most awarded artist in VMAs history, both as a soloist and overall, after securing seven awards during the night for a total of 30 competitive wins. Beyoncé currently holds 25 VMAs wins as a solo artist and 29 overall wins, excluding her special honor as a recipient of the Vanguard Award in 2014.)

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Kevin Mazur

This year's VMAs include 19 gender-neutral categories, with the addition of Best Country and Best Pop Artist. Fan voting is open at vote.mtv.com until September 5 at 6 p.m. ET, except for Best New Artist, which will remain active into the show. Song of the Year nominations will be narrowed down to six nominees on August 18 at 12 p.m. ET, with voting continuing until September 5.

As confirmed by MTV, Fans can get additional votes in the Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Best New Artist categories by commenting under the pinned posts on the @VMAs Instagram account using the artist-specific hashtags until August 8 at 6 p.m. ET. Double votes are also available every day from August 7 through September 4 from 1-2 p.m. ET during Power Hour presented by BACARDÍ® Rum.

Below, check out all the MTV VMAs 2025 nominations so far and stay tuned for social categories, performers, honorees, and more, which will be announced at a later date.

VIDEO OF THE YEAR, presented by Burger King®

  • Ariana Grande – “brighter days ahead”
  • Billie Eilish – “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”
  • Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
  • Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile”
  • ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
  • Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
  • The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

  • Bad Bunny
  • Beyoncé
  • Kendrick Lamar
  • Lady Gaga
  • Morgan Wallen
  • Taylor Swift
  • The Weeknd

SONG OF THE YEAR

  • Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
  • Billie Eilish – “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”
  • Doechii – “Anxiety”
  • Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire”
  • Gracie Abrams – “I Love You, I'm Sorry”
  • Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile”
  • Lorde – “What Was That”
  • ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
  • Tate McRae – “Sports Car”
  • The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”

BEST NEW ARTIST

  • Alex Warren
  • Ella Langley
  • Gigi Perez
  • Lola Young
  • sombr
  • The Marías

BEST POP ARTIST (New Category)

  • Ariana Grande
  • Charli XCX
  • Justin Bieber
  • Lorde
  • Miley Cyrus
  • Sabrina Carpenter
  • Tate McRae

MTV PUSH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR, presented by BACARDÍ® Rum

  • Shaboozey – “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (August 2024)
  • Ayra Starr – “Last Heartbreak Song” (September 2024)
  • Mark Ambor – “Belong Together” (October 2024)
  • Lay Bankz – “Graveyard” (November 2024)
  • Dasha – “Bye Bye Bye” (December 2024)
  • KATSEYE – “Touch” (January 2025)
  • Jordan Adetunji – “KEHLANI” (February 2025)
  • Leon Thomas – “YES IT IS” (March 2025)
  • Livingston – “Shadow” (April 2025)
  • Damiano David – “Next Summer” (May 2025)
  • Gigi Perez – “Sailor Song” (June 2025)
  • Role Model – “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out” (July 2025)

BEST COLLABORATION, presented by Under Armour

  • Bailey Zimmerman with Luke Combs – “Backup Plan (Stagecoach Official Music Video)”
  • Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “luther”
  • Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile”
  • Post Malone ft. Blake Shelton – “Pour Me A Drink”
  • ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
  • Selena Gomez, benny blanco – “Sunset Blvd”

BEST POP

  • Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
  • Ariana Grande – “brighter days ahead”
  • Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire”
  • Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile”
  • ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
  • Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”

BEST HIP–HOP

  • Doechii – “Anxiety”
  • Drake – “NOKIA”
  • Eminem ft. Jelly Roll – “Somebody Save Me”
  • GloRilla ft. Sexyy Red – “WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME”
  • Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
  • LL COOL J ft. Eminem – “Murdergram Deux”
  • Travis Scott – “4X4”

BEST R&B

  • Chris Brown – “Residuals”
  • Leon Thomas & Freddie Gibbs – “MUTT (REMIX)”
  • Mariah Carey – “Type Dangerous”
  • PARTYNEXTDOOR – “N o C h i l l”
  • Summer Walker – “Heart of a Woman”
  • SZA – “Drive”
  • The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”

BEST ALTERNATIVE

  • Gigi Perez – “Sailor Song”
  • Imagine Dragons – “Wake Up”
  • Lola Young – “Messy”
  • mgk & Jelly Roll – “Lonely Road”
  • sombr – “back to friends”
  • The Marías – “Back To Me”

BEST ROCK

  • Coldplay – “All My Love”
  • Evanescence – “Afterlife (From the Netflix Series 'Devil May Cry')”
  • Green Day – “One Eyed Bastard”
  • Lenny Kravitz – “Honey”
  • Linkin Park – “The Emptiness Machine”
  • twenty one pilots – “The Contract”

BEST LATIN

  • Bad Bunny – “Baile Inolvidable”
  • J Balvin – “Rio”
  • Karol G – “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”
  • Peso Pluma – “La Patrulla”
  • Rauw Alejandro & Romeo Santos – “Khé?”
  • Shakira – “Soltera”

BEST K–POP

  • aespa – “Whiplash”
  • Jennie – “Like Jennie”
  • Jimin – “Who”
  • Jisoo – “Earthquake”
  • Lisa ft. Doja Cat & Raye – “Born Again”
  • Stray Kids – “Chk Chk Boom”
  • Rosé – “Toxic Till the End”

BEST AFROBEATS

  • Asake & Travis Scott – “Active”
  • Burna Boy ft. Travis Scott – “TaTaTa”
  • Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea – “Shake It to the Max (Fly) (Remix)”
  • Rema – “Baby (Is It a Crime)”
  • Tems ft. Asake – “Get It Right”
  • Tyla – “Push 2 Start”
  • Wizkid ft. Brent Faiyaz – “Piece of My Heart”

BEST COUNTRY (New Category)

  • Chris Stapleton – “Think I'm in Love With You”
  • Cody Johnson with Carrie Underwood – “I’m Gonna Love You”
  • Jelly Roll – “Liar”
  • Lainey Wilson – “4x4xU”
  • Megan Moroney – “Am I Okay?”
  • Morgan Wallen – “Smile”

BEST ALBUM

  • Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos
  • Kendrick Lamar – GNX
  • Lady Gaga – Mayhem
  • Morgan Wallen – I'm the Problem
  • Sabrina Carpenter – Short n' Sweet
  • The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow

BEST LONG FORM VIDEO

  • Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
  • Bad Bunny – “Debí Tirar Más Fotos (Short Film)”
  • Damiano David – “Funny Little Stories”
  • Mac Miller – “Balloonerism”
  • Miley Cyrus – “Something Beautiful”
  • The Weeknd – “Hurry Up Tomorrow”

VIDEO FOR GOOD

  • Burna Boy – “Higher”
  • Charli XCX – “Guess” (featuring Billie Eilish)
  • Doechii – “Anxiety”
  • Eminem ft. Jelly Roll – “Somebody Save Me”
  • Selena Gomez, benny blanco – “Younger and Hotter Than Me”
  • Zach Hood ft. Sasha Alex Sloan – “Sleepwalking”

BEST DIRECTION

  • Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
  • Charli XCX – “Guess” (featuring Billie Eilish)
  • Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
  • Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
  • ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
  • Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”

BEST ART DIRECTION

  • Charli XCX – “Guess” (featuring Billie Eilish)
  • Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
  • Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
  • Lorde – “Man of the Year”
  • Miley Cyrus – “End of the World”
  • ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

  • Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
  • Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire”
  • Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
  • Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
  • Miley Cyrus – “Easy Lover”
  • Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”

BEST EDITING

  • Charli XCX – “Guess” (featuring Billie Eilish)
  • Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire”
  • Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
  • Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
  • Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
  • Tate McRae – “Just Keep Watching” (From F1® The Movie)

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

  • Doechii – “Anxiety”
  • FKA twigs – “Eusexua”
  • Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
  • Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
  • Tyla – “Push 2 Start”
  • Zara Larsson – “Pretty Ugly”

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

  • Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
  • Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
  • ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
  • Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
  • Tate McRae – “Just Keep Watching” (From F1® The Movie)
  • The Weeknd – “Hurry Up Tomorrow”