The nominees for the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) have officially been announced, generating buzz across the global music and entertainment industry. The announcement, made by MTV and CBS on Tuesday, August 6, includes the full list of nominations across more than 20 competitive categories.
The 2025 VMAs will be held on Sunday, September 8, and for the first time, the event will be broadcast live from UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, airing on both CBS and MTV, and streaming globally via Paramount+ starting at 8 p.m. ET.
Let’s take a closer look at this year’s top nominees, newly introduced categories, voting deadlines, and the complete list of artists and songs dominating the nominations.
Lady Gaga Leads with 12 Nominations
Global pop icon Lady Gaga is the most-nominated artist at the 2025 VMAs, receiving 12 total nominations. Her acclaimed album “Mayhem”, along with multiple standout tracks and music videos, including the widely streamed “Die With a Smile” (featuring Bruno Mars) and “Abracadabra,” has landed her in top categories such as:
- Video of the Year
- Artist of the Year
- Song of the Year
- Best Collaboration
- Best Pop
- Best Direction
- Best Visual Effects
- Best Art Direction
- Best Cinematography
- Best Editing
- Best Choreography
This marks another milestone in Gaga’s long history with the VMAs, reaffirming her dominance as a creative force in the music industry.
Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar Follow Closely
Bruno Mars follows right behind Gaga with 11 nominations, many of which stem from two powerful collaborations:
- “Die With a Smile” with Lady Gaga
- “APT.” with BLACKPINK’s ROSÉ
Both songs are nominated across major categories including Video of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Collaboration, and Best Pop, underlining Bruno Mars’ enduring influence in pop and R&B.
Kendrick Lamar, with 10 nominations, continues to gain critical recognition for his socially charged tracks. His solo project “Not Like Us” and the collaborative single “Luther” with SZA are leading entries in:
- Video of the Year
- Best Hip-Hop
- Best Collaboration
- Artist of the Year
- Song of the Year
His album GNX is also nominated in the Best Album category.
Other Big Nominees of 2025
Several other global artists earned major recognition at this year’s VMAs:
- ROSÉ (of BLACKPINK) and Sabrina Carpenter both secured 8 nominations.
- Ariana Grande and The Weeknd each earned 7 nominations for their music and long-form video projects.
- Billie Eilish received 6 nominations, thanks in part to her track “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”.
- Charli XCX landed 5 nominations, including visual and technical categories.
- Artists including Bad Bunny, Doechii, Ed Sheeran, Jelly Roll, Miley Cyrus, and Tate McRae received 4 nominations apiece.
Fan Voting and Deadlines
Fans can vote now for 19 VMA categories at vote.mtv.com. Voting will remain open until Thursday, September 5, at 6 p.m. ET, with one exception:
- The Best New Artist category will remain open through the live broadcast on September 8.
New Categories in 2025
This year, MTV introduced two new categories:
- Best Pop Artist – to highlight overall contributions in pop music.
- Best Country – acknowledging rising popularity of country music across platforms and charts.
2025 VMA Broadcast Details
- Date: Sunday, September 8, 2025
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Venue: UBS Arena, Elmont, NY
- Broadcast: CBS, MTV
- Streaming: Paramount+
FULL LIST OF 2025 VMA NOMINEES
Below is the complete and official list of nominees across key categories:
Video of the Year
- 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)
- Ariana Grande
- Charli XCX
- Justin Bieber
- Lorde
- Miley Cyrus
- Sabrina Carpenter
- Tate McRae
Best Collaboration
- Bailey Zimmerman & Luke Combs – “Backup Plan”
- 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
Genre-Specific Categories
Best Pop
- Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, ROSÉ & Bruno Mars, Sabrina Carpenter, Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, Alex Warren
Best Hip-Hop
- Doechii, Drake, Eminem ft. Jelly Roll, GloRilla ft. Sexyy Red, Kendrick Lamar, LL COOL J ft. Eminem, Travis Scott
Best R&B
- Chris Brown, Leon Thomas & Freddie Gibbs, Mariah Carey, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Summer Walker, SZA, The Weeknd
Best Alternative
- Gigi Perez, Imagine Dragons, Lola Young, mgk & Jelly Roll, sombr, The Marías
Best Rock
- Coldplay, Evanescence, Green Day, Lenny Kravitz, Linkin Park, twenty one pilots
Best Latin
- Bad Bunny, J Balvin, KAROL G, Peso Pluma, Rauw Alejandro & Romeo Santos, Shakira
Best K-Pop
- aespa, JENNIE, Jimin, JISOO, LISA ft. Doja Cat & RAYE, Stray Kids, ROSÉ
Best Afrobeats
- Asake & Travis Scott, Burna Boy, MOLIY, Rema, Tems ft. Asake, Tyla, Wizkid ft. Brent Faiyaz
Best Country (New)
- Chris Stapleton, Cody Johnson & Carrie Underwood, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney, Morgan Wallen
Technical & Creative Categories
Best Direction
- Ariana Grande, Charli XCX, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, ROSÉ & Bruno Mars, Sabrina Carpenter
Best Art Direction
- Charli XCX, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Lorde, Miley Cyrus, ROSÉ & Bruno Mars
Best Cinematography
- Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Sabrina Carpenter
Best Editing
- Charli XCX, Ed Sheeran, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae
Best Choreography
- Doechii, FKA twigs, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Tyla, Zara Larsson
Best Visual Effects
- Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, ROSÉ & Bruno Mars, Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae, The Weeknd
Long-Form & Message-Driven Videos
Best Long Form Video
- Ariana Grande, Bad Bunny, Damiano David, Mac Miller, Miley Cyrus, The Weeknd
Video for Good
- Burna Boy, Charli XCX, Doechii, Eminem ft. Jelly Roll, Selena Gomez, Zach Hood ft. Sasha Alex Sloan
- With major icons and emerging stars nominated side by side, the 2025 VMAs promise an electrifying night of music and performance.
The event continues MTV’s tradition of honoring not just music but creativity, direction, activism, and innovation across genres. - Fans should cast their votes before the deadline and tune in for a night full of performances, surprise appearances, and major wins.
Stay tuned on September 8 for what could be one of the most exciting VMAs in recent years.
The Information is Collected from CBS News and ABC News.
