'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) are set to air on Sunday, September 7, at 8 pm ET, broadcasting live from UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. For the first time, the VMAs will air on CBS, alongside simulcasts on MTV and streaming via Paramount+ in the U.S.
Fan voting is now open in 19 categories until September 5 at 6 pm ET, with extended voting for Best New Artist. Viewers can also boost votes via Instagram using artist-specific hashtags through August 8, 2025. A daily “Power Hour” between 1 and 2 pm ET from August 7 to September 4 will allow double voting per category.
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars lead the VMAs 2025 nominations
Lady Gaga leads the 2025 VMAs with 12 nominations, followed by Bruno Mars with 11. This marks the third time Gaga has led nominations at the VMAs, following 2010, when she had 13 nods, and 2020, when she had 9 nods, tying for the lead with Ariana Grande in the latter.
Trending
With 18 VMAs wins to date, Gaga is currently second to Taylor Swift and Beyoncé for the most wins, who are both tied with 30 VMAs wins each. Both Swift and Beyoncé received one nomination each this year for the category Artist of the Year.
Bruno Mars’ nominations include two in Video of the Year: one for his duet with Lady Gaga on Die With a Smile and another for his collaboration with BLACKPINK’s Rosé on APT. Mars becomes the fourth artist to have two Video of the Year nominations in a single year in the VMAs, joining David Lee Roth (1985), U2 (1988), and Lady Gaga (2010).
Rosé has also made history as the first K-pop star nominated for Video of the Year at the VMAs. The BLACKPINK member has secured eight solo nominations overall, tying with Sabrina Carpenter. Other artists with multiple nominations include Kendrick Lamar, who has 10 nominations, Ariana Grande and The Weeknd, who have 7 each, and Billie Eilish, who has 6 nominations.
Nominations for Video of the Year
The 2025 VMAs Video of the Year category guarantees a new winner after Taylor Swift’s three-year winning streak comes to a close. Swift’s only eligible music video, I Can Do It With a Broken Heart for The Tortured Poets Department, was not nominated. The category features:
- Die With a Smile by Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
- APT. by Bruno Mars & Rosé
- Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar
- brighter days ahead by Ariana Grande
- Birds of a Feather by Billie Eilish
- Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter
- Timeless by The Weeknd & Playboi Carti
Lamar’s Not Like Us previously won five Grammys during the 67th GRAMMY Awards, including Best Music Video. The LA rapper is a two-time Video of the Year winner at the VMAs, tied with Beyoncé, Eminem, Missy Elliott, and Rihanna. A third win will secure him the second position after Taylor Swift, who leads with five.
Ariana Grande’s brighter days ahead is also nominated in the Best Long Form Video category, previously won only by Madonna in 1991, Beyoncé in 2016, and Taylor Swift in 2022. The full list of nominations for the category is as follows:
- Ariana Grande for brighter days ahead
- Bad Bunny for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (Short Film)
- Damiano David for FUNNY little STORIES
- Mac Miller for Balloonerism
- Miley Cyrus for Something Beautiful
- The Weeknd for Hurry Up Tomorrow
Artist of the Year and Best New Artist nominations at the 2025 VMAs
The 2025 VMAs’ Artist of the Year nominees include past winners like Lady Gaga and Bad Bunny, as well as potential first-timers, including Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar. Here are all the nominees:
- Lady Gaga
- Bad Bunny
- Taylor Swift
- Beyoncé
- Kendrick Lamar
- The Weeknd
- Morgan Wallen
Best New Artist nominees for 2025 are:
- Alex Warren
- Ella Langley
- Gigi Perez
- Lola Young
- sombr
- The Marías
New country category makes VMAs debut
The VMAs have added a Best Country category in 2025. The inaugural nominees include:
- Chris Stapleton for Think I’m in Love With You
- Cody Johnson & Carrie Underwood for I’m Gonna Love You
- Jelly Roll for Liar
- Lainey Wilson for 4x4xU
- Megan Moroney for Am I Okay?
- Morgan Wallen for Smile
The addition of the country category at the VMAs follows similar genre-specific additions in past years, which include Best Latin introduced in 2010, Best K-Pop introduced in 2019, and Best Afrobeats introduced in 2023. The full list of nominations for each of these categories for the 2025 VMAs is as follows:
Best Latin
- Bad Bunny for BAILE INoLVIDABLE
- J Balvin for Rio
- KAROL G for Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido
- Peso Pluma for LA PATRULLA
- Rauw Alejandro & Romeo Santos for Khé?
- Shakira for Soltera
Best K-Pop
- aespa for Whiplash
- Stray Kids for Chk Chk Boom
- Jimin for Who
- Jisoo for earthquake
- Jennie for like JENNIE
- Rosé for toxic till the end
- Lisa ft. Doja Cat & RAYE for Born Again
Best Afrobeats
- Asake & Travis Scott for Active
- Burna Boy ft. Travis Scott for TaTaTa
- MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng, & Shenseea for Shake It To The Max (FLY) (Remix)
- Rema for Baby (Is It a Crime)
- Tems ft. Asake for Get It Right
- Tyla for PUSH 2 START
- Wizkid ft. Brent Faiyaz for Piece Of My Heart
Other major contenders and the full list of nominations in non-technical categories at the 2025 VMAs
Eminem, the most awarded male artist in the history of the VMAs, has secured three nominations in 2025, one for the Video for Good category, and two for the Best Hip-Hop category. The complete nominations for these two categories are as follows:
Video for Good
- Burna Boy for Higher
- Charli XCX for Guess
- Doechii for Anxiety
- Eminem ft. Jelly Roll for Somebody Save Me
- Selena Gomez, benny blanco for Younger and Hotter Than Me
- Zach Hood ft. Sasha Alex Sloan for Sleepwalking
Best Hip-Hop
- Doechii for Anxiety
- Drake for NOKIA
- Eminem ft. Jelly Roll for Somebody Save Me
- GloRilla ft. Sexyy Red for WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME
- Kendrick Lamar for Not Like Us
- LL COOL J ft. Eminem for Murdergram Deux
- Travis Scott for 4X4
The Marías stands out as the only group or duo with more than one nomination at the 2025 VMAs, including a nod for Best Alternative with Back to Me. The full list of nominations for the category is as follows:
Best Alternative
- Gigi Perez for Sailor Song
- Imagine Dragons for Wake Up
- Lola Young for Messy
- MGK & Jelly Roll for Lonely Road
- sombr for back to friends
- The Marías for Back to Me
Bad Bunny, the top Latin nominee for the 2025 VMAs, earned four nods across the Best Latin, Artist of the Year, Best Album, and Best Long Form Video categories. Bunny previously won Artist of the Year at the 2022 VMAs and was nominated again in 2024.
The remaining full list of nominations for the 2025 VMAs is as follows:
Song of the Year
- Alex Warren for Ordinary
- Billie Eilish for Birds of a Feather
- Doechii for Anxiety
- Ed Sheeran for Sapphire
- Gracie Abrams for I Love You, I’m Sorry
- Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars for Die With a Smile
- Lorde for What Was That
- Rosé & Bruno Mars for APT.
- Tate McRae for Sports Car
- The Weeknd & Playboi Carti for Timeless
Best Collaboration
- Bailey Zimmerman & Luke Combs for Backup Plan (Stagecoach Official Music Video)
- Kendrick Lamar & SZA for luther
- Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars for Die With a Smile
- Post Malone ft. Blake Shelton for Pour Me a Drink
- Rosé & Bruno Mars for APT.
- Selena Gomez & benny blanco for Sunset Blvd
Best Album
- Bad Bunny for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
- Kendrick Lamar for GNX
- Lady Gaga for Mayhem
- Morgan Wallen for I’m the Problem
- Sabrina Carpenter for Short n’ Sweet
- The Weeknd for Hurry Up Tomorrow
Best Pop Artist
- Ariana Grande
- Charli XCX
- Justin Bieber
- Lorde
- Miley Cyrus
- Sabrina Carpenter
- Tate McRae
Best Pop
- Alex Warren for Ordinary
- Ariana Grande for brighter days ahead
- Ed Sheeran for Sapphire
- Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars for Die With a Smile
- Rosé & Bruno Mars for APT.
- Sabrina Carpenter for Manchild
Best R&B
- Chris Brown for Residuals
- Leon Thomas & Freddie Gibbs for MUTT (REMIX)
- Mariah Carey for Type Dangerous
- PARTYNEXTDOOR for N o C h i l l
- Summer Walker for Heart of a Woman
- SZA for Drive
- The Weeknd & Playboi Carti for Timeless
Best Rock
- Coldplay for All My Love
- Evanescence for Afterlife (From Netflix’s Devil May Cry)
- Green Day for One Eyed Bastard
- Lenny Kravitz for Honey
- Linkin Park for The Emptiness Machine
- Twenty One Pilots for The Contract
MTV Push Performance of the Year
- August 2024 - Shaboozey for A Bar Song (Tipsy)
- September 2024 - Ayra Starr for Last Heartbreak Song
- October 2024 - Mark Ambor for Belong Together
- November 2024 - Lay Bankz for Graveyard
- December 2024 - Dasha for Bye Bye Bye
- January 2025 - KATSEYE for Touch
- February 2025 - Jordan Adetunji for KEHLANI
- March 2025 - Leon Thomas for YES IT IS
- April 2025 - Livingston for Shadow
- May 2025 - Damiano David for Next Summer
- June 2025 - Gigi Perez for Sailor Song
- July 2025 - ROLE MODEL for Sally, When the Wine Runs Out
The 2025 VMAs nominations for technical categories
The technical categories at the 2025 VMAs include Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Choreography, and Best Visual Effects.
The full list of nominations for each of the categories in the 2025 VMAs is as follows:
Best Direction
- Ariana Grande for brighter days ahead
- Charli XCX ft. Billie Eilish for Guess
- Kendrick Lamar for Not Like Us
- Lady Gaga for Abracadabra
- Rosé & Bruno Mars for APT.
- Sabrina Carpenter for Manchild
Best Art Direction
- Charli XCX ft. Billie Eilish for Guess
- Kendrick Lamar for Not Like Us
- Lady Gaga for Abracadabra
- Rosé & Bruno Mars for APT.
- Lorde for Man Of The Year
- Miley Cyrus for End of the World
Best Cinematography
- Ariana Grande for brighter days ahead
- Ed Sheeran for Sapphire
- Kendrick Lamar for Not Like Us
- Lady Gaga for Abracadabra
- Miley Cyrus for Easy Lover
- Sabrina Carpenter for Manchild
Best Editing
- Charli XCX ft. Billie Eilish for Guess
- Ed Sheeran for Sapphire
- Kendrick Lamar for Not Like Us
- Lady Gaga for Abracadabra
- Sabrina Carpenter for Manchild
- Tate McRae for Just Keep Watching (From F1 The Movie)
Best Choreography
- Doechii for Anxiety
- FKA twigs for Eusexua
- Kendrick Lamar for Not Like Us
- Lady Gaga for Abracadabra
- Tyla for PUSH 2 START
- Zara Larsson for Pretty Ugly
Best Visual Effects
- Ariana Grande for brighter days ahead
- Lady Gaga for Abracadabra
- ROSÉ & Bruno Mars for APT.
- Sabrina Carpenter for Manchild
- Tate McRae for Just Keep Watching (From F1 The Movie)
- The Weeknd for Hurry Up Tomorrow
The 2025 VMAs are executive-produced by Bruce Gillmer, Jesse Ignjatovic, and Barb Bialkowski, with Van Toffler serving as a producer. Alicia Portugal serves as co-executive producer, Jackie Barba as executive in charge of production, Wendy Plaut in charge of celebrity talent, and Lisa Lauricella handling music talent.
