Here Are the 2025 MTV Video Music Award Nominees originally appeared on Parade.
The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) are always a spectacle. The night brings out some of the music industry’s biggest stars, and you don’t know what these chaotic superstars will do, which makes it a fascinating awards show to watch. This year should be especially memorable because Lady Gaga leads the pack with an impressive 12 nominations. Where there’s Gaga, there’s always an iconic experience waiting to happen. Not to mention the race for most-ever VMA wins continues between Beyoncé (who has 28 Moonmen) and Taylor Swift (who has 30).
Read on to get the scoop on everything we know so far about the 2025 VMAs.
When are the 2025 VMAs?
The 2025 Video Music Awards will take place on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. The show will air live at 8 p.m. ET.
🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬
Where will the 2025 VMAs be held?
The 2025 VMAs will return to UBS Arena in Belmont Park, New York – the same venue that hosted the 2024 ceremony. UBS Arena is the home of the New York Islanders and one of the country’s newest and most cutting-edge venues.
Who will host the 2025 VMAs?
The host for the 2025 VMAs has not been announced yet. We’ll update this section as soon as MTV reveals who will be taking the stage to guide us through the night’s super glam festivities.
How to watch and stream the 2025 VMAs
This year’s show will air live on CBS. This is a pretty big change from previous years when it aired on MTV. The ceremony will also be simulcast on MTV and will stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. The show will broadcast to 150+ countries globally.
Related: The Complete List of Winners from the 2024 VMAs
Who are the 2025 VMA Nominees?
On Aug. 5, 2025, MTV revealed the highly anticipated list of nominees for the 2025 VMAs. Here are the major categories and nominees:
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 Category)
-
Ariana Grande
-
Charli xcx
-
Justin Bieber
-
Lorde
-
Miley Cyrus
-
Sabrina Carpenter
-
Tate McRae
MTV Push Performance of the Year
-
Aug 2024 – Shaboozey – “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
-
Sept 2024 – Ayra Starr – “Last Heartbreak Song”
-
Oct 2024 – Mark Ambor – “Belong Together”
-
Nov 2024 – Lay Bankz – “Graveyard”
-
Dec 2024 – Dasha – “Bye Bye Bye”
-
Jan 2025 – KATSEYE – “Touch”
-
Feb 2025 – Jordan Adetunji – “KEHLANI”
-
Mar 2025 – Leon Thomas – “YES IT IS”
-
Apr 2025 – Livingston – “Shadow”
-
May 2025 – Damiano David – “Next Summer”
-
June 2025 – Gigi Perez – “Sailor Song”
-
July 2025 – ROLE MODEL – “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out”
Best Collaboration
-
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”
Related: See the Dazzling Red-Carpet Fashions from the 2024 ‘VMAs’
Top Nominees by Number of Nominations
Lady Gaga leads with 12 nominations, marking the third time she’s led VMA nominations (previously in 2010 with 13 nods and 2020 with 9 nods). Other top contenders include:
-
Bruno Mars (11 nominations)
-
Kendrick Lamar (10 nominations)
-
ROSÉ (8 nominations – first solo nods)
-
Sabrina Carpenter (8 nominations)
-
Ariana Grande (7 nominations)
-
The Weeknd (7 nominations)
-
Billie Eilish (6 nominations)
Notable First-Time Nominees
The 2025 VMAs feature 33 first-time nominees, including several artists receiving multiple nominations:
-
ROSÉ (8 nominations – first solo)
-
Alex Warren and Gigi Perez (3 nominations each)
-
Damiano David (first solo nominations)
-
Leon Thomas, Lola Young, sombr, and The Marías (2 nominations each)
Other notable first-time nominees include Bailey Zimmerman, Blake Shelton, Brent Faiyaz, KATSEYE, Lainey Wilson, Mac Miller, and many more.
Related: Taylor Swift Lets Loose During 2024 VMAs Performances: Just ‘Vibing Along’
How to Vote for the 2025 VMAs
Fan voting is now open for 19 gender-neutral categories at vote.mtv.com through Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. ET. The Best New Artist category remains active into the show.
Special Voting Features:
-
Song of the Year nominees will narrow to six on Aug. 18 at 12 p.m. ET
-
Extra votes available for Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Best New Artist by commenting on @VMAs Instagram posts through Aug. 8
-
Power Hour presented by BACARDÍ® Rum offers double votes daily from 1-2 p.m. ET (Aug. 7 – Sept. 4)
Who will perform at the 2025 VMAs?
The list of performers for the 2025 VMAs has not been announced yet. We’ll update this section as MTV reveals the star-studded lineup.
Who will receive the 2025 Video Vanguard Award?
The recipient of the 2025 Video Vanguard Award has not been announced yet. This prestigious award recognizes artists who have made significant contributions to music videos and popular culture.
Who are the presenters at the 2025 VMAs?
The list of presenters for the 2025 VMAs has not been released yet. We’ll update this information as it becomes available.
Here Are the 2025 MTV Video Music Award Nominees first appeared on Parade on Aug 5, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
