MTV revealed the nominations for the 30th annual MTV “Video Music Awards” airing LIVE from Barclays Center on Sunday, August 25th at 9pm ET/PT today. Every artist who wins a 2013 Video Music Award will take home a limited-edition KAWS Moonman, created exclusively for this year’s historic show set to take place in Brooklyn for the first time ever. Beginning today, fans can vote in general VMA categories, including “Video of the Year,” “Artist to Watch,” and more by visiting vma.mtv.com.
At 8:00 AM ET this morning, the VMA’s most coveted award, “Video of the Year,” was unveiled via the @MTV Instagram and Vine video accounts – making the VMAs the first awards show to announce nominations via these social media video platforms. Justin Timberlake’s “Mirrors,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop,” Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven,” Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” featuring T.I. and Pharrell, and Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble,” are set for an epic battle to take home Video of the Year. Previous “Video of the Year” winners have included R.E.M’s “Losing My Religion,” Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy,” Madonna’s “Ray of Light,” Eminem’s “Without Me,” Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” and Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It).”
Justin Timberlake and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis lead this year’s VMA pack with six overall nominations each. Timberlake’s nominations include “Video of the Year,” “Best Male Video,” “Best Pop Video” and “Best Editing” for “Mirrors,” while his “Suit & Tie” featuring JAY Z, scored nods for “Best Collaboration,” and “Best Direction.” Previously, Timberlake has taken home seven Video Music Awards, including “Best Pop Video” for “Cry Me A River.”
Fresh off their show stopping performance at the MTV Movie Awards and mtvU Woodies, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis score their first-ever Video Music Award nominations with six nods (tying Timberlake in total nods) including “Video of the Year” for their smash hit “Thrift Shop,” “Best Hip-Hop Video,” “Best Cinematography,” “Best Direction,” and “Best Editing” for “Can’t Hold Us featuring Ray Dalton,” while “Same Love” received a nod for “Best Video with a Social Message.”
As a previous performer at the 2011 “Video Music Awards,” Bruno Mars continues his hugely successful VMA run by garnering four nominations this year including “Video of the Year,” “Best Pop Video,” and “Best Male Video” for “Locked Out of Heaven,” and “Best Choreography” for the smooth summer groove, “Treasure.”
P!nk, Robin Thicke, Miley Cyrus and Thirty Seconds to Mars are each up for three Video Music Awards. P!nk’s powerful “Just Give Me A Reason” featuring Nate Ruess garnered multiple nominations for “Best Female Video,” “Best Collaboration” and “Best Editing.” Robin Thicke’s sexy video for “Blurred Lines” feat T.I. and Pharrell received VMA nods for “Video of the Year,” “Best Male Video” and “Best Collaboration.” Miley Cyrus’ millennial anthem “We Can’t Stop” is up for “Best Female Video,” “Best Pop Video” and “Best Editing” while Thirty Seconds To Mars’ “Up In The Air” received nominations for “Best Rock Video,” “Best Art Direction” and “Best Cinematography.”
Other notable nominees receiving multiple 2013 Video Music Award nods range from the worlds of Pop, Hip-Hop, EDM, R&B and Rock and include previously nominated artists such as Taylor Swift, Drake, fun., Calvin Harris, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as well as first-time VMA nominees Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Rey, The Weeknd and Capital Cities.
This year, the VMA for “Best New Artist” has been re-named “Artist to Watch” presented by Taco Bell®. This change was inspired by the positive response to MTV’s Artist to Watch campaign, a new music discovery initiative across all of MTV’s television channels, websites and social networks. The nominees for “Artist to Watch” are: Twenty One Pilots for “Holding On To You,” Zedd featuring Foxes for “Clarity,” Austin Mahone for “What About Love,” The Weeknd for “Wicked Games” and Iggy Azalea for “Work.” Previous “Best New Artist” VMA winners have included iconic names in music such as Eurythmics, Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana, Eminem, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and One Direction.
Celebrating the union between music and social activism, the nominees for this year’s “Best Video with a Social Message” include Kelly Clarkson’s “People Like Us,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Same Love,” Snoop Lion’s “No Guns Allowed,” Miguel’s “Candles in the Sun,” and Beyoncé’s “I Was Here.” First debuting in 2011, this category is presented in conjunction with MTV Act, which spotlights young people and celebrities who are taking positive action.
A full list of categories and nominations are below. Nominees for an additional new socially voted category, “Best Song of the Summer” will be announced on August 12th.
The 2013 MTV Video Music Awards Nominees are:
Video Of The Year
Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz – “Thrift Shop”
Bruno Mars – “Locked Out of Heaven”
Robin Thicke feat. T.I. and Pharrell – “Blurred Lines”
Taylor Swift – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
Best Hip-Hop Video
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – “Can’t Hold Us”
Drake – “Started From The Bottom”
Kendrick Lamar – “Swimming Pools”
A$AP Rocky feat. Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar – “F**kin Problems”
J. Cole feat. Miguel – “Power Trip”
Best Male Video
Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
Robin Thicke feat. T.I. and Pharrell – “Blurred Lines”
Bruno Mars – “Locked Out of Heaven”
Ed Sheeran – “Lego House”
Kendrick Lamar – “Swimming Pools”
Best Female Video
Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko – “Stay”
Taylor Swift – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
Miley Cyrus – “We Can’t Stop”
P!nk feat. Nate Ruess – “Just Give Me A Reason”
Demi Lovato – “Heart Attack”
Best Pop Video
Bruno Mars – “Locked Out of Heaven”
Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
fun. – “Carry On”
Miley Cyrus – “We Can’t Stop”
Selena Gomez – “Come and Get It”
Artist To Watch Presented by Taco Bell®
Twenty One Pilots – “Holding On To You”
Zedd Feat. Foxes – “Clarity”
Austin Mahone – “What About Love”
The Weeknd – “Wicked Games”
Iggy Azalea – “Work”
Best Collaboration
Justin Timberlake feat. JAY Z -“Suit & Tie”
Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera – “Feel This Moment”
Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding – “I Need Your Love”
Robin Thicke feat. T.I. and Pharrell – “Blurred Lines”
P!nk feat. Nate Ruess – “Just Give Me A Reason”
Best Video With A Social Message
Kelly Clarkson – “People Like Us”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – “Same Love”
Snoop Lion – “No Guns Allowed”
Miguel – “Candles In The Sun”
Beyoncé – “I Was Here”
Best Rock Video
Imagine Dragons – “Radiocative”
Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)”
Mumford & Sons Mumford & Sons – “I Will Wait”
30 Seconds To Mars Thirty Seconds to Mars – “Up In The Air”
Vampire Weekend – “Diane Young”
Best Art Direction
Capital Cities – “Safe and Sound”
Thirty Seconds To Mars – “Up In The Air”
Janelle Monae feat. Erykah Badu – “Q.U.E.E.N”
Lana Del Rey – “National Anthem”
Alt-J – “Tesselate”
Best Choreography
Chris Brown – “Fine China”
Ciara – “Body Party”
Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull – “Live It Up”
will.i.am feat. Justin Bieber – “#thatPOWER”
Bruno Mars – “Treasure”
Best Cinematography
Thirty Seconds To Mars – “Up In The Air”
Lana Del Rey – “Ride”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Sacrilege”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – “Can’t Hold Us”
A-Trak & Tommy Trash – “Tuna Melt”
Best Direction
Justin Timberlake feat. JAY-Z – “Suit & Tie”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – “Can’t Hold Us”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Sacrilege”
fun. – “Carry On”
Drake – “Started From The Bottom”
Best Editing
P!nk feat. Nate Ruess – “Just Give Me A Reason”
Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch – “Sweet Nothing”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – “Can’t Hold Us”
Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
Miley Cyrus – “We Can’t Stop”
Best Visual Effects
Flying Lotus – “Tiny Tortures”
Skrillex feat. The Door – “Breakin’ A Sweat”
The Weeknd – “Wicked Games”
Duck Sauce – “It’s You”
Capital Cities – “Safe and Sound”
