MTV Video Music Awards 2025 Nominees and Winners: See the Complete List

· The Fresno Bee

The MTV Video Music Awards is making its debut on CBS for the 2025 edition with a star-studded lineup of performers led by host LL Cool J.

The Sunday, September 7, awards show is taking place at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, for the second year in a row. This year's edition marks LL Cool J's first time emceeing the MTV ceremony solo, as he previously hosted in 2022 alongside Nicki Minaj and Jack Harlow.

Back in 1997, the "Murdergram" rapper, 57, became the first hip-hop artist to win the Video Vanguard Award. This year, that honor - which has since been renamed in honor of the late Michael Jackson - will go to Mariah Carey, who in a full-circle moment presented LL Cool J with his Video Vanguard Moon Person nearly 20 years ago.

Scroll down for the complete list of 2025 MTV Video Music Awards nominees - and look for the bold names to see who won:

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

Ariana Grande

Charli XCX

Justin Bieber

Lorde

Miley Cyrus

Sabrina Carpenter

Tate McRae

MTV Push Performance of the Year

August 2024: Shaboozey – "A Bar Song (Tipsy)"

September 2024 – Ayra Starr – "Last Heartbreak Song"

October 2024 – Mark Ambor – "Belong Together"

November 2024 – Lay Bankz – "Graveyard"

December 2024 – Dasha – "Bye Bye Bye"

January 2025 – Katseye – "Touch"

February 2025 – Jordan Adetunji – "Kehlani"

March 2025 – Leon Thomas – "Yes It Is"

April 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 – "No Chill"

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

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"

Best Group

Aespa

All Time Low

Backstreet Boys

Blackpink

Coldplay

Evanescence

Fuerza Regida

Grupo Frontera

Imagine Dragons

Jonas Brothers

Katseye

My Chemical Romance

Seventeen

Stray Kids

The Marías

Twenty One Pilots

Song of the Summer

Addison Rae – "Headphones On"

Alex Warren – "Ordinary"

Benson Boone – "Mystical Magical"

BigXthaPlug ft. Bailey Zimmerman – "All the Way"

Chappell Roan – "The Subway"

Demi Lovato – "Fast"

Doja Cat – "Jealous Type"

Huntr/x: Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Rei Ami – "Golden"

Jessie Murph – "Blue Strips"

Justin Bieber – "Daisies"

Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea – "Shake It to the Max (Fly) (Remix)"

Morgan Wallen ft. Tate McRae – "What I Want"

Ravyn Lenae ft. Rex Orange County – "Love Me Not"

Sabrina Carpenter – "Manchild"

Sombr – "12 to 12"

Tate McRae – "Just Keep Watching (From F1® The Movie)"

Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award

Mariah Carey

Rock the Bells Visionary Award

Busta Rhymes

Latin Icon Award

Ricky Martin

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This story was originally published September 7, 2025 at 4:18 PM.