The nominations for the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards were announced on Tuesday, with pop superstar Taylor Swift leading the pack with 8 nods. Closely following Swift is R&B singer SZA with 6 nominations, while Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo and Sam Smith each secured 5 apiece
The VMAs will air live on September 12th from the Prudential Center in New Jersey. Fan voting is currently open on MTV’s website for the majority of categories.
Swift’s leading 8 nominations were for her hits “Anti-Hero” and “All Too Well: The Short Film.” She is up for some of the night’s biggest awards including Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Best Longform Video, Direction, and Cinematography. This continues Swift’s reign as one of the VMAs most nominated artists ever, with over 50 career nods to date.
Meanwhile, SZA scored nominations for her massive hit “Kill Bill” across categories like Song of the Year, Best R&B, Direction, Cinematography, Editing and more. Doja Cat (“Woman”), Kim Petras (“Unholy”), Miley Cyrus (“We Can’t Stop”), Nicki Minaj (“Super Freaky Girl”) and Olivia Rodrigo (“Good 4 U”) are all up for the coveted Video of the Year trophy.
The VMAs are also highlighting K-pop and Afrobeats music more than ever before. New categories were added for Best K-Pop and Best Afrobeats Video for the very first time. Fans can vote for artists like BLACKPINK, SEVENTEEN, Wizkid and Fireboy DML among others.
The show further expanded its awards categories to keep up with evolving music trends. The Best Alternative category now includes artists like Lana Del Rey, Paramore, Thirty Seconds to Mars and more. The Best Metaverse Performance Category also bows this year.
First-time VMA nominees in 2022 include Kim Petras, who became the first trans artist to receive a nomination in the Best New Artist category. Additional newcomers are Metro Boomin, GloRilla, Ice Spice, Reneé Rapp and Yung Miami.
Fan voting will remain open in all categories except Best New Artist through September 1st on MTV’s website. Voting for Best New Artist will stay open into the live show on September 12th. Fans can vote multiple times per day to support their favorite artists and help determine winners.
It’s expected to be a star-studded night at the VMAs, as fans tune in to see epic performances, surprise guests, red carpet fashion and more. The VMAs are known for iconic pop culture moments, from Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift to Miley Cyrus’ unforgettable “Wrecking Ball” performance.
After taking a beating in pandemic years, the VMAs look to be back in top form, with today’s biggest hitmakers competing for the coveted Moon Man trophies. MTV has unveiled new designs for the Moon Man statuettes this year, with five different looks representing key eras and genres.
As Swift, Nicki Minaj and Eminem lead the nominations among legacy pop stars, artists like Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, Olivia Rodrigo and SZA represent the new generation. Fans are excited to see today’s top artists bring the spectacle live on the VMAs stage.
With unpredictable moments, viral fashion and zeitgeist-capturing musical performances, the VMAs aim to tap into the trends and artists that defined the year in music. Swift, Cyrus and SZA look poised to take home multiple wins, but tune into the 2022 VMAs live on September 12th to see it all go down.
