The stars have arrived and the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards are now underway. The performances will be a huge part of the show, as Rihanna will carry out something of a career retrospective and Kanye West will have free reign. Beyonce is also rumored to have something special in store. There are also many hotly contested awards up for grabs. Honestly, the VMAs is one of the few award shows that respectfully acknowledges hip-hop, and it'll be worth watching even for those wary of the usual award show fodder. You can live stream the entire ceremony on MTV.com.
Beyonce is way ahead of the pack with 11 nominations. Other artists up for multiple awards include Adele (8), Ariana Grande (5), Drake (4), and Rihanna (4). Hip-hop/R&B artists like 2 Chainz, Chance the Rapper, Bryson Tiller, and Desiigner are also looking to take home a coveted moonman statue. Check out the full list of nominees below, which will be updated as the winners are announced.
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Adele - “Hello” Director: Xavier Dolan
Beyoncé – “Formation” Director: Melina Matsoukas -- WINNER
Drake – “Hotline Bling” Director: Director X
Justin Bieber – “Sorry” Director: Parris Goebel
Kanye West – “Famous” Director: Kanye West
BEST FEMALE VIDEO
Adele – “Hello” Director: Xavier Dolan
Beyoncé – “Hold Up” Director: Jonas Åkerlund, Beyoncé Knowles Carter -- WINNER
Sia – “Cheap Thrills” Director: Lior Molcho
Ariana Grande – “Into You” Director: Hannah Lux Davis
Rihanna ft. Drake – “Work” (short version) Director: Director X
BEST MALE VIDEO
Drake – “Hotline Bling” Director: Director X
Bryson Tiller – “Don’t” Director: Cris
Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – “This Is What You Came For” Director: Emil Nava -- WINNER
Kanye West – “Famous” Director: Kanye West
The Weeknd – “Can’t Feel My Face” Director: Grant Singer
BEST COLLABORATION
Beyoncé ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Freedom” Director: Beyoncé Knowles Carter, Kahlil Joseph
Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign – “Work From Home” Director: Director X -- WINNER
Ariana Grande ft. Lil Wayne – “Let Me Love You” Director: Grant Singer
Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – “This Is What You Came For” Director: Emil Nava
Rihanna ft. Drake – “Work” (short version) Director: Director X
BEST HIP HOP VIDEO
Drake – “Hotline Bling” Director: Director X -- WINNER
Desiigner – “Panda” Director: Paul Geusebroek
Bryson Tiller – “Don’t” Director: Cris
Chance The Rapper featuring Saba – “Angels” Director: Austin Vesely
2 Chainz – “Watch Out” Director: Motion Family
BEST POP VIDEO
Adele – “Hello” Director: Xavier Dolan
Beyoncé – “Formation” Director: Melina Matsoukas -- WINNER
Justin Bieber – “Sorry” Director: Parris Goebel
Alessia Cara – “Wild Things” Director: Aaron A
Ariana Grande – “Into You” Director: Hannah Lux Davis
BEST ROCK VIDEO
All Time Low – “Missing You” Director: Patrick Tracy
Coldplay – “Adventure Of A Lifetime” Director: Mat Whitecross
Fall Out Boy ft. Demi Lovato – “Irresistible” Director: Wayne Isham
twenty one pilots – “Heathens” Director: Andrew Donoho -- WINNER
Panic! At The Disco – “Victorious” Director: Brandon Dermer
BEST ELECTRONIC VIDEO
Calvin Harris & Disciples – “How Deep Is Your Love” Director: Emil Nava -- WINNER
99 Souls ft. Destiny’s Child & Brandy – “The Girl Is Mine” Director: Ludovic Zuili / Simon Bouisson
Mike Posner – “I Took A Pill In Ibiza” Director: Jon Jon Augustavo
Afrojack – “SummerThing!” Director: Sam Sneed
The Chainsmokers ft. Daya – “Don’t Let Me Down” Director: Marcus Kuhne
BREAKTHROUGH LONG FORM VIDEO
Florence + The Machine – The Odyssey
Beyoncé – Lemonade -- WINNER
Justin Bieber – PURPOSE: The Movement
Chris Brown – Royalty
Troye Sivan – Blue Neighbourhood Trilogy
BEST NEW ARTIST Presented by Taco Bell®
Bryson Tiller
Desiigner
Zara Larsson
Lukas Graham
DNCE -- WINNER
SONG OF SUMMER
Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – “This Is What You Came For”
Sia – “Cheap Thrills”
The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey– "Closer"
Drake ft. Kyla and Wizkid– "One Dance"
Justin Timberlake– "Can't Stop the Feeling"
Kent Jones– "Don't Mind"
Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber & MØ– "Cold Water"
Nick Jonas ft. Ty Dolla $ign– "Bacon"
Selena Gomez– "Kill Em With Kindness"
Fifth Harmony ft. Fetty Wap– "All In My Head (Flex)" — WINNER
PROFESSIONAL CATEGORIES Presented by Orbit® Gum
BEST ART DIRECTION
Beyoncé – “Hold Up” Production Designer: Jason Hougaard
Fergie – “M.I.L.F. $” Production Designer: Alexander Delgado
Drake – “Hotline Bling” Production Designer: Jeremy MacFarlane
David Bowie – “Blackstar” Production Designer: Jan Houllevigue -- WINNER
Adele – “Hello” Production Designer: Colombe Raby
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Beyoncé – “Formation” Choreographer: Chris Grant, JaQuel Knight, Dana Foglia -- WINNER
Missy Elliott ft. Pharrell – “WTF (Where They From)” Choreographer: Hi-Hat
Beyoncé – “Sorry” Choreographer: Chris Grant, JaQuel Knight, Dana Foglia, Anthony Burrell, Beyoncé Knowles Carter
FKA Twigs – “M3LL155X” Choreographer: FKA Twigs
Florence + The Machine – “Delilah” Choreographer: Holly Blakey
BEST DIRECTION
Beyoncé – “Formation” Director: Melina Matsoukas -- WINNER
Coldplay – “Up&Up” Director: Vania Heymann, Gal Muggia
Adele – “Hello” Director: Xavier Dolan
David Bowie – “Lazarus” Director: Johan Renck
Tame Impala – “The Less I Know The Better” Director: Canada
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Beyoncé – “Formation” Cinematographer: Malik Sayeed -- WINNER
Adele – “Hello” Cinematographer: André Turpin
David Bowie – “Lazarus” Cinematographer: Crille Forsberg
Alesso – “I Wanna Know” Cinematographer: Corey Jennings
Ariana Grande – “Into You” Cinematographer: Paul Laufer
BEST EDITING
Beyoncé – “Formation” Editor: Jeff Selis -- WINNER
Adele – “Hello” Editor: Xavier Dolan
Fergie – “M.I.L.F. $” Editor: Vinnie Hobbs
David Bowie – “Lazarus” Editor: Johan Söderberg
Ariana Grande – “Into You” Editor: Hannah Lux Davis
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Coldplay – “Up&Up” VFX Editor: Vania Heymann -- WINNER
FKA Twigs – “M3LL155X” VFX Editor: Lewis Saunders, Jihoon Yoo
Adele – “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” VFX Editor: Sam Sneade
The Weeknd – “Can’t Feel My Face” VFX Editor: Bryan Smaller
Zayn – “PILLOWTALK” VFX Editor: David Smith
[via Complex]