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Beyoncé Formation
She slays: Beyoncé in the video for Formation. Photograph: HBO
She slays: Beyoncé in the video for Formation. Photograph: HBO

VMAs 2016 nominations: Beyoncé and Adele set to sweep awards

This article is more than 7 years old

Beyoncé has earned 11 nominations for her ‘visual album’ Lemonade, with Adele bringing up second place with eight – seven of which are for Hello

She’s one of the most celebrated performers of the modern era, and on Tuesday Beyoncé earned even more accolades, with 11 nominations in the MTV Video Music Awards for her Lemonade project. The “visual album” was released in April, two months after its politically charged Formation video was unveiled just before Beyoncé’s controversial appearance at the Super Bowl.

Adele received eight nominations for the awards, seven of which were her video Hello, directed by the young Canadian film-maker Xavier Dolan. Both Formation and Hello are nominated for the top award, video of the year: the others in the category are Drake’s much-memed Hotline Bling, Justin Bieber’s Sorry and Kanye West’s Famous, which depicts him in bed with a succession of naked celebrities.

Last year the nominations caused a spat between Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift, after the latter took offense at Minaj complaining that she had not been nominated for video of the year for Anaconda. However, neither has been nominated this year.

The full list of nominees is:

Video of the year

Adele: Hello
Beyoncé: Formation
Drake: Hotline Bling
Justin Bieber: Sorry
Kanye West: Famous

Best Female Video:

Adele: Hello
Beyoncé: Hold Up
Sia: Cheap Thrills
Ariana Grande: Into You
Rihanna [ft. Drake]: Work (short version)

Best Male Video:

Drake: Hotline Bling
Bryson Tiller: Don’t
Calvin Harris [ft Rihanna]: This Is What You Came For
Kanye West: Famous
The Weeknd: Can’t Feel My Face

Best Collaboration:

Beyoncé [ft Kendrick Lamar]: Freedom
Fifth Harmony [ft Ty Dolla $ign]: Work From Home
Ariana Grande [ft Lil Wayne]: Let Me Love You
Calvin Harris [ft Rihanna]: This Is What You Came For
Rihanna [ft Drake]: Work (short version)

Best Hip Hop Video:

Drake: Hotline Bling
Desiigner: Panda
Bryson Tiller: Don’t
Chance the Rapper: Angels
2 Chainz: Watch Out

Best Pop Video:

Adele: Hello
Beyoncé: Formation
Justin Bieber: Sorry
Alessia Cara: Wild Things
Ariana Grande: Into You

Best Rock Video:

All Time Low: Missing You
Coldplay: Adventure of a Lifetime
Fall Out Boy [ft Demi Lovato]: Irresistible
twenty one pilots: Heathens
Panic! At the Disco: Victorious

Best Electronic Video:

Calvin Harris & Disciples: How Deep Is Your Love
99 Souls [ft Destiny’s Child & Brandy]: The Girl Is Mine
Mike Posner: I Took a Pill in Ibiza
Afrojack: SummerThing!
The Chainsmokers [ft Daya]: Don’t Let Me Down

Breakthrough Long Form Video:

Florence and the Machine: The Odyssey
Beyoncé: Lemonade
Justin Bieber: PURPOSE: The Movement
Chris Brown: Royalty
Troye Sivan: Blue Neighborhood Trilogy

Best New Artist:

Bryson Tiller
Desiigner
Zara Larsson
Lukas Graham
DNCE

Best Art Direction:

Beyoncé: Hold Up
Fergie: M.I.L.F.$
Drake: Hotline Bling
David Bowie: Blackstar
Adele: Hello

Best Choreography:

Beyoncé: Formation
Missy Elliott [ft. Pharrell]: WTF (Where They From)
Beyoncé: Sorry
FKA twigs: M3LL155X
Florence and the Machine: Delilah

Best Direction:

Beyoncé: Formation
Coldplay: Up&Up
Adele: Hello
David Bowie: Lazarus
Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better

Best Cinematography:

Beyoncé: Formation
Adele: Hello
David Bowie: Lazarus
Alesso: I Wanna Know
Ariana Grande: Into You

Best Editing:

Beyoncé: Formation
Adele: Hello
Fergie: M.I.L.F.$
David Bowie: Lazarus
Ariana Grande: Into You

Best Visual Effects:

Coldplay: Up&Up
FKA twigs: M3LL155X
Adele: Send My Love (To Your New Lover)
The Weeknd: Can’t Feel My Face
Zayn: PILLOWTALK

More on this story

More on this story

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  • Adele endorses Hillary Clinton for presidency – video

  • Clinton 'thrilled' to receive Adele's backing for US presidency

  • Adele: I'm not doing Super Bowl halftime show

  • Adele soars back to the top of the charts after Glastonbury set

  • Adele's albums top charts after Glastonbury performance

  • Someone like you: the Adele eyeliner challenge

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