VMAs 2016

The **2016 MTV Video Music Awards** were held on August 28, 2016 at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. Adele's "Hello" was the most nominated video with seven categories. Beyoncé led the nominations with a total of

eleven, followed by Adele, who had eight. Rihanna received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award after performing several medley numbers during the ceremony. Britney Spears marked her first performance at the awards show since the heavily-criticized 2007 show nine years prior. Beyoncé won eight awards thus beating Madonna for the most moon men awarded to one artist with twenty four.

The ceremony was shown on multiple Viacom cable networks and through smart TV and mobile devices which allow access to MTV's TV Everywhere-authenticated live stream within their app (dependent upon provider), along with MTV's website.

Few awards shows live up to their hype, but the MTV Video Music Awards have almost always been an exception to that rule. Ever since the first show in 1984, the VMAs have have been good for some jawdropping performances, prime celebrity watching in the audience, and if they’re lucky, the kinds of moments that keep people dissecting their layers for years to come.

The 2016 awards were a decidedly mixed bag, though. Taking place in New York City’s Madison Square Garden for the first time — for decades, the VMAs have switched between slightly smaller venues in New York and LA — the production moved in fits and starts, with obvious sound and organizational issues cramping most of the performances.

But there were still a few stellar — or at least noteworthy — performances, at least one of which will take its rightful place among the best the VMAs have ever had.

## **Nominations**

This year's nominees were presented on July 26, 2016, on MTV's Facebook page live.

### **Video of the Year**

***Beyoncé — "Formation"***

* Adele — "Hello"
* Drake — "Hotline Bling"
* Justin Bieber — "Sorry"
* Kanye West — "Famous"

### **Best Male Video**

***Calvin Harris (featuring Rihanna) — "This Is What You Came For"***

* Drake — "Hotline Bling"
* Bryson Tiller — "Don't"
* The Weeknd — "Can't Feel My Face"
* Kanye West — "Famous"

### **Best Female Video**

***Beyoncé — "Hold Up"***

* Adele — "Hello"
* Ariana Grande — "Into You"
* Rihanna (featuring Drake) — "Work"
* Sia — "Cheap Thrills"

### **Best New Artist**

***DNCE***

* Desiigner
* Zara Larsson
* Lukas Graham
* Bryson Tiller

### **Best Pop Video**

***Beyoncé — "Formation"***

* Adele — "Hello"
* Justin Bieber — "Sorry"
* Alessia Cara — "Wild Things"
* Ariana Grande — "Into You"

### **Best Rock Video**

***Twenty One Pilots — "Heathens"***

* All Time Low — "Missing You"
* Coldplay — "Adventure of a Lifetime"
* Fall Out Boy (featuring Demi Lovato) — "Irresistible"
* Panic! at the Disco — "Victorious"

### **Best Hip-Hop Video**

***Drake — "Hotline Bling"***

* 2 Chainz — "Watch Out"
* Chance the Rapper (featuring Saba) — "Angels"
* Desiigner — "Panda"
* Bryson Tiller — "Don't"

### **Best Electronic Video**

***Calvin Harris and Disciples — "How Deep Is Your Love"***

* 99 Souls (featuring Destiny's Child and Brandy) — "The Girl Is Mine"
* Afrojack — "SummerThing!"
* The Chainsmokers (featuring Daya) — "Don't Let Me Down"
* Mike Posner — "I Took a Pill in Ibiza"

### **Best Collaboration Video**

***Fifth Harmony (featuring Ty Dolla Sign) — "Work from Home"***

* Beyoncé (featuring Kendrick Lamar) — "Freedom"
* Ariana Grande (featuring Lil Wayne) — "Let Me Love You"
* Calvin Harris (featuring Rihanna) — "This Is What You Came For"
* Rihanna (featuring Drake) — "Work"

### **Breakthrough Long Form Video**

***Beyoncé — Lemonade***

* Justin Bieber — *Purpose: The Movement*
* Chris Brown — *Royalty*
* Florence + The Machine — *The Odyssey*
* Troye Sivan — *Blue Neighbourhood Trilogy*

### **Best Direction**

***Beyoncé — "Formation" (Director: Melina Matsoukas)***

* Adele — "Hello" (Director: Xavier Dolan)
* David Bowie — "Lazarus" (Director: Johan Renck)
* Coldplay — "Up&Up" (Directors: Vania Heymann and Gal Muggia)
* Tame Impala — "The Less I Know the Better" (Director: Canada)

### **Best Choreography**

***Beyoncé — "Formation" (Choreographers: Chris Grant, JaQuel Knight and Dana Foglia)***

* Beyoncé — "Sorry" (Choreographers: Chris Grant, JaQuel Knight, Dana Foglia, Anthony Burrell & Beyoncé Knowles Carter)
* Missy Elliott (featuring Pharrell) — "WTF (Where They From)" (Choreographer: Hi-Hat)
* FKA Twigs — *M3LL155X* (Choreographer: Aaron Sillis, Benjamin Milan, Kenrick Sandy and FKA Twigs)
* Florence + The Machine — "Delilah" (Choreographer: Holly Blakey)

### **Best Visual Effects**

***Coldplay — "Up&Up" (Visual Effects: Vania Heymann and GloriaFX)***

* Adele — "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" (Visual Effects: Jonathan Box and MPC)
* FKA Twigs — *M3LL155X* (Visual Effects: Lewis Saunders and Jihoon Yoo)
* The Weeknd — "Can't Feel My Face" (Visual Effects: Louis Mackall and T.J. Burke)
* Zayn — "Pillowtalk" (Visual Effects: David Smith)

### **Best Art Direction**

***David Bowie — "Blackstar" (Art Director: Jan Houllevigue)***

* Adele — "Hello" (Art Director: Colombe Raby)
* Beyoncé — "Hold Up" (Art Director: Jason Hougaard)
* Drake — "Hotline Bling" (Art Director: Jeremy MacFarlane)
* Fergie — "M.I.L.F. $" (Art Director: Alexander Delgado)

### Best Editing

**Beyoncé — "Formation" (Editor: Jeff Selis)**

* Adele — "Hello" (Editor: Xavier Dolan)
* David Bowie — "Lazarus" (Editor: Johan Söderberg)
* Fergie — "M.I.L.F. $" (Editor: Vinnie Hobbs)
* Ariana Grande — "Into You" (Editor: Hannah Lux Davis)

### **Best Cinematography**

***Beyoncé — "Formation" (Director of Photography: Malik Sayeed)***

* Adele — "Hello" (Director of Photography: André Turpin)
* Alesso — "I Wanna Know" (Director of Photography: Corey Jennings)
* David Bowie — "Lazarus" (Director of Photography: Crille Forsberg)
* Ariana Grande — "Into You" (Director of Photography: Paul Laufer)

### **Song of Summer**

***Fifth Harmony (featuring Fetty Wap) — "All in My Head (Flex)"***

* The Chainsmokers (featuring Halsey) — "Closer"
* Drake (featuring Kyla and Wizkid) — "One Dance"
* Selena Gomez — "Kill Em with Kindness"
* Calvin Harris (featuring Rihanna) — "This Is What You Came For"
* Nick Jonas (featuring Ty Dolla Sign) — "Bacon"
* Kent Jones — "Don't Mind"
* Major Lazer (featuring Justin Bieber and MØ) — "Cold Water"
* Sia — "Cheap Thrills"
* Justin Timberlake — "Can't Stop the Feeling!"