Arts & Entertainment
Beyoncé, Adele lead MTV VMA nominees
out musician Troye Sivan also lands nomination
Beyonce (Still courtesy Parkwood/Columbia)
MTV announced its 2016 VMA nominations with Beyoncé and Adele leading the pack.
Beyoncé received the most nominations, earning 11 for her visual album “Lemonade” and scoring a nomination for Video of the Year for “Formation.” Adele came in at second place with a total eight nominations, seven for “Hello” and one for “Send My Love (To Your New Lover).”
Troye Sivan’s “Blue Neighborhood Trilogy” music video series was also nominated for Best Long-Form Video. The series tells the story of Sivan and his childhood friend who encounter the struggles of a same-sex relationship. The series includes Sivan’s songs “Wild,” “Free” and “Take Me Down.”
The 33rd annual MTV VMAs air on Sunday, Aug. 28 from New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
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- “Work (featuring Drake)”
Best Male Video
Drake- “Hotline Bling”
Bryson Tiller- “Don’t”
Calvin Harris- “This is What You Came For (featuring Rihanna)”
Kanye West- “Famous”
The Weeknd- “Can’t Feel My Face”
Best Collaboration
Beyoncé- “Freedom (featuring Kendrick Lamar)”
Fifth Harmony- “Work From Home (featuring Ty Dolla $ign)”
Ariana Grande- “Let Me Love You (featuring Lil Wayne)”
Calvin Harris- “This is What You Came For (featuring Rihanna)”
Rihanna- “Work (featuring Drake)”
Best Hip-Hop Video
Drake- “Hotline Bling”
Desiigner- “Panda”
Bryson Tiller- “Don’t”
Chance the Rapper- “Angels (featuring Saba)”
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- “Irresistible (featuring Demi Lovato)”
Twenty One Pilots- “Heathens”
Panic! At The Disco- “Victorious”
Best Electronic Video
Calvin Harris & Disciples- “How Deep is Your Love”
99 Souls- “The Girl is Mine (featuring Destiny’s Child and Brandy)”
Mike Posner- “I Took a Pill in Ibiza”
Afrojack- “SummerThing!”
The Chainsmokers- “Don’t Let Me Down (featuring Daya)”
Breakthrough Long-Form Video
Florence + the Machine- “The Odyssey”
Beyoncé- “Lemonade”
Justin Bieber- “Purpose: The Movement”
Chris Brown- “Royalty”
Troye Sivan- “Blue Neighbourhood Trilogy”
Best New Artist
Bryson Tiller
Desiigner
Zara Larsson
Lukas Graham
DNCE
The Capital Pride Alliance presented the 2026 Capital Pride Honors at “The Audacity Brunch: In Full Fuchsia” at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. on Sunday, June 7.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
Out & About
Congressional Cemetery hosts Gays & Graves
Daylong Pride celebration blends history, remembrance, art and community
Historic Congressional Cemetery will host the second annual “Gays & Graves: A Big Gay Festival” on Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m.
The event will feature pioneering activist Randy Wicker, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, and new public art installations and programs celebrating LGBTQ+ history. Gays & Graves is an official partner event of Capital Pride 2026.
This event is a daylong Pride celebration blending history, remembrance, art and community. Visitors can shop from LGBTQ+ and allied artists and makers, experience performances and interactive installations, and engage with programs exploring LGBTQ+ history and lived experience.
For more details, visit the cemetery’s website.
Baltimore Pride is underway, taking place from June 8-14.
The Pride Parade will be on Saturday, June 13 at 12 p.m. at Charles Street & North Avenue, followed by the Pride Block Party at 1 p.m. at Druid Hill Park. And then the Pride Festival will be held on Sunday, June 14 at 12 p.m. at Druid Hill Park.
There will be an array of additional events including: a fashion show, a “Suits and Sneakers” reception and a 5k race, among many other events.
For more details, visit Baltimore Pride’s website.
PHOTOS: The Audacity Brunch
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Congressional Cemetery hosts Gays & Graves
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Calendar: June 12-18
Hundreds of thousands expected to attend D.C. Pride events
PHOTOS: Pride Run
Queen Jean is Tony’s first transgender winner
EXCLUSIVE: Pelosi reflects on four decades of LGBTQ advocacy
