I had to check my calendar to make sure it wasn’t too early for VMA Nominations to be announced. Lo and behold, we’re almost done with July, and now is the usual time that the nominees for the show-an MTV institution since 1984-to be announced.

To (what should be) no one’s surprise, the leading nominees are Katy Perry, Adele and Kanye West. Whatever you think of the music made by any of these artists, you have to admit that Perry and West, in particular, make eye-catching video clips (and the awards are based on video quality, not music quality). Of course, for Adele, this begins a period which should go through the next 6-9 months in which she will be nominated for (and will likely win) just about every award ever created.

As is customary when it comes to the VMAs, a lot of the nominees come ripped straight from the Billboard charts and Top 40 airwaves. Bruno Mars, Eminem, Lady GaGa and Beyonce all have multiple nominations. There are some surprises, though. Rihanna wasn’t acknowledged for any of the videos from her Loud album, GaGa’s three nominations seem a little low compared to her outsize persona, and Justin Bieber only received one nomination.

On the opposite side of things, there were surprise nominations from a number of under-the-radar or developing acts, including Odd Future rapper Tyler the Creator and indie rockers Foster the People and Cage the Elephant.

Check out the full list of nominees after the jump. The VMAs will be held in Los Angeles on August 28th.

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Adele, “Rolling In The Deep”
Tyler, The Creator, “Yonkers”
Katy Perry, “Firework”
Bruno Mars, “Grenade”
Beastie Boys, “Make Some Noise”

BEST FEMALE VIDEO

Adele, “Rolling In The Deep”
Katy Perry, “Firework”
Beyonce, “Run The World (Girls)”
Nicki Minaj, “Super Bass”
Lady Gaga, “Born This Way”

BEST MALE VIDEO

Cee Lo Green, “F*** You”
Eminem feat. Rihanna, “Love The Way You Lie”
Bruno Mars, “Grenade”
Kanye West feat. Rihanna & Kid Cudi, “All of the Lights”
Justin Bieber, “U Smile”

BEST HIP HOP VIDEO

Lil Wayne feat. Cory Gunz, “6’7′”
Kanye West feat. Rihanna & Kid Cudi, “All of the Lights”
Chris Brown feat. Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes, “Look At Me Now”
Nicki Minaj, “Super Bass”
Lupe Fiasco, “The Show Goes On”

BEST NEW ARTIST

Foster The People, “Pumped Up Kicks”
Wiz Khalifa, “Black and Yellow”
Tyler, The Creator, “Yonkers”
Big Sean feat. Chris Brown, “My Last”
Kreayshawn, “Gucci Gucci”

BEST POP VIDEO

Adele, “Rolling in the Deep”
Bruno Mars, “Grenade”
Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo, Nayer & Afrojack, “Give Me Everything”
Katy Perry, “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”
Britney Spears, “Till The World Ends”

BEST ROCK VIDEO

The Black Keys, “Howlin For You”
Foo Fighters,”Walk”
Foster The People, “Pumped Up Kicks”
Mumford & Sons, “The Cave”
Cage The Elephant, “Shake Me Down”

BEST COLLABORATION

Pitbull feat. ne-Yo, Nayer & Afrojack, “Give Me Everything”
Chris Brown feat. Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes, “Look At Me Now”
Kanye West feat. Rihanna & Kid Cudi, “All of the Lights”
Katy Perry feat. Kanye West, “E.T.”
Nicki Minaj feat. Drake, “Moment 4 Life”

BEST ART DIRECTION

Adele, “Rolling In The Deep”
Katy Perry, “Firework”
Lady Gaga, “Judas”
Kanye West, “Power”
Death Cab For Cutie, “You Are A Tourist”

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Beyonce, “Run The World (Girls)”
Britney Spears, “Till The World Ends”
Lady Gaga, “Judas”
Bruno Mars, “The Lazy Song”
LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock, “Party Rock Anthem”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Adele, “Rolling In The Deep”
Beyonce, “Run The World (Girls)”
Eminem feat. Rihanna, “Love The Way You Lie”
Katy Perry, “Teenage Dream”
30 Seconds To Mars, “Hurricane”

BEST DIRECTION

Adele, “Rolling In The Deep”
Beastie Boys, “Make Some Noise”
Katy Perry feat. Kanye West, “E.T.”
30 Seconds To Mars, “Hurricane”
Eminem feat. Rihanna, “Love The Way You Lie”

BEST EDITING

Katy Perry feat. Kanye West, “E.T.”
30 Seconds To Mars, “Hurricane”
Adele, “Rolling In The Deep”
Kanye West feat. Rihanna & Kid Cudi, “All of the Lights”
Manchester Orchestra, “Simple Math”

BEST SFX (SPECIAL EFFECTS)

Manchester Orchestra, “Simple Math”
Katy Perry feat. Kanye West, “E.T.”
Kanye West, “Power”
Linkin Park, “Waiting For The End”
Chromeo, “Don’t Turn The Lights On”