Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift score 10 MTV VMA nominations

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Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift score 10 MTV VMA nominations

Mesfin Fekadu The Associated Press
Published Wednesday, July 24, 2019 8:32AM EDT

This combination photo shows Ariana Grande in 2018, left, and Taylor Swift in 2019. (AP)

Text:

NEW YORK - Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift are the top contenders at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, each scoring 10 nominations.

Grande and Swift will compete in eight of the same categories, including video of the year. Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" and Grande's "thank u, next" are nominated for the top prize alongside Billie Eilish's "Bad Guy," Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus' "Old Town Road," 21 Savage and J. Cole's "A Lot," and Jonas Brothers' "Sucker."

Eilish came in second with nine nominations, while Lil Nas X earned eight nominations.

The 2019 VMAs will take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Aug. 26. Post Malone was surprisingly snubbed, despite dominating on streaming services, radio and the Billboard charts.