Although MTV has been taken over by ‘Jersey Shore’ and ‘Teen Mom,’ the ‘M’ once stood for music and the 2012 VMA Nominations honoring the best in video making are in.

While the rock contingency is pretty anemic throughout the nominations, the Best Rock Video category has some formidable contenders. The Black Keys and their video for ‘Lonely Boy’ is up against Linkin Park’s ‘Burn It Down,’ Jack White’s ‘Sixteen Saltines,’ Coldplay’s ‘Paradise’ and newcomers Imagine Dragons’ video for ‘It’s Time.’

Socially conscious rockers Rise Against got a nod in the Best Video With a Message category for their clip for the song ‘Ballad of Hollis Brown.’ The video portrays Rise Against’s take on the Bob Dylan tune recorded for the Amnesty International compilation ‘Chimes of Freedom’ honoring fifty years of the human rights based charitable organization.

The only other rock showing is Linkin Park’s nomination for ‘Burn It Down’ in the Best Visual Effects category.

Voting is now open to the public and music fans can vote on all the categories through Aug. 24 at VMA.MTV.com.

The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards go down Sept. 6 at 8PM ET live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif.

Watch Rise Against’s MTV VMA Nominated Video For ‘Ballad of Hollis Brown’

Watch Linkin Park’s MTV VMA Nominated Video for ‘Burn It Down’

Watch the Black Keys’ MTV VMA Nominated Video for ‘Lonely Boy’

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