BET Networks announced the nominees for their annual BET Awards showcase.
With 20 categories that range from best film, best international act to best gospel artist, Donnie McClurkin, Tamela Mann, Tye Tribbett, Erica Campbell and Hezekiah Walker will compete for the best gospel artist of the past year.
McClurkin has been nominated four times since the show's inception and won the best gospel artist accolade in 2001 and 2005. Mann was nominated in the same category in 2010 and most recently last year. For Tribbett and Campbell this marks their first nomination.
The slave themed film "12 Years a Slave" and "Lee Daniels' The Butler," a film about a White House butler were also nominated for best movie, but snubbed at this morning's nomination announcement was David Oyelowo for his part in "The Butler" and Somalian-American actor Barkhad Abdi who played a pirate in the Tom Hanks starrer "Captain Phillips."
Related: Charlie Wilson Steals the Show at BET's Celebration of Gospel 2014 (Pictures)
Forest Whitaker, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Oprah Winfrey and Academy award-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o received nominations in the acting category. Other nominees include Jay Z and Beyonce in the music category, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Floyd Mayweather Jr. who will vie for the Subway Sportsman of the Year award.
"This year's nominees represent the best of the culture," said Stephen Hill, BET's President of Music Programming and Specials. "It's great to see our talented new artist's right alongside our more beloved ones with long careers and congratulate all the nominees."
Established in 2001, the BET Awards celebrate African-Americans and other minorities in music, film, sports and other fields of entertainment.
Hosted by Chris Rock, winners of the 2014 BET Awards will be announced Sunday, June 29th from the Nokia Theater L.A. Live in Los Angeles, CA.
