Beyonce, Jay Z lead BET Awards nominations

Beyonce and Jay Z lead this year's BET Awards nominations.

The superstar couple have garnered five nods apiece at the annual awards ceremony celebrating the best in black entertainment, while rapper Drake is also up for five gongs.

Beyonce is nominated for Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, Video of the Year for 'Partition', and also shares two nods with husband Jay - Best Collaboration and Video of the Year for their hit single, 'Drunk in Love'.

Jay is also up for Best Male Hip Hop Artist and has a Best Collaboration nod with Justin Timberlake for their track together, 'Holy Grail'.

BET's president of music programming and specials Stephen Hill said: "This year's nominees represent the best of the culture. It's great to see our talented new artist's right alongside our more beloved ones with long careers. We appreciate our BET Awards nomination committee, over 300 strong, for their efforts and congratulate all the nominees."

'Happy' hitmaker Pharrell Williams celebrates four nominations, including Best Male R&B/Pop Artist and Best Collaboration for Robin Thicke's hugely successful anthem 'Blurred Lines'.

Meanwhile, the acting categories recognize standout performances from '12 Years a Slave' stars Lupita Nyong'o and Chiwetel Ejiofor, 'Scandal' leading lady Kerry Washington, and talk show legend Oprah Winfrey.

Oscar-winning film '12 Years a Slave' is nominated for Best Movie along with 'The Butler' and 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom'.

The 2014 BET Awards take place on Sunday, June 29, and will be held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

BANG! Showbiz