The MTV Europe Music Awards are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an alternative to the MTV Video Music Awards, which are hosted annually in the United States. The Europe Music Awards are held every year in a different country; it has been hosted mostly in the United Kingdom and Germany. The annual presentation ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and the presentation of those awards that have a more popular interest.
The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song is the main award of the MTV Europe Music Awards. It was first awarded in 1994, when "7 Seconds" won it, and has been given out every year since. The category was renamed Most Addictive Track for the 2007 and 2008 shows. The artists with the most nominations in this category are Ariana Grande and Beyoncé. Beyoncé, Jungkook, Lady Gaga and Pink have won the award twice.
The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Video is an award category presented at the MTV Europe Music Awards. The award was first presented in 1994 under the name Best Director, awarded to Whale's "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe". This is the only MTV EMA award - excluding special awards - whose winner is chosen by MTV, rather than by the public. "Hey Ya!", "Born This Way" and "Havana" are the only music videos to also win Best Song. The artist with the most wins is Taylor Swift with four wins. Taylor Swift is the artist with the most nominations, with seven. Swift and Kendrick Lamar are the only performers to have won the award for a video they co-directed: Lamar for "Humble" in 2017 and Swift for "Me!" in 2019.
The MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act is one of the four original general categories that have been given out since the first annual MTV Europe Music Awards in 1994. Originally called Breakthrough Artist (1994—1999), it was briefly retitled to Future Sounds in 2006 and the winner was chosen by their peers. In 2007 the category featured only European artists chosen by viewers in each region of Europe, every day the artist with the fewest votes was eliminated and the winner would play live at the EMAs. In 2008 the award was once again retitled, this time to its current name. The current holder by this award is Benson Boone.
The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Alternative has been awarded since 1997.
The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Live Act is an award category for the MTV Europe Music Awards. It was first awarded in 1995, which Take That won for their Nobody Else Tour lasting from March to October 1995. U2 and Ed Sheeran won the award the most times, both receiving two awards. The award was briefly named Best Headliner for the 2007 and 2008 ceremonies.
The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Pop was first presented in 1998. British girl group the Spice Girls were the first ever act to receive the award. American singer Britney Spears was the first solo female artist to win the award in 1999, while American singer Justin Timberlake was the first male solo artist to win in 2003. South Korean boy group BTS are the first Kpop act to be nominated in this category in 2020. British boy band One Direction are currently the act with the most award wins in this category, receiving a total of three.
The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Hip Hop has been awarded since 1998. Originally entitled Best Rap, the award was renamed to its current title in 1999. Eminem has won this award ten times, followed by Nicki Minaj with eight times.
The MTV Europe Music Award for Best R&B is an award presented at the MTV Europe Music Awards. It was first given out during the 1997 ceremony and retired after the 2006 ceremony, but was later brought back for the 2022 ceremony. Alicia Keys is the most awarded artist in this category, with three wins and Beyoncé holds the record for the most nominations, with six nods.
The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Push Act was first awarded in 2009.
The MTV Europe Music Award for Biggest Fans is an award category at the MTV Europe Music Awards. The award was first presented in 2011 and has been given every year since except 2023. BTS is the most awarded artist in this category, with five wins. Taylor Swift is the most nominated artist in this category, with nine nominations.
The 2017 MTV EMAs were held at The SSE Arena in Wembley, London, United Kingdom, on 12 November 2017. The ceremony's host was Rita Ora, with voiceovers provided by Capital FM DJ Roman Kemp. This was the sixth time that the UK hosted the ceremony, and the second time London was the host city. London first hosted the ceremony in 1996 at Alexandra Palace. The ceremony was directed for television by British award-winning multi camera director Hamish Hamilton.
The 2018 MTV Video Music Awards were held on Monday night, August 20, 2018 at 9:00–11:43pm EDT at Radio City Music Hall in Midtown Manhattan, Manhattan, New York City. The 35th annual award show aired live from the venue for the 12th time, the most of any previous venue in its history. Cardi B led the list of nominees with twelve nominations. Cardi and Childish Gambino were the most awarded of the night with three each. Camila Cabello won Video of the Year and Artist of the Year, while Jennifer Lopez became the first Latino to receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. This edition of the MTV Video Music Awards saw yet another severe drop in ratings, only achieving a mere 2.2 million viewers on MTV, and only seeing 4.87 million viewers on all of its sister networks.
The 2019 MTV EMAs was held at the FIBES Conference and Exhibition Centre in Seville, Spain, on 3 November 2019. The ceremony's host was Becky G. This was the fourth year, as well as the second consecutive year, that Spain hosted the ceremony. It was also the first time a country hosted back-to-back editions.
The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Collaboration is an award category at the MTV Europe Music Awards. The award was first presented in 2015 and not given from 2016 to 2018, making a return in 2019. Karol G and Rosalía are the only artists to win this award twice, Karol G for "Tusa" with Nicki Minaj in 2020 and "TQG" with Shakira in 2023, and Rosalía for "Con Altura" with J Balvin and El Guincho in 2019 and "New Woman" with Lisa in 2024.
The 2022 MTV Europe Music Awards were held on 13 November 2022 at the PSD Bank Dome in Düsseldorf, Germany. This marks the sixth time the award show is hosted in Germany. The show aired live on MTV with an hour long pre-show leading up to the main show. New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi hosted the ceremony with British singer Rita Ora, marking Ora's second time as a host.
Christian Breslauer is an American music video director. He is known for his work with Lil Nas X, Doja Cat, Lizzo, SZA and Ariana Grande. Breslauer's music video for "Industry Baby" was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, but lost to Taylor Swift's All Too Well: The Short Film.
The 2024 MTV Video Music Awards were held at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on September 11, 2024. The ceremony was originally scheduled to take place on September 10, 2024, but was rescheduled to a day later to avoid conflicts with the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. The show was hosted by American rapper, Megan Thee Stallion, marking her hosting debut.
