| BET Awards for Best New Artist | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | BET Awards |
| First awarded | 2001 |
| Currently held by | Coco Jones (2023) |
| Website | http://www.bet.com/shows/bet-awards.html |
The BET Award for Best New Artist is given to an artist who made their debut the previous or same year of the awards ceremony. A former group member can be nominated for the award if they have made their solo debut. Controversy arose when Jennifer Hudson won the award in 2007 even though her only solo release at the time was a single of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"; her first album was scheduled for release in October 2007. Sam Smith is so far the only Caucasian artist to have won the award, winning it in 2015.
Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold.
The BET Award for Video of the Year is given to the most popular music video released the same or previous year of the year the awards are handed out. The award is only given to the performing artist(s) or group in the video. The award is not handed out to the video directors and producers. The all-time winner in this category is Beyoncé with six wins. Drake is the most nominated artist with sixteen nominations. Lady Gaga is the only white artist in history to have won this category for her Beyoncé collaboration "Video Phone".
The BET Award for Viewer's Choice Award is determined by the fans. The all-time winners in this category are Beyoncé and Lil Wayne with four wins each. Drake is the most nominated artist with twenty one nominations.
The BET Award for Best Female R&B/Pop Artist is awarded to the overall best female contemporary R&B, soul, and pop singers who have released an album the previous or same year. The all-time winner in this category is Beyoncé with ten wins; she is also the most nominated artist with seventeen nominations.
The BET Award for Best Group is given to the overall best R&B, hip hop, or gospel group who has released an album the previous or same year. When the award was first given, it awarded male and female groups separately. It was combined the following year. Migos are the all-time winners in this category with four wins and have received the most nominations with seven as a group. Quavo and Takeoff are the artists with the most nominations with eight including seven nominations as a part of Migos.
The BET Award for Best Female Hip Hop Artist is an award given to honor the outstanding achievements female artists have made in hip hop every year. The winner is determined based on sales and overall quality of content released within the eligibility period. The all-time winner in this category is Nicki Minaj with seven wins, she is also the most nominated artist with fourteen nominations.
The BET Awards Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award is given to an urban contemporary gospel artist. The winner is determined based on sales and overall quality of content released within the eligibility period. The award was originally titled Best Gospel Artist, but was later renamed to its current title in 2017. Kirk Franklin currently holds the record for this category, with six wins.
The BET Award for Best Actor is awarded to actors from both television and film. Some nominees have been nominated based on their performances in multiple bodies of work within the eligibility period. Denzel Washington and Michael B. Jordan hold the record for most wins in this category with three.
The BETHer Award honors motivational and empowering songs that center women. The award was first awarded in 2006 as the BET J Cool Like That Award to honor outstanding neo soul and traditional R&B artists. The name of the award was changed when the BET J channel was rebranded as Centric in 2009, and again in 2018 when Centric was rebranded as BET Her. Until 2012, artists themselves were nominated, but in 2013, BET began nominating artists with a respective song. Beyoncé is the most awarded artist in this category with three wins.
The BET Award for Best Male Hip Hop Artist is an award given to honor the outstanding achievements of male artists in hip hop every year. The winner is determined based on sales and overall quality of content released within the eligibility period. Kendrick Lamar is the all-time winner in this category with six wins. Drake has the most nominations with fifteen.
The BET Award for Best Male R&B/Pop Artist is awarded to the overall best male contemporary R&B, soul, and pop singers who have released an album the previous or same year. The all-time winner in this category is Chris Brown with seven wins, he is also the most nominated artist with seventeen nominations.
The BET Award for Best Actress is awarded to actresses from both television and film. Some nominees have been nominated based on their performances in multiple bodies of work within the eligibility period. Taraji P. Henson holds the record for most wins and nominations in this category with six and eleven respectively.