The MTV Europe Music Awards were originally conceived as an alternative to the MTV Video Music Awards. The MTV VMA has been presented to honor the best in the music video medium since 1984. The awards are designed to reflect the current state of the continental and international music scene.
The MTV EMAs are presented in several groups of categories including main categories (such as Best Song, Best Video, Best Female, Best Male, etc.), worldwide categories, European regional categories, other regional categories, and special awards. The categories can be amended, added and discontinued to reflect the transformation of the music scene.
The winners are determined by an online vote. The only category not eligible for voting is Best Video, its winner is chosen by the MTV Music Editorial Team. Fans can vote via the official MTV EMA website or via the MTV EMA mobile app which is available free. The main categories can feature musicians from any country, so American artists have won multiple awards. By the way, the presenters have often been Americans too, although the ceremony is always held in Europe.
As we’ve already mentioned above, the EMAs ceremony is every year in a different country. The United Kingdom and Germany have hosted it most often (five times each as of 2016). Other host countries include France, the Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, Sweden, Spain, Portugal and Denmark. Each year, the organizers present a new logo. The ceremony is broadcast live on MTV Europe, MTV Live HD, and most of the international MTV channels, as well as online.
As of 2016, artists with most MTV EMA wins ever include Justin Bieber (Canada, 19 wins), Eminem (the USA, 14 wins), One Direction (the UK, 12 wins), Linkin Park (the USA, 10 wins), and Dima Bilan (Russia), Lady Gaga (the USA), Britney Spears (the USA) and Thirty Seconds to Mars (the USA) with 8 wins each.
In 2020, the event was held online due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 2023 ceremony was canceled due to the Israel–Hamas war.
Photo: tv.mtvema.com
