Up until the early 80’s the only award that mattered in the mainstream pop music industry was the Grammys. However all that changed when the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA’s) was introduced in 1984. It recognized the excellence of musicians and the efforts that were put into making the top music videos every year. With MTV’s teenage fan following growing in millions, it didn’t take long for the VMA’s to be accepted as an award that recognized excellence in the pop music culture. ‘The moonman’ has become a coveted award since 2001. Over the years the VMA’s have been known for the live theatrics and ‘controversial events’ of the performers and winners more than the awards itself. The ceremony was originally designed to go on for almost five hours, with the pre-show lasting two hours followed by a three hour long post-show. The producers have cut down on the lengthy shows and the present day VMA’s lasts for approximately two hours. The current categories for the MTV Video Music Awards are listed below:

  • Video of the Year
  • Best Male Video
  • Best Female Video
  • Best New Artist
  • Best Pop Video
  • Best Rock Video
  • Best Hip-Hop Video
  • Breakthrough Video
  • Best Direction in a Video
  • Best Choreography in a Video
  • Best Special Effects in a Video
  • Best Art Direction in a Video
  • Best Editing in a Video
  • Best Cinematography in a Video
  • Best Video (That Should Have Won a Moonman)
  • MTV Video Vanguard Award

Past award categories

Categories such as, Ringtone of the Year (2006), Quadruple Threat of the Year (2007), Most Earth shattering Collaboration (2007) didn’t quite make the cut to be a permanent category and were scrapped as soon as they were introduced. The VMA’s have experimented with quite a few categories and have retired a whole lot of them. The ones that are no longer in use are:

  • Best Overall Performance in a Video (1984–87)
  • Most Experimental Video (1984–87)
  • Best Concept Video (1984–88)
  • Best Stage Performance in a Video (1984–89)
  • Best Post-Modern Video (1989–90)
  • Best Long Form Video (1991)
  • Best Alternative Video (1991–98)
  • Best Artist Website (1999)
  • Best Video from a Film (1987–2003)
  • International Viewer's Choice (1989–2003)
  • Best R&B Video (1993–2006)
  • Best Rap Video (1989–2006)
  • Best Dance Video (1989–2006)
  • MTV2 Award (2001–06)
  • Viewer's Choice (1984–2006)
  • Best Video Game Soundtrack (2004–06)
  • Best Video Game Score (2006)
  • Ringtone of the Year (2006)
  • Best Group Video (1984–2007)
  • Quadruple Threat of the Year (2007)
  • Most Earthshattering Collaboration (2007)
  • Monster Single of the Year (2007)
  • Best Dancing in a Video (2008)
  • Best UK Video (2008)