| Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award | |
|---|---|
 The 1987–1988 Video Vanguard Award received by Michael Jackson | |
| Awarded for | Outstanding contributions and influence on music video and popular culture |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | MTV |
| Formerly called | Video Vanguard Award Lifetime Achievement Award |
| First award | 1984 |
| Most recent winner(s) | Mariah Carey (2025) |
| Website | VMA website |
TheMichael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, is a merit given tomusicians andmusic video directors at theMTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), a ceremony that was established in 1984. It is presented byMTV for "outstanding contributions" and "profound impact" on music videos and popular culture.[1][2][3] As the ceremony's special category, thetrophy is a gold-plated "moonman" rather than the silver ones of the other VMA categories.[4]The Beatles and directorRichard Lester were honored with the Video Vanguard Award at theinaugural VMAs for "essentially inventing the music video."[5]David Bowie also received the award at the same ceremony. Two years later,Madonna became the first female recipient. In 1991, the award was renamed afterMichael Jackson, who had previously won the 1988 trophy. Beginning in 2023,Toyota sponsors the category through a partnership withParamount Global, resulting in the award being presented as theMichael Jackson Video Vanguard Award Presented by Toyota.[6]
It was presented as the Lifetime Achievement Award at the2003 VMAs toDuran Duran, and in 2006 as the Video Vanguard Award to directorHype Williams. Following Jackson's death, the award returned with his name restored in 2011. According to MTV, his name was attached to the award due to "Jackson's groundbreaking work as a video artist".[7] This naming again caused controversy after the release ofLeaving Neverland (2019), a documentary about allegedchild sexual abuse by Jackson.[8][9][10] As in previous ceremonies, MTV did not explicitly display Jackson's name on the television broadcast of the2019 MTV Video Music Awards, although its website MTV.com still called it Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.[11] The year's recipient,Missy Elliott, did mention Jackson in her speech,[12] as didNicki Minaj in her 2022 speech.[13]Mariah Carey is the most recent recipient of the award at the2025 MTV Video Music Awards.
Since its inception, the Video Vanguard Award has been awarded to 35 acts, with most of them being ofAmerican orBritish origin, exceptRussell Mulcahy (1985,Australian),Zbigniew Rybczyński (1986,Polish),U2 (2001,Irish),Rihanna (2016,Barbadian),Nicki Minaj (2022,Trinidadian), andShakira (2023,Colombian). Out of all the winners, nine acts have also won the VMAs' biggest prize,Video of the Year,[14][15] includingPeter Gabriel andJustin Timberlake, who both earned the two awards in the same night. Since 2013, recipients have been invited to perform a medley of songs leading up to their acceptance speech.[16]
| * | IndicatesVideo of the Year winners |
| Year | Image | Recipient | Nationality | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 |  | The Beatles | United Kingdom | Presented bythe Police membersAndy Summers andStewart Copeland. The Beatles and Richard Lester, director ofA Hard Day's Night (1964) andHelp! (1965), were honored for "essentially inventing the music video." | [5] [17] |
.jpg) | Richard Lester | United States | |||
.jpg) | David Bowie | United Kingdom | Presented byHerbie Hancock. | [17] | |
| 1985 |  | David Byrne | United Kingdom | Presented byChrissie Hynde. Byrne was honored for his work withTalking Heads. | [18] |
| — | Russell Mulcahy | Australia | Presented byJohn Taylor andAndy Taylor. Mulcahy was the director ofThe Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star", the first video played on MTV. | [19] | |
 | Godley & Creme | United Kingdom | Presented by Herbie Hancock. | [20] | |
| 1986 |  | Madonna * | United States | Presented byRobert Palmer. Madonna became the first woman to receive the honor. She later won the Video of the Year for "Ray of Light" in 1998. | [21] [22] [23] |
 | Zbigniew Rybczyński | Poland | Presented byPet Shop Boys. | [24] | |
| 1987 |  | Peter Gabriel * | United Kingdom | Presented byLaurie Anderson. Gabriel also won the Video of the Year for "Sledgehammer" on the same night. | [23] [25] |
 | Julien Temple | United Kingdom | Presented by David Bowie. | [25] | |
| 1988 | .jpg) | Michael Jackson | United States | Presented byPeter Gabriel. Jackson was the firstAfrican-American artist to receive the honor. | [7] [26] [27] |
| 1989 | .jpg) | George Michael | United Kingdom | Presented by Madonna. | [28] |
| 1990 | .jpg) | Janet Jackson | United States | Presented byMagic Johnson. Jackson remains the youngest person to receive the honor at 24 years old. | [26] [29] |
| 1991 |  | Bon Jovi | United States | Presented byArsenio Hall. The honor was renamed the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. | [30] [31] |
.jpg) | Wayne Isham | United States | |||
| 1992 |  | Guns N' Roses | United States | Presented byQueen membersBrian May andRoger Taylor. | [32] |
| 1993 | — | ||||
| 1994 |  | The Rolling Stones | United Kingdom | Presented byJann Wenner. Given as the Lifetime Achievement Award. | [33] |
 | Tom Petty | United States | Presented byBilly Corgan. | [34] | |
| 1995 |  | R.E.M. * | United States | Presented byDrew Barrymore. R.E.M. previously won the Video of the Year for "Losing My Religion" in 1991. | [23] |
| 1996 | — | ||||
| 1997 |  | LL Cool J | United States | Presented byMariah Carey. LL Cool J became the first hip-hop rapper to receive the honor. | [35] [36] |
 | Mark Romanek | United States | Presented byJanet Jackson. | [35] | |
| 1998 | .jpg) | Beastie Boys | United States | Presented byChuck D. | [37] |
| 1999 | — | ||||
| 2000 |  | Red Hot Chili Peppers | United States | Presented byChris Rock andLance Crouther | [38] |
| 2001 |  | U2 | Ireland | Presented byCarson Daly. | [39] |
| 2002 | — | ||||
| 2003 | .jpg) | Duran Duran | United Kingdom | Presented byKelly Osbourne andAvril Lavigne. Given as the Lifetime Achievement Award. | [40] |
| 2004 | — | ||||
| 2005 | — | ||||
| 2006 | — | Hype Williams | United States | Presented byKanye West. Given as the Video Vanguard Award. | [41] |
| 2007 | — | ||||
| 2008 | — | ||||
| 2009 | — | ||||
| 2010 | — | ||||
| 2011 | _(cropped).jpg) | Britney Spears * | United States | Presented byLady Gaga. The award was renamed again to the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Spears previously won the Video of the Year for "Piece of Me" in 2008. | [23] [42] |
| 2012 | — | ||||
| 2013 |  | Justin Timberlake * | United States | Presented byJimmy Fallon. Timberlake also won the Video of the Year for "Mirrors" on the same night. | [16] |
| 2014 | .jpg) | Beyoncé * | United States | Presented byJay-Z andBlue Ivy Carter. Beyoncé won the Video of the Year twice, for "Single Ladies" in 2009 and "Formation" in 2016. | [23] [43] |
| 2015 |  | Kanye West | United States | Presented byTaylor Swift. | [44] |
| 2016 |  | Rihanna * | Barbados | Presented byDrake. Rihanna previously won the Video of the Year twice, for "Umbrella" in 2007 and "We Found Love" in 2012. | [23] [45] |
| 2017 | _(cropped_2).jpg) | P!nk * | United States | Presented byEllen DeGeneres. P!nk previously won the Video of the Year for "Lady Marmalade" in 2001. | [23] [46] |
| 2018 | .jpg) | Jennifer Lopez | United States | Presented byShawn Mendes. Lopez became the firstethnic Latin artist to receive the honor. Lopez was later the recipient of theMTV Generation Award at the2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards, becoming the first entertainer to receive both honors from MTV. | [47] |
| 2019 |  | Missy Elliott * | United States | Presented byCardi B. Elliott previously won the Video of the Year twice, for "Lady Marmalade" in 2001 and "Work It" in 2003. She became the first female rapper to receive the honor. | [23] [48] |
| 2020 | — | ||||
| 2021 | — | ||||
| 2022 | .jpg) | Nicki Minaj | Trinidad and Tobago | Presented by members of herfan club "The Barbz". | [49] [50] [51] |
| 2023 | 01.jpg) | Shakira | Colombia | Presented byWyclef Jean. Shakira is the firstSouth American artist to receive the honor. | [52] |
| 2024 | _(54206733094)_(cropped).jpg) | Katy Perry * | United States | Presented byOrlando Bloom. Perry previously won the Video of the Year for "Firework" in 2011. | [53] |
| 2025 | _(cropped).jpg) | Mariah Carey | United States | Presented byAriana Grande. At 56 years old, Carey is the oldest person to receive the honor. | [54] |
