| BET Awards | |
|---|---|
| Current:BET Awards | |
 A BET Award from 2018 | |
| Awarded for | Outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | BET |
| First award | June 19, 2001; 23 years ago (2001-06-19) |
| Website | http://www.bet.com/shows/bet-awards.html  |
TheBET Awards are an American award show that was established in 2001 by theBlack Entertainment Television network to celebrateBlack entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annually, are broadcast live on BET. The annual presentation ceremony features performances by artists; some of the awards of more popular interest are presented in a televised ceremony.
The Award Trophy, inspired by three words - aspire, ascend, achieve, was designed by artist/sculptorCarlos "Mare139" Rodriguez.[1]Outkast won the first award trophy during the first ceremony in 2001. In 2007,Society Awards, the New York firm who manufactures the award, enhanced the quality of the trophy design using plated steel and black crystal.
The inaugural ceremony in 2001 was held at theParis Las Vegas resort on theLas Vegas Strip. From 2002 to 2005, theKodak Theatre inHollywood hosted the awards. From 2006 to 2012, the ceremonies were held at theShrine Auditorium inLos Angeles. The ceremony was moved to theNokia Theatre atL.A. Live in 2013.
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| # | Date | Venue | Host city | Host |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | June 19, 2001 | Paris Las Vegas | Las Vegas | Steve Harvey andCedric the Entertainer |
| 2nd | June 25, 2002 | Kodak Theatre | Los Angeles | |
| 3rd | June 24, 2003 | Mo'Nique | ||
| 4th | June 29, 2004 | |||
| 5th | June 28, 2005 | Will Smith andJada Pinkett Smith | ||
| 6th | June 27, 2006 | Shrine Auditorium | Damon Wayans | |
| 7th | June 26, 2007 | Mo'Nique | ||
| 8th | June 24, 2008 | D. L. Hughley | ||
| 9th | June 28, 2009 | Jamie Foxx | ||
| 10th | June 27, 2010 | Queen Latifah | ||
| 11th | June 26, 2011 | Kevin Hart | ||
| 12th | July 1, 2012 | Samuel L. Jackson | ||
| 13th | June 30, 2013 | Nokia Theatre/ Microsoft Theater | Chris Tucker | |
| 14th | June 29, 2014 | Chris Rock | ||
| 15th | June 28, 2015 | Anthony Anderson andTracee Ellis Ross | ||
| 16th | June 26, 2016 | |||
| 17th | June 25, 2017 | Leslie Jones | ||
| 18th | June 24, 2018 | Jamie Foxx | ||
| 19th | June 23, 2019 | Regina Hall | ||
| 20th | June 28, 2020 | Virtual show | Amanda Seales | |
| 21st | June 27, 2021 | Microsoft Theater/ Peacock Theater | Los Angeles | Taraji P. Henson |
| 22nd | June 26, 2022 | |||
| 23rd | June 25, 2023 | — | ||
| 24th | June 30, 2024 | Taraji P. Henson | ||
| 25th | June 9, 2025 | TBA | ||
| Year | Day | Date | BET | Cumulative | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household rating | 18–49 rating | Viewers (in millions) | 18–49 rating | Viewers (in millions) | ||||
| 2001 | Tuesday | June 19 | 4.3 | Unknown | 5.20 | No simulcast | [2] | |
| 2002 | June 25 | 4.0 | Unknown | 4.40 | [2] | |||
| 2003 | June 24 | 4.3 | Unknown | 5.50 | [2] | |||
| 2004 | June 29 | 3.4 | Unknown | 5.60 | [3][4] | |||
| 2005 | June 28 | 3.7 | Unknown | 6.58 | [5] | |||
| 2006 | June 27 | 4.9 | Unknown | 6.60 | [6] | |||
| 2007 | June 26 | 3.4 | Unknown | 6.39 | [7] | |||
| 2008 | June 24 | 3.2 | Unknown | 5.85 | [8] | |||
| 2009 | Sunday | June 28 | Unknown | Unknown | 10.65 | [9] | ||
| 2010 | June 27 | Unknown | Unknown | 7.40 | [10] | |||
| 2011 | June 26 | Unknown | 3.3 | 7.71 | [11] | |||
| 2012 | July 1 | Unknown | 3.2 | 7.42 | [12] | |||
| 2013 | June 30 | Unknown | 3.4 | 7.77 | [13] | |||
| 2014 | June 29 | Unknown | 3.1 | 7.50 | Unknown | 7.90 | [14][15] | |
| 2015 | June 28 | Unknown | 2.6 | 6.27 | Unknown | 6.50 | [16][15] | |
| 2016 | June 26 | Unknown | 1.9 | 4.50 | 4.3 | 7.20 | [17][18] | |
| 2017 | June 25 | Unknown | 1.5 | 3.83 | 3.5 | 5.80 | [19][20] | |
| 2018 | June 24 | Unknown | 1.2 | 2.87 | 1.8 | 4.30 | [4][21] | |
| 2019 | June 23 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 2.43 | 1.5 | 3.79 | [22][23] | |
| 2020 | June 28 | Unknown | Unknown | 1.6 | 1.0 | 3.7 | [24] | |
| 2021 | June 27 | Unknown | Unknown | 1.7 | Unknown | 2.4 | [25] | |
The nomination process is handled by a voting academy made up of about 500 people from the music industry, involving the media, and bloggers. BET sends out ballots electronically and voters nominate deserving works and artists in all categories who they think should be nominated. Nominations and voting ballots are collated byYangaroo, Inc., a leading digital distribution firm that works on many other televised award ceremonies, including those of BET's sister networks under parent companyParamount Global. The top nominees are determined in each category, and the winners are selected via the academy members' voting process.[26][27][28]
|
|
TheBET Lifetime Achievement,Humanitarian andUltimate Icon Award recipients, along with the nominees for other categories are announced in a press conference. At the awards ceremony a mini-documentary is shown covering the honorees' life. The awards are given out separately. The Ultimate Icon Award was created in 2015 and presented in the ceremony.
TheBET Lifetime Achievement Award is given a veteran artist or group who has made notable contributions to the music industry. The honoree is paid tribute to by current popular singers who perform the honoree's most recognized songs. The honoree will usually perform themselves after being paid tribute.
In 2002, at the second annual BET Awards, the category for theBET Award Humanitarian Award was created. The Humanitarian Award is given to a celebrityphilanthropist who donates their time and money to a charitable cause.
In 2015 and 2018, at the fifteenth and eighteenth annual BET Awards, the category of theUltimate Icon Award was created. It is given to a veteran artist whose career is deemed iconic by fans and critics alike for their notable contributions in the music, dance and music video fields.
Below are the current rankings for the most wins and most nominated artist (male & female):
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(July 2024) |
Most wins (as of 2024)[30]
| Rank | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artist | Beyoncé | Kendrick Lamar | Drake | Nicki Minaj &Serena Williams | Lil Wayne |
| Total wins | 36 (withDestiny's Child andThe Carters)[31] | 29 | 15 | 13 | 11 |
Most nominations (as of 2017)This is a list of multiple nominated performers, athletes & actors with 5 or more career nominations.Beyoncé is currently the most nominated performer with 81 nominations, solo and withDestiny's Child.[citation needed]
81 nominations
59 nominations
51 nominations
37 nominations
35 nominations
33 nominations
31 nominations
23 nominations
21 nominations
19 nominations
18 nominations
17 nominations
16 nominations
15 nominations
14 nominations
13 nominations
12 nominations
11 nominations
10 nominations
9 nominations
8 nominations
7 nominations
6 nominations
5 nominations
_(cropped).jpg)
_(cropped).jpg)