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MTV VMAs 2022: Every Video Of The Year Winner

From Madonna and Kendrick Lamar to Justin Timberlake and Beyoncé.
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The MTV Video Music Awards are undoubtedly one of the high-points in the celebrity calendar, where some of the most iconic performances and outrageous antics in recent pop culture history have taken place.

If Lady Gaga has a meat dress to wear, she saves it for the VMAs. If Madonna wants to snog Britney Spears, she saves it for the VMAs. And if Kanye West wants to announce he’s planning on running for president (unfortunately), he saves that for the VMAs too.

However, while the action on the night sometimes outshines the awards themselves, a VMA is still very much a coveted addition to any pop star’s trophy cabinet, with the Video Of The Year prize being the most prestigious category on the night.

Here are all the videos that have won the prize since the VMAs launched in 1984, with iconic clips from Beyoncé, Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Kendrick Lamar...

1
The Cars – You Might Think (1984)
The very first VMAs were held in 1984, with The Cars snagging the top honour of the night. We're not saying they didn't deserve it, but they were up against Thriller. Moving on.
2
Don Henley – Boys Of Summer (1985)
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The awards' sophomore year saw David Lee Roth nominated twice for Video Of The Year, alongside We Are The World.

It was Don Henley who snagged the big prize, though, with a video that, sadly, isn't available to watch on YouTube for some reason, so here's a still photo of him frolicking on the beach with a nice lady.
3
Dire Straits – Money For Nothing (1986)
1986 was a tough year in the Video Of The Year category. This colourful and energetic offering triumphed over the iconic videos for Aha's Take On Me, Robert Palmer's Addicted To Love and Talking Heads' Road To Nowhere.
4
Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer (1987)
Not the only sledgehammer to win a VMA, as Miley Cyrus later found out with Wrecking Ball (spoiler alert).
5
INXS – Need You Tonight/Meditate (1988)
INXS's impressive Need You Tonight video was the VMAs' first double-headed winner, as the clip segues into another of their songs, Meditate.
6
Neil Young – This Note's For You (1989)
We're sure this felt like the right choice at the time... but is this really better than Michael Jackson's Leave Me Alone and Madonna's Like A Prayer, both of which were nominated in 1989?
7
Sinéad O'Connor – Nothing Compares 2 U (1990)
Sinéad was the first ever female winner of the Video Of The Year at the MTV VMAs, taking the prize for this iconic video.
8
R.E.M. – Losing My Religion (1991)
Religious iconography, stripped-back sets and some questionable hair choices made sure it was in the bag for R.E.M. in 1991.
9
Van Halen – Right Now (1992)
It was a rock-heavy category in 1992, with Van Halen getting the coveted Moon Man (now Moon Person) over Nirvana, Def Leppard and Red Hot Chill Peppers.
10
Pearl Jam – Jeremy (1993)
This hard-hitting and controversial video from Pearl Jam was originally censored by MTV upon its release due to its violent content, but still wound up being named Video Of The Year in 1993.
11
Aerosmith – Cryin' (1994)
A pre-Clueless Alicia Silverstone helped win Aerosmith the gong back in 1994.
12
TLC – Waterfalls (1995)
Gun crime and sexual health were among the important themes of the Waterfalls music video, which helped TLC become the first African-American act to receive Video Of The Year at the VMAs.
13
The Smashing Pumpkins – Tonight, Tonight (1996)
This surreal effort won rockers The Smashing Pumpkins the Moon Man in 1996.
14
Jamiroquai – Virtual Insanity
That is one big hat.
15
Madonna – Ray Of Light (1998)
Where Vogue, Like A Prayer and Justify My Love all failed, Ray Of Light succeeded, winning Madonna her first (and, somehow, only!) Video Of The Year award.
16
Lauryn Hill – Doo-Wop (That Thing) (1999)
This split-screen offering from Lauryn Hill was the winner in 1999, over Backstreet Boys, Ricky Martin, Will Smith and Korn.
17
Eminem - The Real Slim Shady (2000)
Clock that Kathy Griffin cameo.
18
Christina Aguilera, Lil Kim, Mya, Pink and Missy Elliott – Lady Marmalade (2001)
Immediately iconic... it just had to be a winner, didn't it?
19
Eminem – Without You (2002)
Eminem made history when he became the first artist to ever win Video Of The Year twice, thanks to this playful clip.
20
Missy Elliott – Work It (2003)
Oh YES, Missy.
21
OutKast - Hey Ya! (2004)
All that shaking it like a Polaroid picture paid off for OutKast, who won Video Of The Year over Usher, Britney Spears, Jay Z and D12 in 2004.
22
Green Day – Boulevard Of Broken Dreams (2005)
After Without Me, Hey Ya! and Work It, things took a slightly more somber turn in 2005, when Green Day bagged the award for Boulevard Of Broken Dreams.
23
Panic! At The Disco – I Write Sins Not Tragedies (2006)
Top hats! Masks! Cake! It's all going on.
24
Rihanna – Umbrella (2007)
The song that launched Rihanna to mega-star status also landed her a Video of The Year win for the first time.
25
Britney Spears – Piece Of Me (2008)
Given that she's arguably the Queen of the VMAs, it's surprising Britney's first Video Of The Year win wasn't until almost a decade into her career (and one year after that divisive Gimme More performance).
26
Beyoncé - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) (2009)
And just as well, too! Who knows how Kanye would have reacted if Beyoncé hadn't won?
27
Lady Gaga – Bad Romance (2010)
An award she collected wearing a meat dress, at a time when Gaga had the whole world at her feet.
28
Katy Perry – Firework (2011)
The question is... do you ever feel like a plastic bag?
29
Rihanna and Calvin Harris – We Found Love (2012)
Rihanna's second time scooping Video Of The Year, she won out over M.I.A.'s Bad Girls, Katy Perry's Wide Awake and Drake (feat. herself)'s Take Care.
30
Justin Timberlake – Mirrors (2013)
JT's eight-minute Mirrors video was the undeniable deserved winner for the prize in 2013 (and we're not just saying that because it was up against Blurred Lines).
31
Miley Cyrus – Wrecking Ball (2014)
Can't believe this won... hardly anyone even talked about it when it came out.
32
Taylor Swift – Bad Blood, feat. Kendrick Lamar (2015)
Taylor Swift's popularity began to wane in 2015 when she involved herself in a debate with Nicki Minaj about whether her Bad Blood video deserved a nomination over Anaconda (incidentally, Nicki never even alluded to Taylor until she entered into the conversation herself).

She eventually won the Video Of The Year prize, and even surprised fans when she made a surprise appearance during Nicki's opening number.
33
Beyoncé – Formation (2016)
Seven years after taking home the Moon Man for Single Ladies, Beyoncé's efforts were rewarded once again, this time for the stunning and politically-charged Formation video.
34
Kendrick Lamar – HUMBLE. (2017)
Kendrick's first ever solo win for Video Of The Year was truly well-deserved. In just three short minutes, the HUMBLE. video crams in more iconic shots than we can count, whether it's Kendrick dressed as the Pope, kicking back in a hair salon or yes, literally standing around with his hair on fire.
35
Camila Cabello – Havana, feat. Young Thug (2018)
An interesting choice when you consider that Havana was up against the iconic videos for This Is America, God's Plan, Apeshit and No Tears Left To Cry back in 2018.
36
Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down (2019)
Crammed with cameos from a string of LGBTQ+ celebs, You Need To Calm Down bagged Taylor her second Video Of The Year win, putting her on the same footing as Eminem, Beyoncé, Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar (a record she'd go on to beat just three years later).
37
The Weeknd – Blinding Lights (2020)
Despite the pandemic, the competition was stiff in 2020, with strong offerings from Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Future. Ultimately, it was The Weeknd who took the top prize on the night thanks to his Blinding Lights video.
38
Lil Nas X – Montero (Call Me By Your Name) (2021)
Some videos just feel like they were made for the VMAs – and this controversial offering from one of music's most exciting stars is definitely one of them.
39
Taylor Swift – All Too Well: The Short Film (2022)
With this 15-minute offering, Taylor Swift made VMAs history as the first artist to ever achieve Video Of The Year three times.
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