Music Awards are recognitions/prizes given to celebrate distinguished and deserving talents in the music industry. These awards are not only prestigious but are also the most watched globally. In this article, you’ll learn about the top 10 biggest music awards in the world. In addition, we’ll tell you how the winners are selected, and who the most recent winners are.
Music has many awards, from classical music to popular music. While some of the awards are created by the music industry, others are given by foundations or institutes outside the industry. This article examines the top 10 most prestigious music awards in the world, how they are selected, and who the winners are.
Top 10 Biggest Music Awards In The World
1. Grammy Awards
The Grammy award tops the list of the biggest music awards in the world. The ceremony pictures music performances from popular artists. It is a yearly award ceremony held in the U.S. every year and was formerly called the “Gramophone Award” in 1959 when the first edition was held. It is synonymous with the Baloon D’ Or, which is the most prestigious individual award in football.
Since its inception, it’s been presented by the Recording Academy to artists in several categories like country, jazz, classical, and pop music. This all-gold-plated trophy does not have a cash price attached to winning it.
Beyoncé currently holds the all-time record for most GRAMMY wins with 32 GRAMMY for her exploits in the music industry.
2. Brit Awards
BRIT award is the second most popular and prestigious award in music and it is awarded by the British Phonographic Industry. The BRITs have been an annual award ceremony since 1977 when John Lennon and Randy Crawford bagged awards. It is the highest-profile music award in the UK and one of the biggest music awards in the world.
Artists who win the BRIT award are top sellers and the award is given in different categories like the British Album of the Year, British Artiste of the Year, the BRIT award for British Dance Act, and the Alternative/Rock Act.
Robbie Williams holds the record for the most BRIT Awards, 13 as a solo artist and another five as part of Take That.
3. Billboard Music Awards
The Billboard Music Awards are among the biggest music awards globally. They are awarded annually by Billboard, a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. They have been held annually since 1990, with the exception of 2007 through 2010.
The Billboard Music Awards finalists are determined by album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay, touring, and social engagement. Awards are given for the top album, artist, and single in a number of different music genres.
As of 2017, there are two fan-voted categories: Top Artist, Top Billboard 200 Album, Top Hot 100 Song, and Top New Artist. Michael Jackson, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and BTS hold the record for most Billboard Music Awards won by a solo artist and group, respectively.
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4. American Music Award (AMA)
5. MTV VMA Awards
The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) are in the top 5 positions on our list of the biggest music awards. It is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. It is often referred to as the Super Bowl for youth due to its ability to draw millions of youth from teens to 20s each year.
The statue given to winners is an astronaut on the moon, and viewers can vote for their favorite videos by visiting MTV’s website. However, the stature of the ceremony has declined due to a lack of interest, lack of musical diversity, lack of celebrity, lack of credibility, and access to music online. The first VMA ceremony was held in 1984 at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall.
6. World Music Awards
The World Music Awards is an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti.
It is based in Monte Carlo and presents awards to the world’s best-selling artists in a number of categories. The most awarded artist is Mariah Carey with nineteen awards, and nine awards are voted for online by the public. The awards are gold-plated and last held in 2014.
7. Bet Awards
The BET Awards is one of the biggest music awards globally. It is an American award show that celebrates black entertainers and other minorities in music. The Award Trophy was designed by artist/sculptor Carlos “Mare139” Rodriguez in 2001 and was enhanced in 2007 with plated steel and black crystal.
The nomination is handled by a voting academy comprising 500 people from the music industry, media, and bloggers.
Outkast won the first award trophy during the first ceremony in 2001.
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8. MOBO Awards
The MOBO Awards is one of the biggest music awards in the world. It is an annual British music award to honor achievements in the music of black origin, including hip-hop, R&B, reggae, jazz, gospel, and African music.
Founded by Kenya King in 1996, the first MOBO award was presented to Baby D in the Best Dance Act category.
9. International Classical Music Awards
The International Classical Music Awards are the most prestigious awards for classical music. The different award categories include symphony orchestra, choral works, and opera.
In 2011, the Cannes Classical Awards (CCA) were replaced with the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA), which were first awarded in Tampere, Finland on April 6th, 2011.
10. NME Awards
The NME Awards completes our list of the 10 biggest music awards in the world. It is an annual music awards show in the UK, founded in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts. It is a humorous and cheerful ceremony, with categories such as Villain of the Year and Worst Record. The trophies given to the winners resemble an extended middle finger. Oasis became the first band to win three of the awards. Later winners included Manic Street Preachers and Blur.
