The MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist has been given out since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. Until 2006, the award was named Best New Artist in a Video. In 2007 its name was changed to Best New Artist, as the category underwent a format change to recognize the artist's body of work for the full year rather than a specific video. For the 2008 ceremony, the award retained its 2007 name but returned to the format of awarding a specific video rather than the artist's full body of work. This is the only award where voting closes during the ceremony.
The category was later renamed Artist to Watch through 2013 to 2015 while still keeping the format of an award going to a particular video. In 2020, the Best New Artist award merged with the Push Artist of the Year award (2018-2019) to create the Push Best New Artist award. In 2021, MTV returned the category to its original name (Best New Artist), thus separating it from the MTV Push initiative, which again received its own category (Push Performance of the Year).
Winners and nominees †Marks winners of the Grammy Award for Best New Artist
*Marks nominees of the Grammy Award for Best New Artist
1980s
+ Year Winner(s) Nominees Eurythmics – "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"* 'Til Tuesday – "Voices Carry" A-ha – "Take On Me"* Crowded House – "Don't Dream It's Over" Guns N' Roses – "Welcome to the Jungle" Living Colour – "Cult of Personality"
1990s + Year Winner(s) Nominees Michael Penn – "No Myth" Jesus Jones – "Right Here, Right Now" Nirvana – "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Stone Temple Pilots – "Plush" Counting Crows – "Mr. Jones"* Hootie & the Blowfish – "Hold My Hand"† Alanis Morissette – "Ironic"* Fiona Apple – "Sleep to Dream"* Natalie Imbruglia – "Torn"* Eminem – "My Name Is"
2000s + Year Winner(s) Nominees Macy Gray – "I Try"* Alicia Keys – "Fallin'" † Avril Lavigne – "Complicated"* 50 Cent – "In da Club"* Maroon 5 – "This Love"† The Killers – "Mr. Brightside" Avenged Sevenfold – "Bat Country" Gym Class Heroes Tokio Hotel – "Ready, Set, Go!" Lady Gaga – "Poker Face"
2010s + Year Winner(s) Nominees Justin Bieber – "Baby"* Tyler, the Creator – "Yonkers" One Direction – "What Makes You Beautiful" Austin Mahone – "What About Love" Fifth Harmony – "Miss Movin' On" Fetty Wap — "Trap Queen" DNCE Khalid* Cardi B Billie Eilish†
2020s + Year Winner(s) Shortlist Nominees PUSH Longlist Doja Cat* Olivia Rodrigo† Dove Cameron Ice Spice* 2024 Chappell Roan† 2025Alex Warren* 2026Sienna Spiro
See also Grammy Award for Best New Artist MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act MTV Europe Music Award for Best Push Act
Notes
References