A MTV Video Music Award, also called a VMA, is awarded by the cable network MTV to celebrate the top music videos of the year. First awarded at the end of the summer of 1984, and originally as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category), the MTV Video Music Awards have often been called the "Oscars for youth", an acknowledgment of the Awards ceremony's ability to draw millions of youth from teens to 20-somethings each year.[1] By 2001, the VMA had become a coveted award.[2] They are presented annually, and broadcast live on MTV. The statue given to winners is an astronaut on the moon, one of the earliest representations of MTV.

Past broadcasts have been held in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, and Las Vegas. The 2009 Awards were held on September 13 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The 2010 Video Music Awards are scheduled to take place on September 12 at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, California.