The MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984.
In 2007, however, the award was briefly renamed Female Artist of the Year, and it awarded the artist's whole body of work for that year rather than a specific video. In 2008, though, the award returned to its original name and was once again awarded for a specific video.
The category would become defunct beginning with the 2017 ceremony after the gender specific categories would be merged into the Artist of the Year category.
Madonna, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé are the biggest winners with three wins each, while the former also holds the record for most nominations with 12. Meanwhile, Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson and Lady Gaga are the only artists to win the award for two consecutive years.
Recipients
thumb|upright|Inaugural winner [[Cyndi Lauper pictured in 2008.|alt=Cyndi Lauper playing a guitar.]]
thumb|upright|[[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna is the most nominated artist and won the award three times: 1987, 1995 and 1998.|alt=Madonna performing.]]
thumb|upright|In [[1999 MTV Video Music Awards|1999, Lauryn Hill became the first rapper to win the award|alt=Lauryn Hill performing.]]
thumb|upright|[[Beyoncé won the award for two consecutive years, has won the award three times and is the second most nominated with ten|alt=Beyoncé performing.]]
thumb|upright|The [[2009 MTV Video Music Awards|2009, 2013 and 2015 winner Taylor Swift for her music videos "You Belong with Me", "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "Blank Space". She is tied with Madonna and Beyoncé for the most wins in this category|alt=Taylor Swift at the Red Tour.]]
thumb|upright|The [[2010 MTV Video Music Awards|2010 and 2011 winner Lady Gaga for her music videos "Bad Romance" and "Born This Way." She is the third artist to win the award for two consecutive years|alt=Lady Gaga performing.]]
thumb|upright|[[Katy Perry has won the award in 2014 for "Dark Horse". She is the third most nominated artist in this category, tied with Janet Jackson|alt=Katy Perry performing.]]
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%;"
|+Key
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| Marks winners of the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year
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| Marks nominees of the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year
|}
1980s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col" style="width:175px;"| Winner(s)
! scope="col" style="width:200px;"| Video
! scope="col" style="width:280px;"| Nominees
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Cyndi Lauper
| "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Tina Turner
| "What's Love Got to Do with It"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Whitney Houston
| "How Will I Know"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Madonna
| "Papa Don't Preach"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Suzanne Vega
| "Luka"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Paula Abdul
| "Straight Up"
|
| align="center"|
|}
1990s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col" style="width:175px;"| Winner(s)
! scope="col" style="width:200px;"| Video
! scope="col" style="width:280px;"| Nominees
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Sinéad O'Connor
| "Nothing Compares 2 U"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Janet Jackson
| "Love Will Never Do (Without You)"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Annie Lennox
| "Why"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| k.d. lang
| "Constant Craving"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Janet Jackson
| "If"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Madonna
| "Take a Bow"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Alanis Morissette
| "Ironic"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Jewel
| "You Were Meant for Me"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Madonna
| "Ray of Light"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Lauryn Hill
| "Doo Wop (That Thing)"
|
| align="center"|
|}
2000s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col" style="width:175px;"| Winner(s)
! scope="col" style="width:200px;"| Video
! scope="col" style="width:280px;"| Nominees
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Aaliyah
| "Try Again"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Eve
| "Let Me Blow Ya Mind"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| P!nk
| "Get the Party Started"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Beyoncé
| "Crazy in Love"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Beyoncé
| "Naughty Girl"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Kelly Clarkson
| "Since U Been Gone"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Kelly Clarkson
| "Because of You"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Fergie
|
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Britney Spears
| "Piece of Me"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Taylor Swift
| "You Belong with Me"
|
| align="center"|
|}
2010s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col" style="width:175px;"| Winner(s)
! scope="col" style="width:200px;"| Video
! scope="col" style="width:280px;"| Nominees
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Lady Gaga
| "Bad Romance"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Lady Gaga
| "Born This Way"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Nicki Minaj
| "Starships"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Taylor Swift
| "I Knew You Were Trouble"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Katy Perry
| "Dark Horse"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Taylor Swift
| "Blank Space"
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Beyoncé
| "Hold Up"
|
| align="center"|
|}
Statistics
Artists with multiple wins
; 3 wins
- Beyoncé
- Madonna
- Taylor Swift
; 2 wins
- Kelly Clarkson
- Janet Jackson
- Lady Gaga
Artists with multiple nominations
; 12 nominations
- Madonna
; 10 nominations
- Beyoncé
; 6 nominations
- Janet Jackson
- Katy Perry
; 5 nominations
- Rihanna
- Britney Spears
; 4 nominations
- Christina Aguilera
- Cyndi Lauper
- Taylor Swift
; 3 nominations
- Paula Abdul
- Mariah Carey
- Kelly Clarkson
- Annie Lennox
- Jennifer Lopez
- Nicki Minaj
- P!nk
- Lady Gaga
- Shakira
See also
- List of music awards honoring women
- MTV Europe Music Award for Best Female