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
<nowiki>*</nowiki>Marks nominees of the Grammy Award for Best New Artist
1980s
thumb|upright|Inaugural winner [[Eurythmics|alt=Eurythmics performing.]]
thumb|upright|[[MTV Video Music Awards|1997 award winner Fiona Apple|alt=Fiona Apple wearing a green outfit while singing.]]
thumb|upright|[[MTV Video Music Awards|2002 award winner Avril Lavigne|alt=Avril Lavigne wearing a black gown and singing in to a microphone.]]
thumb|upright|[[MTV Video Music Awards|2004 award winner Maroon 5|alt=Maroon 5 are looking gently towards the camera.]]
thumb|upright|[[2005 MTV Video Music Awards|2005 awards winner The Killers]]
thumb|upright|[[MTV Video Music Awards|2008 award winner Tokio Hotel]]
thumb|upright|[[MTV Video Music Awards|2009 award winner Lady Gaga|alt=Lady Gaga in 2009 at the VMAs red carpet holding an award.]]
thumb|upright|[[2010 MTV Video Music Awards|2010 award winner Justin Bieber|alt=Justin Bieber in 2010 at the VMAs red carpet holding an award.]]
thumb|upright|[[2011 MTV Video Music Awards|2011 award winner Tyler, The Creator]]
thumb|upright|[[2012 MTV Video Music Awards|2012 award winner One Direction|alt=One Direction performing.]]
thumb|upright|[[2014 MTV Video Music Awards|2014 award winner Fifth Harmony|alt=Fifth Harmony performing.]]
thumb|upright|[[2015 MTV Video Music Awards|2015 award winner Fetty Wap]]
thumb|upright|[[2017 MTV Video Music Awards|2017 award winner Khalid]]
thumb|upright|[[2018 MTV Video Music Awards|2018 award winner Cardi B]]
thumb|upright|[[2019 MTV Video Music Awards|2019 award winner Billie Eilish]]
thumb|upright|[[2020 MTV Video Music Awards|2020 award winner Doja Cat]]
thumb|upright|[[2021 MTV Video Music Awards|2021 award winner Olivia Rodrigo]]
thumb|upright|[[2023 MTV Video Music Awards|2023 award winner Ice Spice]]
thumb|upright|[[2024 MTV Video Music Awards|2024 award winner Chappell Roan]]
{| class="wikitable sortable"
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! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col" style="width:310px;"| Winner(s)
! scope="col" style="width:350px;"| Nominees
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Eurythmics – "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"*
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| align="center"| <br>
|-
! scope="row"|
| 'Til Tuesday – "Voices Carry"
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| A-ha – "Take On Me"*
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Crowded House – "Don't Dream It's Over"
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Guns N' Roses – "Welcome to the Jungle"
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Living Colour – "Cult of Personality"
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| align="center"|
|}
1990s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col" style="width:310px;"| Winner(s)
! scope="col" style="width:350px;"| Nominees
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Michael Penn – "No Myth"
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Jesus Jones – "Right Here, Right Now"
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Nirvana – "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Stone Temple Pilots – "Plush"
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Counting Crows – "Mr. Jones"*
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Hootie & the Blowfish – "Hold My Hand"†
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Alanis Morissette – "Ironic"*
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Fiona Apple – "Sleep to Dream"*
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| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Natalie Imbruglia – "Torn"*
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Eminem – "My Name Is"
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| align="center"|
|}
2000s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col" style="width:310px;"| Winner(s)
! scope="col" style="width:350px;"| Nominees
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Macy Gray – "I Try"*
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Alicia Keys – "Fallin'" †
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Avril Lavigne – "Complicated"*
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| 50 Cent – "In da Club"*
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Maroon 5 – "This Love"†
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| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| The Killers – "Mr. Brightside"
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| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Avenged Sevenfold – "Bat Country"
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Gym Class Heroes
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Tokio Hotel – "Ready, Set, Go!"
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Lady Gaga – "Poker Face"
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| align="center"|
|}
2010s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col" style="width:310px;"| Winner(s)
! scope="col" style="width:350px;"| Nominees
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Justin Bieber – "Baby"*
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| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Tyler, the Creator – "Yonkers"
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| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| One Direction – "What Makes You Beautiful"
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| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Austin Mahone – "What About Love"
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Fifth Harmony – "Miss Movin' On"
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| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Fetty Wap — "Trap Queen"
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| DNCE
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Khalid*
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Cardi B
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Billie Eilish†
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| align="center"|
|}
2020s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col" style="width:150px;"| Winner(s)
! scope="col" style="width:150px;"| Shortlist
! scope="col" style="width:150px;"| Nominees
! scope="col" style="width:150px;"| PUSH Longlist
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row"|
| Doja Cat*
|
|
|
| align="center"| <br><br>
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! scope="row"|
| Olivia Rodrigo†
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|
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Dove Cameron
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|
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| align="center"|
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! scope="row"|
| Ice Spice*
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|
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| align="center"|
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!2024
| Chappell Roan†
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|
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| align="center"|
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!2025
|Alex Warren*
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| align="center"|
|}
See also
- Grammy Award for Best New Artist
- MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act
- MTV Europe Music Award for Best Push Act