MTV Awards 2023: Taylor Swift wins big and an epic performance for 50th anniversary of hip hop

Nicki Minaj performs during the MTV Video Music Awards on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. - Copyright AP Photo Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

By Rebecca Ann Hughes

Published on 13/09/2023 - 07:47•Updated 17:46

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For the first time, there was an all-female artist of the year category.

The 2023 MTV music awards returned on Tuesday night with sparkling outfits, stellar performances and some big wins.

There was a surprise performance by *NSYNC who haven't been onstage together since the 2013 Video Music Awards.

The show closed with a spectacular performance from Grandmaster Flash, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and LL Cool J and other artists celebrating hip-hop's 50th anniversary.

Taylor Swift went into the night with eight nominations - seven for her hit 2022 track “Anti-Hero” - and swept the board. According to MTV, she now has the second-most overall wins for the awards.

For the first time, there was an all-female artist of the year category. There was also a brand new category for best afrobeats this year.

Here's the full list of winners from this year's awards.

Artist of the year

With Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, Karol G and Shakira contending for the award’s top artist of the year category in 2023, competition was tough.

This year, Swift triumphed, something of a theme of the night.

Video of the year

Swift was also victorious in the video of the year category, becoming the first artist to win the prize two years in a row.

“This is unbelievable,” the singer said as she accepted the award. “I just want to say that the fact that this is a fan-voted award means so much to me. “

She holds the record for the award having now won four times, previously for "Bad Blood," "You Need to Calm Down," and "All Too Well: The Short Film."