Ariana Grande won Video of the Year for "Brighter Days Ahead" at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards while Lady Gaga was named Artist of the Year and Mariah Carey was honored with the Video Vanguard Award. The ceremony, which celebrated achievements across music and music video craft, also featured moments of remembrance when Jack Osbourne appeared with his children to acknowledge the legacy of his late father, Ozzy Osbourne.
Grande’s "Brighter Days Ahead" also secured the award for Best Long Form Video, and the singer was among multiple nominees recognized throughout the night. Lady Gaga collected several honors, including Artist of the Year and Best Collaboration alongside Bruno Mars for "Die With a Smile," helping her finish the evening with four wins. Sabrina Carpenter took home three awards, including Best Album for "Short n’ Sweet" and Best Visual Effects for "Manchild." Tate McRae earned her first two Moon Persons, winning Best Editing for "Just Keep Watching (From F1® the Movie)" and Song of the Summer for the same work.
The show distributed prizes across genres and technical categories. Rosé and Bruno Mars won Song of the Year for "Apt.," and Alex Warren was named Best New Artist. Blackpink won Best Group. Doechii was recognized in both the Hip-Hop and Choreography categories for "Anxiety." Kendrick Lamar’s "Not Like Us" earned Best Cinematography, while Lady Gaga’s "Abracadabra" won both Best Direction and Best Art Direction. Charli XCX’s "Guess," featuring Billie Eilish, claimed Video for Good. Other notable winners included Coldplay for Best Rock with "All My Love," Shakira for Best Latin with "Soltera," Tyla for Best Afrobeats with "Push 2 Start," and Megan Moroney for Best Country with "Am I Okay?."
The night also spotlighted established artists receiving career honors. Mariah Carey, who won Best R&B for "Type Dangerous," was presented with the Video Vanguard Award, marking her first VMA. Ricky Martin received the Latin Icon Award, and Busta Rhymes was given the Rock The Bells Visionary Award.
Presenters and performers alternated with the award announcements, and the ceremony paid tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne when Jack Osbourne made a brief onstage appearance with his children. The appearance followed widespread public attention to the Osbourne family after Ozzy’s death earlier in the year; Jack Osbourne’s presence framed a moment of family remembrance amid the celebratory program.
Winners were spread across both mainstream and emerging categories, with several artists receiving multiple accolades for creative and technical achievements. Sabrina Carpenter’s album win underscored a strong showing for pop releases, while Tate McRae’s editing and summer-song victories highlighted cross-platform momentum tied to film and social-media-driven moments.
The 2025 VMAs continued MTV’s tradition of recognizing both artistic milestones and behind-the-scenes craft in music video production, balancing marquee awards and lifetime honors during an evening that combined performances, tributes and moments of remembrance.