UK Music Video Awards (UKMVA)

Overview

The UK Music Video Awards (UKMVA) is the global awards event for music video production. The 19th annual ceremony takes place Wednesday, November 4, 2026 at The Roundhouse in Camden Town, North London. The UKMVAs recognize directorial achievement, craft and technical excellence, and individual contributions across 39 categories covering every genre of music video production.

Submissions for the 2026 awards opened June 10, 2026, with a final entry deadline of August 3, 2026 at midnight UK time. The entry fee is GBP 120 plus VAT per entry per category, with a reduced fee of GBP 80 plus VAT for the Best Low Budget Video or Visualiser category. There are no discounts for multiple entries, and no geographical restrictions on who may enter. The awards are open to production companies, post-production companies, agencies, directors, producers, commissioners, record companies, casting directors, music artists, and other professionals working in music video production who are 16 or over.

Work entered must have been completed and delivered to the commissioning company or client between August 1, 2025 and July 31, 2026. Works entered into the 2025 awards cannot be entered again. The awards are administered by Ballistic Events Limited.

Submission Details

Entries are made through the UKMVA website. There is no FilmFreeway submission route. Key details for 2026:

There is no limit to the number of videos or films you can enter, nor the number of categories you can enter them in. Each video may be entered in more than one category, but you cannot enter the same video in more than one of the top six genre categories. Directors can only be entered into one of the individual Best Director categories. You are charged for each video entry in each category, not per video entered into the awards as a whole.

Categories and Awards

The 39 categories at UKMVA 2026 are organized into three groups:

Video and Film Categories (Genre Awards)

Each genre category has three sub-categories: UK (for a UK recording artist), International (for a non-UK recording artist), and Newcomer (for a director whose first commissioned music video was completed after January 1, 2023, and made for under GBP 20,000).

• Best Pop Video - UK, International, Newcomer
• Best R&B / Soul / Jazz Video - UK, International, Newcomer
• Best Dance / Electronic Video - UK, International, Newcomer
• Best Rock Video - UK, International, Newcomer
• Best Alternative Video - UK, International, Newcomer
• Best Hip Hop / Grime / Rap Video - UK, International, Newcomer
• Best Low Budget Video or Visualiser - open to any single video or visualiser made for GBP 5,000 or less
• Best Live Video - live audio performance recording of a single track or up to 3 tracks in one session
• Best Special Visual Project - microform, shortform, multi-track, interactive, and experimental works under 60 minutes

Craft and Technical Categories

• Best Performance in a Video
• Best Casting in a Video
• Best Production Design in a Video
• Best Styling in a Video
• Best Choreography in a Video
• Best Cinematography in a Video
• Best Cinematography in a Video - Newcomer
• Best Colour Grading in a Video
• Best Colour Grading in a Video - Newcomer
• Best Editing in a Video
• Best Editing in a Video - Newcomer
• Best Visual Effects in a Video
• Best Animation in a Video

Individual and Company Categories

These categories require a body of work. At least two eligible videos completed during the qualifying period must be uploaded.

• Best New Director - first commissioned video after January 1, 2023
• Best Director - body of work across the qualifying period
• Best Producer
• Best Executive Producer
• Best Agent - returns for 2026
• Best Creative Commissioner
• Best Production Company

Judging Process

Each entry is viewed by a select group of awards judges in the first round. Categories are allocated to judges according to their expertise. Judges nominate a top six in each category they judge. These nominations are collated and up to 15 nominations per category are put forward to the second round. In the second round, expert panels gather to discuss the nominations and select a shortlist and winner. Judges may reallocate an entry to a different category at their discretion.

The promoter reserves the right to cancel a category if there are an insufficient number of entries. In that event, entry fees for the cancelled category are refunded. The promoter may also combine categories, in which case fees are not refunded.

Festival History

The UK Music Video Awards held its first ceremony in 2008. The event was created to give the music video production industry a dedicated awards platform separate from broader music industry awards (Brit Awards, MTV VMAs) and film industry awards. The UKMVAs recognized that music video directing, cinematography, editing, and production design required a distinct evaluation framework.

The ceremony has been held at several London venues over its history. The Roundhouse hosted UKMVA ceremonies from the mid-2010s through 2021. After several years at other venues, the 2026 edition marks the return to The Roundhouse for the first time in five years.

The Best Low Budget Video category was introduced in 2025 and expanded for 2026 to include visualisers, recognizing creative projects made for under GBP 5,000. The Best Agent category returns in 2026 after a hiatus, acknowledging the contribution of professionals who represent directors, cinematographers, and other specialists.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For directors whose work includes music video, the UKMVAs are the primary industry recognition available. The awards are judged by peers working professionals in music video production, not by generalist film industry juries.

The Newcomer categories are specifically designed for early-career directors. A newcomer is defined as a director whose first commissioned music video was completed and delivered after January 1, 2023. Previous winners of the Best New Director category are not eligible to enter again, though previous nominees remain eligible as long as their first commissioned video was made after January 2023. If you qualify as a newcomer, your video is automatically entered into the appropriate newcomer award category when you select the newcomer sub-category.

The Best Low Budget Video or Visualiser category has a lower entry fee (GBP 80 vs GBP 120) and is open to any single video or visualiser made for GBP 5,000 or less. This is the only category with a reduced fee.

For individual and company categories, you must upload multiple videos to demonstrate a body of work. All uploaded videos must have been completed during the qualifying period (August 1, 2025 to July 31, 2026). Directing teams are accepted as well as individuals for director categories.

The music video industry has historically been a pathway into commercial and feature directing. Directors like Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, David Fincher, and Jonathan Glazer all began their careers in music videos before transitioning to feature filmmaking. The UKMVAs provide the networking event where these career transitions are often initiated, with producers, commissioners, and agents all in attendance.

See Also

Calculate your total awards submission costs using the Festival ROI Calculator. For music video production tools, see Audio and Music Tools. For commercial directing strategies, see Independent Filmmaking. Submit through the UKMVA website or view the full category definitions PDF.