List of Music Award Shows – Updated for 2023

Last Updated on September 1, 2023 by Scott Shetler

We love the Grammys, American Music Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards, but those are hardly the only ceremonies that honor music throughout the course of the year.

This list of music award shows includes shows that are entirely dedicated to music, plus some (like the Emmys, Oscars, and Golden Globes) which only have one or two music categories. Those shows are still appointment viewing for the diehard music fan!

We’ve also thrown in a few (like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony) which are technically not award shows, but are still hugely important ceremonies in the world of music.

Below, find our updated list of 2023 music award shows. When possible, we’ve noted the exact dates, though some of this year’s shows haven’t yet announced their exact dates.

This list only includes awards that have an actual ceremony. Online awards or other honors aren’t listed.

2023 Music Award Shows:

January 10: Golden Globes
Venerable movie and tv award show that has music categories for best song and best score.

February 5: Grammy Awards
Since 1959, the Grammys have been the preeminent music award ceremony, with more than 80 awards voted on by members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

February 11: BRIT Awards
The British equivalent to the Grammys, the BRITs honor both British and foreign artists in numerous major categories.

February 25: NAACP Image Awards
Since 1967, annual ceremony celebrating the best in black entertainment, including about a dozen music categories.

March 4: Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards
Since 1988, ceremony honoring kids’ favorites in music, movies, tv, and pop culture.

March 12: Oscars (Academy Awards)
The Oscars honor some of music’s top songwriters with the Best Original Song and Best Original Score categories.

March 13: Juno Awards
Since 1970, Canada’s version of the Grammys, rewarding only Canadian artists.

March 27: iHeartRadio Music Awards
Since 2014, the iHeart Awards have given out more than 50 awards in all major genres.

April 2: CMT Music Awards
Entertaining award show from the country music television network.

April tbd: Latin American Music Awards
Fan-voted ceremony airing on Telemundo, first held in 2015.

May 7: MTV Movie & TV Awards
Originally created in 1992 as the MTV Movie Awards, the show doesn’t feature any music awards but typically features several live music performances from top artists.

May 11: Blues Music Awards
For more than 40 years, this ceremony has honored the best in blues music.

May 11: Academy of Country Music Awards
The ACMs are considered one of the two big annual country music award shows.

June 25: BET Awards
Since 2001, Black Entertainment Television’s noteworthy ceremony rewarding the best in music, movies, and sports.

August tbd: Teen Choice Awards
Since 1999, ceremony dedicated to rewarding teens’ favorites in music and pop culture. Show has been on hiatus since 2019 for reasons unknown.

September 12: MTV Video Music Awards
The VMAs have rewarded the best in music video performances annually since 1984.

September 18: Prime Time Emmy Awards
Annual celebration of the best in television. There are currently 7 music categories.

September 20: Americana Music Honors & Awards
A critically-celebrated show honoring the best in Americana and folk music.

October 5: Billboard Latin Music Awards
Since 1994, the longest-running Latin music award show.

October tbd: BET Hip Hop Awards
Another BET award show, but this one is specifically for rap music. Created in 2006.

November 3: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
HBO airs the annual induction ceremony with performances from the honorees.

November tbd: CMA Awards
One of two major country music award shows. Created in 1967 and broadcast on ABC.

November 5: MTV Europe Music Awards
Annual ceremony honoring the most popular artists and videos from around the world.

November 16: Latin Grammy Awards
Created in 2000, a ceremony created by the Recording Academy for the best in Latin music.

November 19: Billboard Music Awards
Annual ceremony in dozens of categories held by the prominent charts company. The show is moving up its calendar to air in November rather than May.

November tbd: American Music Awards
Popular award show created in 1973 by Dick Clark to compete with the Grammys. Awards are all fan-voted. Word is this show may be canceled in 2023, as it hasn’t found a network, and the Billboard Music Awards took over their usual time slot.

November tbd: Soul Train Awards
Since 1987, the Soul Train Awards have rewarded the best in R&B and hip hop music.

 

List of Music Award Shows for 2024

Partial list of expected major music awards in 2024. So far, most of the exact dates have been announced.

February 4, 2024: Grammy Awards
February 8, 2024: BRIT Awards
February 18, 2024: People’s Choice Awards (Since 1975, an annual fan-voted event honoring music, movies and tv performers.)
March 10, 2024: Oscars (Academy Awards)
March 2024: iHeartRadio Music Awards
May 2024: ACM Awards
June  2024: BET Awards
November 2024: Billboard Music Awards

Awards Shows for Music Which Are Now Defunct

Q Awards – Annual awards by the respected UK rock magazine Q. They ran from 1990 through 2019, before Q magazine went out of business.

Radio Disney Music Awards – held from 2001 to 2019, rewarding kid-friendly artists. Appears to be discontinued since Radio Disney’s format change in 2021.

YouTube Music Awards – Took place in 2013 and 2015 and seem to have been discontinued since then.

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards – Ran from 1995 to 2001, produced by Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich. Nominations in music and film categories were based solely on commercial performance.

NewNowNext Awards – LGBT-themed awards presented in various pop culture categories. The awards were presented by Logo TV and ran from 2008 to 2013.

Alternative Press Music Awards – Awards for rock and alt acts, presented by the magazine from 2013 to 2017.

What are your favorite award shows for music?