The organisers of the MTV Europe Music Awards ceremony, which takes place in a different country every year, announced that the event was cancelled due to security concerns given the volatility of world events.
The MTV annual event ceremony, which was scheduled to take place in France’s capital, Paris, in November 2023, with stars like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, SZA, and Måneskin among other nominees, was cancelled as France is on its highest level of security alert after a school teacher was killed and three others were wounded in a stabbing.
The announcement of this year’s award cancellation came on Thursday, October 19, 2023, as European Union interior ministers debated how to manage the impact of the war.
In a statement by a Paramount Global Spokesperson, which owns MTV, it was announced that due to the volatility of world events, they decided not to move forward with the 2023 MTV EMAs out of an abundance of caution for the thousands of employees, crew members, artists, fans, and partners who travel from all corners of the world to bring the show to life.
“The MTV EMAs are an annual celebration of global music. As we watch the devastating events in Israel and Gaza continue to unfold, this does not feel like a moment for a global celebration. With thousands of lives already lost, it is a moment of mourning,” the spokesperson said.
The organisers said that although the event has been called off, voting is still going on until the end of the month, and the winning artists will still receive their MTV EMA Awards. However, the details of how the winners will be announced have not yet been confirmed.
Among the event’s most-nominated artists this year There are also 26 first-time nominees, including Ice Spice, BTS’s Jung Kook, and René Rapp.
Swift leads with seven nominations, with Rodrigo and SZA right behind her with six nominations each. All three are nominated for best artist, best song, and best video.
Last year Swift took home four of the six awards she had been nominated for, which were Best Artist, Best Video, Best Pop, and Best long-form video.
The 2022 MTV Europe Music Awards were held on November 13, 2022, at the PSD Bank Dome in Düsseldorf, Germany. This marked the sixth time the award show was hosted in Germany. The show aired live on MTV, with an hour-long pre-show leading up to the main show. New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi hosted the ceremony with British singer Rita Ora.
