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The MTV Video Music Awards were established in 1984 in order to recognize the best music videos of each year. MTV was already a pioneer in the music video industry, having aired the very first music video on September 1, 1981, the aptly named "Video Killed the Radio Star" from The Buggles.
Originally, the award was meant as an alternative to the GRAMMY awards, which only recently had begun including "Best Music Video" in their award categories. However, this was not satisfying to MTV who also wished to recognize the producers, directors, art direction, and editing involved in making a video.
Unlike the GRAMMY awards and most other award events, the eligibility dates for the MTV Video Music Awards run from July 1 to June 30 the following year. The award ceremony is generally held in August or early September.
The statues given out at the VMA ceremony are known as "Moon Men" because they depict an astronaut wearing a space suit, reminiscent of a classic MTV station identification of an astronaut planting a flag on the moon proudly bearing the MTV logo.
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