Swift makes MTV history while Katy Perry sparkles

Katy Perry and Chappell Roan proved their pop star credentials at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, while Taylor Swift became the most-awarded artist in the ceremony's history.

Perry picked up the Video Vanguard award - MTV's equivalent of a lifetime achievement prize - after performing a career-spanning medley, including hits Roar, Dark Horse and Firework.

Roan, who was playing to audiences of 200 people this time last year, took home best new artist, dedicating her prize to "all the drag queens who inspired me".

And Swift picked up seven prizes, including the top two awards: artist and video of the year. She now has 30 MTV trophies, overtaking Beyoncé as the event's biggest winner.

Beyoncé has won 27 of the Moonman trophies, including two as a member of Destiny's Child. However, the star was absent from the podium this year, having also been shut out of this week's CMA Awards nominations.

Swift used her acceptance speech to encourage fans to vote in the US Presidential election next month, a day after she endorsed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.

She also paid tribute to her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, who joined her on set while she directed her award-winning video for Fortnight.

"Whenever I said 'cut', I would always just hear someone like cheering from across the studio and that one person was my boyfriend Travis," she said.

"Everything this man touches turns to happiness and fun and magic."

It is the third year in a row that Swift has picked up video of the year - after winning in 2023 for Anti-Hero and 2022 for All Too Well (10 minute version).

The trophies were distributed at New York City's UBS Arena, 40 years after the first MTV Awards took place at the city Radio City Hall.

Cyndi Lauper, who won best female video for Girls Just Wanna Have Fun at the inaugural ceremony, returned to introduce Sabrina Carpenter - whose song Espresso was named song of the year.

And there were performances from rock star Lenny Kravitz, singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes, K-pop artist Lisa and rap icon Eminem, amongst others.

Here are some of the stand-out moments from the three-hour show.

Katy Perry has had a rough summer.

The first two singles from her comeback album 143 have bombed, critically and commercially - so she really needed to pull something out of the bag for her MTV performance.

In the end, her bag contained more surprises than Mary Poppins'.

Her 10-minute greatest hits set was an absolute barnstormer. She zipped through the air on high wires, danced (in heels) on a giant tilted platform and contorted into alien shapes with hip-hop artist Doechii - all while delivering flawless live vocals.

“I did that all on the first day of my period, too," she told the audience after catching her breath.