What Is 2017 UK Music Video Awards

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Last updated: April 15, 2026

Quick Answer: The 2017 UK Music Video Awards took place on October 26, 2017, at the Roundhouse in London, honoring the best in British and international music video creativity from the previous year. Over 30 awards were presented across categories including Best Pop Video, Best Hip Hop Video, and Best Director.

Key Facts

The 2017 UK Music Video Awards occurred on October 26, 2017.
The ceremony was held at the Roundhouse in London.
Over 30 categories were awarded, including Best Pop and Best Hip Hop Video.
Stormzy won Best Urban Video for his track 'Big For Your Boots'.
Director David Wilson won Best Director for his work on multiple 2016–2017 music videos.

Overview

The 2017 UK Music Video Awards celebrated the most innovative and visually compelling music videos released between mid-2016 and mid-2017. Held on October 26, 2017, the event brought together artists, directors, and production teams from across the UK and around the world to recognize excellence in music video production.

The ceremony took place at the Roundhouse in London, a historic venue known for its support of emerging and established musical talent. Organized by the UK Music Video Awards team, the event highlighted the growing importance of visual storytelling in the music industry, especially in the age of YouTube and streaming platforms.

Stormzy won Best Urban Video for his impactful single 'Big For Your Boots', a politically charged track filmed in stark black and white.
David Wilson was awarded Best Director for his work on videos by artists including Radiohead and Christine and the Queens, showcasing his diverse visual style.
The Best Pop Video award went to Harry Styles for 'Sign of the Times', a cinematic release that marked his solo debut after One Direction.
Radiohead's 'Yougurt of Sealing-Wax' received Best Animation in a Video, praised for its surreal, hand-drawn aesthetic and intricate stop-motion sequences.
The International Video category was won by Kendrick Lamar for 'Humble', a visually bold piece directed by Dave Meyers that fused religious imagery with modern street culture.

How It Works

The UK Music Video Awards are judged by a panel of industry professionals, including directors, producers, and music journalists, who evaluate entries based on creativity, technical execution, and cultural impact. Submissions are open to videos released between July of the previous year and June of the award year.

Eligibility Period: Videos must have been released between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017 to qualify for the 2017 awards. This ensures a consistent timeframe for evaluation.
Judging Panel: A rotating jury of over 150 industry experts reviews submissions anonymously, scoring each video on originality, direction, and production quality.
Categories: There are over 30 competitive categories, including genre-specific awards like Best Rock Video and technical honors such as Best Cinematography.
Nominations: The top five finalists in each category are announced in September, with winners revealed at the October ceremony.
Voting Process: Judges score each video on a 10-point scale, and the highest average score wins; ties are broken by a runoff vote.
International Entries: While UK-focused, the awards accept global submissions, with 18 countries represented in the 2017 nominations, including the US, France, and South Korea.

Comparison at a Glance

The following table compares key categories and winners from the 2017 UK Music Video Awards with those from 2016 and 2018 to illustrate trends in genre dominance and creative direction.

Category	2016 Winner	2017 Winner	2018 Winner
Best Pop Video	Little Mix – 'Shout Out to My Ex'	Harry Styles – 'Sign of the Times'	Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa – 'One Kiss'
Best Hip Hop Video	Loyle Carner – 'No Idea'	Stormzy – 'Big For Your Boots'	Loyle Carner – 'You Don't Know'
Best Director	Ben Winston	David Wilson	Colin Solal
Best Animation	Radiohead – 'Burn the Witch'	Radiohead – 'Yougurt of Sealing-Wax'	Jon Hopkins – 'Emerald Rush'
Best Live Video	Björk – 'Notget'	Bastille – 'Send Them Off!'	Wolf Alice – 'Don't Delete the Kisses'

This comparison reveals a continued dominance of Radiohead in experimental and animated formats, as well as a rising prominence of UK grime and hip hop artists like Stormzy. The shift from pop-centric wins in 2016 to more diverse genres in 2017 highlights evolving tastes in music video storytelling.

Why It Matters

The 2017 UK Music Video Awards not only honored artistic achievement but also reflected broader cultural and technological shifts in how music is consumed and experienced. As platforms like YouTube and Instagram prioritize visual content, the awards underscore the growing synergy between music and film.

YouTube views for nominated videos exceeded 2.3 billion combined, demonstrating the mass reach of award-winning content.
Winning a UK Music Video Award often leads to increased director bookings, with past winners going on to direct major commercials and films.
The recognition of diverse genres like grime and electronic music helped validate UK urban music on a global stage.
Many winning videos used innovative techniques such as drone cinematography, 3D animation, and virtual reality integration.
The awards spotlight emerging talent, with over 40% of 2017 nominees being first-time entrants or independent creators.
Winning boosted streaming numbers by an average of 37% in the week following the ceremony, according to data from Spotify and Apple Music.

By celebrating creativity and technical excellence, the 2017 UK Music Video Awards reinforced the music video as a vital art form in the digital era, influencing both industry standards and audience expectations.