MTV Europe Music Award for Best Israeli Act

The Israeli award operates as a regional MTV Israel category connected with the MTV Europe Music Awards. Winners or selected representatives may participate in the wider EMA program, but the local award is distinct from international categories such as Best European Act.[1][2]

Selection has often involved public voting, but the procedure has not been uniform. Israeli audiences selected Noa Kirel in 2017 and 2018, while a 2019 report said no Israeli voting option was offered and no Israeli winner was announced that year.[6] Website users again voted over several weeks in 2020, and the result was announced through an MTV Facebook broadcast.[7] For 2024, voting opened on October 8 and closed on November 6.[2]

An earlier Israeli selection pathway is documented in 2008, when Shiri Maimon beat the band Izabo in voting on the MTV Israel website. She then placed third in a European category called “Europe’s Favorite Act” at the Liverpool ceremony, which was won by Turkish artist Emre Aydin.[3] In 2009, Ninet Tayeb was named Israel’s Best Act at the Berlin EMAs. Her award was presented in a segment broadcast only in Israel, and she did not reach the final five for Best European Act, which was won by the Turkish group maNga.[1]

Pop star and actress Noa Kirel, who released her first songs at age 14, became the leading figure in the award’s recent history.[8] The Center for Israel Education records wins in every year from 2017 through 2020, while a 2021 report stated that she had won Best Israeli Act every year since 2017.[8][9] Those accounts conflict with contemporary 2019 coverage stating that Kirel attended the ceremony but was not announced as the Israeli winner because no public vote was offered in Israel that year.[6]

In 2020, Kirel defeated Eden Hason, Noga Erez, the Karkukly sisters, Noroz, and Boyachi. The result was described at the time as her third consecutive win.[7] In 2021, she defeated Eden Derso, Yasmin Moallem, Eden Ben Zaken, and Noga Erez, with coverage describing it as her fourth victory in the Israeli category.[10]

At the 2022 EMAs in Düsseldorf, Germany, Kirel was selected ahead of Margi, Nunu, Anna Zak, and Shahar Saul.[11] Contemporary reports described the result as her fifth consecutive win or fifth time winning the award.[5][11] Kirel said she was proud to represent Israel and thanked the audience for choosing her.[11]

Kirel’s appearance at the 2022 MTV Europe Music Awards drew attention beyond the award itself. She wore an outfit featuring Kanye West’s image surrounded by Jewish symbols in protest of his antisemitic remarks.[4] The clothing included gold chains, Stars of David, and the Hebrew word “Chai.”[5]

Kirel called the outfit “a fashion item with a message for the whole world” and said it symbolized that she was “both Jewish and Israeli.”[5] She also said she wanted to make a statement “after the Holocaust and all that history.”[4] The presentation received praise while also leaving some viewers uncertain about whether the use of West’s image supported or condemned him.[12]

The 2023 MTV Europe Music Awards ceremony was scheduled to take place in Paris on November 5 but was canceled by Paramount. The company cited the continuing events in Israel and Gaza, described the period as a time of mourning rather than an appropriate moment for a global celebration, and expressed concern for the safety of employees, artists, fans, and partners traveling to the event.[13] MTV said the EMAs would return in November 2024.[13]

Nominees for the Israeli category had included Kirel, Nunu, Anna Zak, Shira Margalit, and Liad Meir, but the cited coverage did not report an Israeli winner following the cancellation.[13] The planned program had included performances by David Guetta, Ozuna, Renée Rapp, and Thirty Seconds to Mars.[14]

The awards returned in Manchester in 2024. The Israeli nominees were Kirel, Anna Zak, Agam Buhbut, Shahar Tavoch, and Shahar Saul.[2] Maariv reported that Kirel won the category and described the result as her sixth victory.[15]

Published accounts do not produce a consistent year-by-year tally of Kirel’s victories. The Center for Israel Education records four wins from 2017 through 2020, but contemporary coverage says that no Israeli winner was announced in 2019, while describing the 2020 result as her third consecutive win.[8][6] The Jewish Virtual Library instead records six consecutive victories from 2017 through 2022.[4] By contrast, reports published in 2022 called that year’s result her fifth win, and Maariv later called the 2024 result her sixth.[5][15]

These accounts cannot all describe the same uninterrupted sequence, so the exact total and consecutive-win record remain unresolved in the cited reporting. Terminology also varies: reports use “Best Israeli Act,” “Best Israeli Artist,” and “Best Local Act” for the MTV Israel category.[7][11]