MTV & Paramount Win Large Brand of the Year at 2023 Shorty Awards

MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks won the prize for large brand of the year at the 2023 Shorty Awards on Wednesday (May 24) in New York City. The award is presented to the company that had the most overall wins in the competition, which seeks to “honor the best people and organizations on social media and digital.”

The 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, which aired on Aug. 28, won a pair of awards — multi-platform presence and live event coverage. The 2022 MTV EMA, which aired on Nov. 13, won an audience honor in localization and took gold in the aforementioned live event coverage category. Lastly, “The Daily Show – Put Police Chases in Car Commercials,” won in the Vertical Video category. All were produced by MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks.

The Shorty Awards honor the most innovative work in digital and social media, by organizations in all sectors and sizes, as well as individual creatives and creators from around the world. Entries are judged on the merits of creativity, strategy and engagement by the Real Time Academy, a body of industry experts and leaders.

Winners and other honorees of the 15th Annual Shorty Awards were announced in 148 categories. “Billboard Music Awards + TikTok: From Sound to Song,” produced by Dick Clark Productions and TikTok, took gold in the micro-site category. “The 94th Oscars Red Carpet Portrait Studio: In Partnership with People Magazine & Entertainment Weekly,” produced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, took gold in the images category.

View the full list of winners and honorees here.

In addition, a new fund for creators was announced in partnership with the money management firm Wave. The Elevate Creatives Fund is aimed at providing a financial boost to creators looking to grow sustainable businesses; the initial fund of $100,000 will be distributed among five recipients, who will also receive bookkeeping and accounting coaching from Wave’s in-house experts. Applications are open between now and Sept. 15 on the Shorty Awards website. The recipients will be announced in November.

Eligible applicants include creators who produce commercial, editorial and/or fine-art digital content, such as social media or blog posts, podcasts, videos and short films, and freelance creatives or independent consultants such as designers, copywriters and producers who provide creative services. The applications will be judged by a panel of experts from the Real Time Academy based on the following criteria: the originality and creativity of the current and recent work; the quality, engagement, and effectiveness of the recent work; their entrepreneurial ambitions; and how they utilize their creative platforms and influence to create a positive impact.

“We are living in one of the best moments in history for creatives, with the democratization of media and an increasingly decentralized creative workforce enabled by technology,” said Shorty Awards managing director Junmian Sun in a statement. “We are excited to have Wave as a partner in our collective efforts to foster a stronger and more equitable creative workforce.”