Taylor Swift beat Rihanna in the battle of the women at the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards in Frankfurt, Germany, taking three out of a possible five awards.
Rihanna and Swift topped the nominations with six and five nods respectively, but 22-year-old American singer-songwriter Swift walked away with Best Female, Best Live and Best Look.
Barbados-born R&B singer Rihanna went empty handed, while Canadian pop star Justin Bieber matched Swift for the boys and earned Best World Stage, along with repeat wins for Best Pop and Best Male.
South Korean pop sensation Psy's "Gangnam Style" took home the award for Best Video and the late Whitney Houston was named Global Icon for her impact on pop music.
Several stars were on hand as presenters, including host Heidi Klum, Kim Kardashian, Lana Del Rey, Alicia Keys, Ludacris and David Hasselhoff. Swift, Psy and Pitbull were among the performers.
The 19th-annual MTV EMA was broadcast live from Frankfurt's historic Festhalle Sunday.
Complete list of winners:
Best Female - Taylor Swift
Best Male - Justin Bieber
Best New Act - One Direction
Best Song - "Call Me Maybe," Carly Rae Jepsen
Best World Stage - Justin Bieber
Best Video - "Gangnam Style," PSY
Best Rock - Linkin Park
Best Pop - Justin Bieber
Best Look - Taylor Swift
Best Alternative - Lana Del Rey
Best Hip Hop - Nicki Minaj
Best Live - Taylor Swift
Biggest Fans - One Direction
Best PUSH - Carly Rae Jepsen
Global Icon - Whitney Houston
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