At the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards, which special honor did Beyoncé receive?

Beyoncé received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards.

The honor recognizes major contributions to music video artistry and popular culture. Beyoncé accepted it at the 2014 ceremony, where she also performed a medley of songs from her self-titled visual album Beyoncé. Her performance followed the album’s surprise release in December 2013 and showcased how closely her music and visual work had become connected.

The award is sometimes confused with competitive categories such as Video of the Year or Best Pop Video. Those categories recognize a particular nominated video, while the Video Vanguard Award honors an artist’s broader career and influence in the medium.

MTV renamed the lifetime-style award in honor of Michael Jackson in 1991. Previous recipients included Madonna, Peter Gabriel, and Justin Timberlake. Beyoncé’s 2014 presentation came from her husband, Jay-Z, and their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter.