Which music video holds the record for most VMA wins in a single ceremony?

Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” holds the record for the most VMA wins by a single music video in one ceremony, with nine awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards. The stop-motion-heavy video combined clay animation, surreal imagery, and intricate visual effects, making it a landmark in the early history of music-video production.

“Sledgehammer” was directed by Stephen R. Johnson and produced with extensive animation work by Aardman Animations, years before the studio became widely known for features such as “Chicken Run.” The video’s unusual visual language helped it dominate the 1987 ceremony and made Gabriel one of the defining MTV artists of the era.

There is a nearby record that can cause confusion. Gabriel won ten awards that night if his personal Video Vanguard Award is included, but the video itself won nine. The question asks about a music video, so “Sledgehammer” is the precise answer. Later videos have approached the record, but none has surpassed its nine-award single-ceremony total.