2020 MTV VMAs: Lady Gaga is the big winner at awards held with social-distancing norms in place

The event was dedicated to 'true hero' Chadwick Boseman

It's the first major event to happen with a red carpet and A-list attendees arriving in person, not just via Zoom, so the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards were always going to have an impact.

Despite being scaled back, this year's ceremony was not just about viral moments and wild red-carpet choices; there were clear themes of politics and racial justice throughout the evening.

Lady Gaga was the big winner on the night at the New York City awards. She took home three awards: Artist of the Year, as well as Song of the Year and Collaboration of the Year, both for Rain on Me, her duet with Ariana Grande.

"This has not been an easy year for a lot of people, but what I see in the world is a massive triumph of courage," Gaga said on stage as she accepted an award.

"Stay safe. Speak your mind and, I might sound like a broken record, but wear a mask. It's a sign of respect."

There was a sombre feeling to the night, too, with a stirring tribute to Chadwick Boseman, the Black Panther actor who recently died of colon cancer. Host Keke Palmer, known for her role in last year's film Hustlers, opened the show with an emotional homage to the actor.

"We dedicate tonight's show to a man whose spirit touched so many," she said of the performer who portrayed James Brown and Jackie Robinson in biopics, and was the first black superhero in Black Panther.

Canadian R&B singer The Weeknd, whose wins included the coveted Video of the Year award, then launched into a performance of the hit Blinding Lights atop a viewing deck protruding from a Manhattan skyscraper, 1,000 feet in the air.

"It's really hard for me to celebrate right now," he said in accepting his moon man trophy for Best R&B.

"I'm just going to say justice for Jacob Blake and justice for Breonna Taylor," he continued, referring to recent black victims of police violence.

It was one of many nods to the Black Lives Matter movement on the night, acknowledging a year that has featured months of anti-racism protests.

The coming US election was also a theme throughout the night. Several stars encouraged voting during the show where the Joe Biden campaign bought a number of advertisements.

The show featured sweeping pans of New York, a city devastated in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic and that originally was meant to host the VMAs at Brooklyn's Barclays Centre.

In addition to the Empire State Building, performances were also held at the waterfront Skyline Drive-in theatre, with an audience watching from their cars.

Performers and crew at this year's VMAs were exempt from New York's statewide mandatory two-week quarantine imposed on travellers coming from areas with high rates of Covid-19.

The state's Department of Health said those involved with the show were required to quarantine when not working and submit to "rigorous testing".

This year's awards included new trophies recognising the tumultuous year in music, with the pandemic halting tours and festivals worldwide in a devastating blow to the industry.

The show also honoured healthcare workers with a tribute to doctors and nurses singing and dancing in crowd-sourced videos.

In a sign of the times, Grande and fellow pop star Justin Bieber won Best Music Video From Home for Stuck With U, while Latin boy band CNCO won Best Quarantine Performance for Unplugged At Home.

And while American pop regulars including Gaga, Grande and Taylor Swift all took home trophies, they were upset in their genre's primary category by Korean megastars BTS, which won Best Pop for On.

The group held a green-screen performance that placed them in front of the Brooklyn Bridge in a shot recalling the classic film Once Upon a Time in America.

Miley Cyrus, meanwhile, performed Midnight Sky while swinging on a disco ball, recalling her Wrecking Ball music video.

Colombian singer Maluma won Best Latin for Que Pena featuring J Balvin, as R&B prodigy Her won MTV's Video For Good, which honours work with a social message, for I Can't Breathe.

Rapper Megan Thee Stallion won Best Hip Hop for Savage.

The 2020 MTV Video Music Award winners: 

Video of the Year: The Weeknd, Blinding Lights

Artist of the Year: Lady Gaga

Song of the Year: Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande, Rain On Me

Best Collaboration: Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande, Rain On Me

Best K-pop: BTS, On

Push Best New Artist: Doja Cat

Best Pop: BTS, On

Best B&B: The Weeknd, Blinding Lights

Best Hip Hop: Megan Thee Stallion, Savage

Best Music Video From Home: Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber, Stuck with U

Best Quarantine Performance: CNCO, Unplugged At Home

Additional reporting by Reuters