MTV Launches "MTV Voices", its New International Pro-social Platform, During the "2011 MTV EMA" Weekend

LONDON and NEW YORK, November 2, 2011 -

JUSTIN BIEBER AND THE NORTHERN IRELAND YOUTH FORUM TO BE HONOURED
WITH THE FIRST-EVER “MTV VOICES” AWARDs

THE 18^TH ANNUAL “MTV EMA” PREMIERES
SUNDAY, 6^th NOVEMBER AT 9PM CET* FROM BELFAST

MTV today announced that Justin Bieber and the Northern Ireland Youth Forum will be honoured with the first-ever MTV Voices Awards at a special event during the “2011 MTV EMA” weekend in Belfast. MTV Voices is MTV’s new pro-social platform, a unique online space launching Saturday, 5^th November that highlights socially positive and inspirational content produced by a select team of global correspondents, international and local music artists and MTV’s audience.  The “2011 MTV EMA” is sponsored by Dell, Replay, Hyundai and Swatch.

     (Logo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20110919/481126 )

As the first artist to ever receive the MTV Voices Award, Bieber will be recognized for his ambitious launch of the BELIEVE CHARITY DRIVE that aims to rally his fans to help raise millions of dollars for 20 charities around the world. Bieber has chosen these organizations for their emphases on education, youth well-being and music.  In addition to his work with the BELIEVE CHARITY DRIVE, Bieber has been extremely involved with the Make A WishFoundation and Pencils of Promises, which helps build schools for children without access to education.

Each year at the MTV EMA, MTV will also recognize a local organization from the show’s host city whose mission reflects the spirit of MTV Voices. This year’s recipient will be the Northern Ireland Youth Forum (NIYF), a youth-led organisation that exists to inspire and enable young people to actively shape and influence the issues that affect them. Through various events, online forums, training schemes and lobby groups, NIYF aims to build confidence amongst their peers and mobilise them to use their voices in response to social issues and political decisions. In addition to the award, NIYF will also receive a new Hyundai Veloster sports coupe - the “official wheels” of the 2011 MTV EMA - to help NIYF with their outreach to young people.

“MTV Voices is a compelling new platform where our audience can share its voice and its talent with us; where music artists can reveal the inspiration behind the themes in their work; and where all of us can dig deeper into issues like bullying, self-confidence or body image that are explored by MTV shows,” said Georgia Arnold, Senior Vice President, Social Responsibility, Viacom International Media Networks. “Most of all, MTV Voices aims to give people new opportunities to engage, connect and inspire each other - to start conversations and change perspectives that move us all in a more positive direction.”

The NIYF commented: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this award. It is extremely humbling that MTV wants to recognise our work. We would like to dedicate the award to each and every one of the thousands of young people we work with — locally, nationally and internationally. We hope that this award helps us to continue to build belief and hope that young people really can make a difference.”

About MTV Voices

MTV Voices is MTV’s new international pro-social platform designed to be the exclusive online space for passionate and thought-provoking content produced by young writers, photographers, and filmmakers around the world.  It will also engage viewers around key MTV shows that explore critical issues for the millennial generation: from bullying to sexual health, from personal confidence to breaking down social barriers.  Created for the international MTV millennial audience, MTV Voices will inspire young people to share their ideas and engage in stimulating conversation amongst their peers. At launch, MTV Voices will be available in English, Spanish (Latin America), German and Italian, with the site to launch in additional languages in the future.  

About the Northern Ireland Youth Forum (NIYF)

Northern Ireland Youth Forum (NIYF) promotes the views of Irish and Northern Irish youth in community, issue based, political and social forums, gathering opinions and facilitating exchanges between young people and policy makers on local, national, UK and international levels. Through informing young people and increasing their social awareness, NIYF empowers them to create positive change for themselves. For more information, please visit www.niyf.org.

About the 2011 MTV EMA

Hosted by multi-talented singer and actress Selena Gomez, the “2011 MTV EMA” will premiere Sunday, November 6th at 9PM CET* from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jessie J, LMFAO, Justin Bieber, David Guetta and Snow Patrol are confirmed to perform, and Nicole “Snooki“ Polizzi, Jenni “JWOWW“ Farley, Awkward star Ashley Rickards, Katy Perry, Hayden Panettiere, Bar Refaeli, Sheamus, Irina Shayk, David Hasselhoff and Jeremy Scott are confirmed to present. Queen will be honored with this year’s Global Icon award and will also take the stage for a special performance. Viewers can vote for their favorite EMA artists by visiting www.mtvema.com. Lady Gaga leads the pack of EMA nominees with six nods, with Katy Perry and Bruno Mars following closely behind with four nominations. Adele, Justin Bieber and Thirty Seconds To Mars are each up for three awards. Other EMA nominees include Foo Fighters, Snoop Dogg, My Chemical Romance, Jennifer Lopez, LMFAO, Jessie J, Beyoncé, Coldplay, Eminem, Arcade Fire, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Far East Movement, Kanye West, Linkin Park, Wiz Khalifa and Kings of Leon. Richard Godfrey and Bruce Gillmer are Executive Producers for the “2011 MTV EMA.”  For all MTV EMA news and announcements, check out EMA on Facebook and follow us @ EMA Twitter.  For MTV EMA press materials, please visit press.mtvema.com.

*check local listings; the show will air tape delayed in some markets.

About MTV:

MTV is the world’s premier youth entertainment brand.  With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people.  MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile.  Outside of the United States, MTV is part of Viacom International Media Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.  For more information about the 2011 MTV EMA, please visit press.mtvema.com.

For further information, please contact:
Kate Laverge                            
MTV / Viacom International Media Networks (London)    
+44-207-284-6144                        
kate.laverge@mtvne.com                    

Bernadette Simpao
MTV / VIMN (New York)
+1-917-734-4966
bernadette.simpao@mtvstaff.com

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