| U2 | |
| Wins: | 149 |
| Nominations: | 312 |
This is a comprehensive list of major music awards received by U2, an Irish rock band that formed in 1976, and whose members are Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. U2 have been one of the most popular acts in the world since the mid-1980s. The band has sold more than 170 million albums worldwide[1] [2] and has won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band.[3]
U2 formed in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency. By the mid-1980s, however, the band had become a top international act, noted for its anthemic sound, Bono's impassioned vocals, and The Edge's textural guitar playing. Their success as a live act was greater than their success as a record-selling act until their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, which brought them mega-stardom.[4]
The Academy Awards is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence in cinematic achievements in the United States film industry as assessed by the academy's voting membership.
| Year | Song | Film | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Hands That Built America" | Gangs of New York | |||
| "Ordinary Love" |
The American Music Awards is an annual American music awards show.[5] [6] [7] |-| rowspan="2" | American Music Awards of 2001 || U2 || Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group || |-| The Joshua Tree || rowspan="2" | Favorite Pop/Rock Album || |-| rowspan="2" | 1993 || Achtung Baby || |-| rowspan="5" | U2 || rowspan="4" | Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group || |-| American Music Awards of 1995 || |-| 1998 || |-| rowspan="2" | 2002 || |-| Artist of the Year || |-| 2017 || The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 || rowspan="2" | Tour of the Year || |-| 2018 || Experience + Innocence Tour || |}
The Billboard Music Awards are sponsored by Billboard magazine and are held annually in December. The awards are based on sales data by Nielsen SoundScan and radio information by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. U2 has nine awards from sixteen nominations.[8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
|-| rowspan="5" | 1992 || rowspan="3"| U2 || No. 1 Album Rock Tracks Artist || |-| No. 1 Modern Rock Tracks Artist || |-| No. 1 Boxscore Tour || |-| "Mysterious Ways" || No. 1 Album Rock Track || |-| "One" || No. 1 Modern Rock Track || |-| 2005 || rowspan="9" | U2 || Century Award || |-| rowspan="2" | 2011 || Top Duo/Group || |-| rowspan="3" | Top Touring Artist || |-| 2012 || |-| rowspan="2" | 2016 || |-| Top Duo/Group || |-| rowspan="4" | 2018 || Top Touring Artist || |-| Top Rock Tour || |-| Top Duo/Group || |-| Songs of Experience || Top Rock Album || |-| 2019| Experience + Innocence Tour| Top Rock Tour| |}
The Billboard Touring Awards is an annual meeting sponsored by Billboard magazine which also honors the top international live entertainment industry artists and professionals. It was established in 2004. In 1992, U2 won No. 1 Album Tracks Artist at the Billboard Music Award for "Mysterious Ways".[15] |-| rowspan="3" | 2005 || rowspan="3" | Vertigo Tour|| Top Tour || |-| Top Draw || |-| Top Boxscore || |-| 2009 || U2 360° Tour || Top Boxscore || |-| rowspan="2" | 2010 || rowspan="2" | U2 360° Tour || Top Tour || |-| Top Draw || |-| rowspan="2" | 2011 || rowspan="2" | U2 360° Tour || Top Tour || |-| Top Draw || |-| 2015 || Innocence + Experience Tour
|| Top Boxscore || |-| rowspan="3" | 2017 || rowspan="3" | The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 || Top Boxscore || |-| Top Tour || |-| Top Draw || |}
The Brit Awards are awarded annually by the British Phonographic Industry.[16] |-| rowspan="2" | 1985 || The Unforgettable Fire || British Album of the Year || |-| rowspan="4" | U2 || rowspan="2" | British Group || |-| 1986 || |-| 1988 || rowspan="2" | International Group || |-| rowspan="2" | 1989 || |-| Rattle and Hum || Soundtrack/Cast Recording || |-| 1990 || rowspan="8" | U2 || rowspan="3" | International Group || |-| 1992 || |-| rowspan="2" | 1993 || |-| Most Successful Live Act || |-| 1994 || rowspan="3" | International Group || |-| 1998 || |-| rowspan="2" | 2001 || |-| Outstanding Contribution to Music || |-| rowspan="3" | 2005 || "Take Me to the Clouds Above" || British Single of the Year || |-| How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb || International Album || |-| U2 || International Group || |-| rowspan="2" | 2006 || How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb || International Album || |-| rowspan="2" | U2 || rowspan="2" | International Group || |-| 2016 || |}
|-| 2010 || U2 360° Tour || Best Tour || |}
The Critics' Choice Movie Awards is an awards show presented annually by the Broadcast Film Critics Association to honor the finest in cinematic achievement.|-| 2004 || "Time Enough for Tears" || rowspan="2" | Best Song || |-| 2014 || "Ordinary Love" || |}
Delivered since 1991, the GAFFA Awards are a Danish award that rewards popular music by the magazine of the same name.!|-| rowspan="3"| 1991| Achtung Baby| Album of the Year| | style="text-align:center;" rowspan="24"|[17] |-| "The Fly"| Song of the Year| |-| rowspan="2"| U2| rowspan="2"| Band| |-| rowspan="3"| 1992| |-| rowspan="2"| "One"| Song of the Year| |-| Music Video of the Year| |-| rowspan="4"| 1993| U2| Concert of the Year| |-| Zooropa| Album of the Year| |-| rowspan="2"| U2| Most Underrated| |-| Band| |-| rowspan="3"| 1997| Bono (U2)| Best Foreign Male Act| |-| rowspan="4"| U2| Concert of the Year| |-| rowspan="3"| Band| |-| 1998| |-| rowspan="4"| 2000| |-| All That You Can't Leave Behind| Album of the Year| |-| Bono (U2)| Best Foreign Male Act| |-| "Beautiful Day"| Best Foreign Song| |-| 2001| rowspan="2"| U2| Foreign Live Act| |-| rowspan="3"| 2004| Best Foreign Band| |-| How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb| Best Foreign Album| |-| "Vertigo"| Best Foreign Song| |-| 2005| | rowspan="2"| Best Foreign DVD| |-| 2006| | |-| 2018| U2| Best Foreign Band| | style="text-align:center;" |[18] |-|}
Delivered since 2010, the GAFFA Awards (Swedish: GAFFA Priset) are a Swedish award that rewards popular music awarded by the magazine of the same name.!|-| 2018| U2| Best Foreign Band| | style="text-align:center;" |[19] |-|}
The Golden Globe Awards are awarded annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. U2 was nominated five times for Best Original Song: Their song "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" from the Wim Wenders film Faraway, So Close! was nominated in 1994, but lost against Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia". For "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" from Batman Forever, they were nominated again in 1996, but lost to "Colors of the Wind" by Vanessa L. Williams. In 2003, they received the award for "The Hands That Built America", which appeared in the film Gangs of New York.[20] In 2010 their song "Winter" for the film Brothers was also nominated but lost to "The Weary Kind" by Ryan Bingham for the film Crazy Heart.[21] The Edge of U2 described how the band plans to celebrate the nomination. "I think we might have a pint of Guinness in honor of (director) Jim (Sheridan) and his great piece of work.[22] In 2014, "Ordinary Love" won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.[23]
| Year | Award | Work | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" | Faraway, So Close! | |||
| "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" | Batman Forever | |||
| "The Hands That Built America" | Gangs of New York | |||
| "Winter" | Brothers | |||
| "Ordinary Love" |
The Golden Raspberry Awards are parody awards honoring the worst achievements in cinema. U2 was nominated for one Golden Raspberry Award.
They have won 22 awards from 46 nominations. The Grammy Award are awarded annually by the Recording Academy in the United States. They have won Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group seven times, while winning Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Rock Album all twice.[24]
| Year | Work | Award | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" | ||||
| The Joshua Tree | ||||
| "Desire" | ||||
| "Where the Streets Have No Name" | ||||
| Rattle and Hum | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |||
| "When Love Comes to Town" | ||||
| "Angel of Harlem" | ||||
| Achtung Baby | Album of the Year | |||
| Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | ||||
| Zooropa | ||||
| "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |||
| Pop | ||||
| "Beautiful Day" | Record of the Year | |||
| Song of the Year | ||||
| Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | ||||
| "Elevation" | ||||
| Best Rock Song | ||||
| All That You Can't Leave Behind | Album of the Year | |||
| Best Rock Album | ||||
| "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" | Song of The Year | |||
| "Walk On" | Record of the Year | |||
| Best Rock Song | ||||
| Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | ||||
| "The Hands That Built America" | ||||
| "Vertigo" | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |||
| Best Rock Song | ||||
| How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb | Album of the Year | |||
| Best Rock Album | ||||
| "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" | Song of the Year | |||
| Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | ||||
| "City of Blinding Lights" | Best Rock Song | |||
| "One" | ||||
| "The Saints Are Coming" | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |||
| "Window in the Skies" | Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | |||
| "Instant Karma!" | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |||
| "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" | ||||
| No Line on the Horizon | Best Rock Album | |||
| From the Sky Down | Best Long Form Music Video | |||
| Songs of Innocence | Best Rock Album |
The iHeartRadio Music Awards are sponsored by iHeartMedia.[24] [25]
| Year | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| U2 | |||
| Best Tour | |||
The International Dance Music Award was established in 1985. It is a part of the Winter Music Conference, a weeklong electronic music event held annually.[26]
|-| 2005| "Vertigo"| Best Alternative / Rock Dance Track |
The Italian Music Awards were an accolade established in 2001 by the Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana to recognize the achievements in the Italian music business both by domestic and international artists.|-| 2001 || rowspan="2" | U2 || rowspan="2" | Best International Group || |-| rowspan="2" | 2001 || |-| All That You Can't Leave Behind || Best International Album || |-| 2001 || U2 || Best International Group || |}
The Ivor Novello Awards are awarded for songwriting and composing. The awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA).[27] U2 have won four awards from six nominations.
!Ref|-| 1994| U2| Special Award for International Achievement| | [28] |-| 2001| "Beautiful Day"| Best Contemporary Song| ||-| 2002| "Walk On"| Best Song Musically and Lyrically| ||-| rowspan="2" | 2003| "Electrical Storm"| International Hit of the Year| ||-| U2 | Outstanding Song Collection| ||-| 2005| "Vertigo"| International Hit of the Year| |
The Juno Award are presented annually to Canadians musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. In 1989 and 1993, U2 won International Entertainer of the Year, and subsequently, producer Daniel Lanois won the Jack Richardson Best Producer Award for the production of "Beautiful Day" and "Elevation".[29] |-| 1987 || The Joshua Tree || International Album of the Year || |-| 1989 || rowspan="2" | U2 || rowspan="2" | International Entertainer of the Year || |-| rowspan="2" | 1993 || |-| Achtung Baby || rowspan="2" | Best Selling Album (Foreign or Domestic) || |-| 2002 || All That You Can't Leave Behind || |-| 2005 || How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb || International Album of the Year || |}
In December 2022, U2 received Kennedy Center Honors for their contributions to performing arts.[30] They were just the fifth group out of 244 musicians recognised by the Kennedy Center.[31]
[32] |-| 2003 || "The Hands That Built America" || Best Original Song || |}
The LOS40 Music Awards is an award show by the musical radio station Los 40.|-| 2009 || U2 360° Tour || Best Tour || |-| 2016 || Innocence + Experience Tour || rowspan="2" | Tour of the Year || |-| rowspan="2" | 2017 || The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 || |-| U2 || Golden Music Award || |}
The MTV Video Music Award is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium.!|-||"Pride (In the Name of Love)"|Best Group Video||align="center"||-|rowspan="7"||rowspan="7"|"With or Without You"|Viewer's Choice||rowspan="7" align="center"|[33] |-|Video of the Year||-|Best Group Video||-|Best Overall Performance in a Video||-|Best Direction in a Video||-|Best Editing in a Video||-|Best Cinematography in a Video||-|rowspan="8"||rowspan="4"|"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"|Video of the Year||rowspan="8" align="center"||-|Best Group Video||-|Best Concept Video||-|Viewer's Choice||-|rowspan="4"|"Where the Streets Have No Name"|Video of the Year||-|Best Group Video||-|Best Stage Performance in a Video||-|Viewer's Choice||-||"When Love Comes to Town"|Best Video from a Film||align="center"|[34] |-|rowspan="3"||rowspan="3"|"Even Better Than the Real Thing"|Best Group Video||rowspan="3" align="center"|[35] |-|Best Special Effects in a Video||-|Best Editing in a Video||-||"Stay (Faraway, So Close!)"|International Viewer's Choice for MTV Europe||align="center"||- |rowspan="2"||rowspan="2"|"Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me"|International Viewer's Choice for MTV Europe||rowspan="2" align="center"|[36] |-|Best Video from a Film||-|rowspan="6"||U2|Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award||rowspan="6" align="center"||-|"Beautiful Day"|Video of the Year||-|rowspan="4"|"Elevation (Tomb Raider Mix)"|Best Group Video||-|Best Video from a Film||-|Best Special Effects in a Video||-|Best Editing in a Video||-|rowspan="5"||rowspan="5"|"Vertigo"|Best Group Video||rowspan="5" align="center"||-|Breakthrough Video||-|Best Direction in a Video||-|Best Special Effects in a Video||-|Best Cinematography in a Video||-|rowspan="2"||rowspan="2"|"Original of the Species"|Best Special Effects in a Video||rowspan="2" align="center"||-|Best Editing in a Video||-|rowspan="2"||Bono|Quadruple Threat of the Year||rowspan="2" align="center"||-|"The Saints Are Coming"|Best Collaboration||-||"Where the Streets Have No Name"|Best Video (That Should Have Won a Moonman)||align="center"||-||"Atomic City"|Best Rock Video||align="center"|[37] |}
The MTV Europe Music Award is an award presented by Viacom International Media Networks Europe to honour artists and music in pop culture.|-| 1994 || "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" || Best Video || |-| 1995 || rowspan="3" | U2 || rowspan="2" | Best Group || |-| rowspan="2" | 1997 || |-| Best Live Act || |-| 1999 || Bono || Free Your Mind || |-| rowspan="4" | 2001 || All That You Can't Leave Behind || Best Album || |-| rowspan="7" | U2 || Best Group || |-| Best Rock || |-| Web Award || |-| rowspan="4" | 2002 || Best Group || |-| Best Rock || |-| Best Live Act || |-| Web Award || |-| rowspan="3" | 2005 || How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb || Best Album || |-| rowspan="9" | U2 || Best Group || |-| Best Rock || |-| 2008 || Best Act Ever || |-| rowspan="2" | 2009 || Best Rock || |-| Best Live Act || |-| rowspan="3" | 2017 || Best Rock || |-| Best Live Act || |-| Global Icon || |-| 2018 || Best Rock || |}
|-| 2005| U2| Best International Male Pop Act| | [38]
The MTVU Woodie Awards is an annual music show presented by MTVU with awards voted on by fans.|-| 2005 || U2 || Good Woodie || |}
The Mercury Prize is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland.[39]
|-| 1992 || Achtung Baby || Album of the Year ||
The Meteor Ireland Music Awards was an accolade bestowed upon professionals in the music industry in Ireland and further afield.[40] |-|rowspan="3"|2001|U2|Best Irish Band||-|All That You Can't Leave Behind|Best Irish Album||-|Bono and The Edge|Best Irish Songwriter||-|rowspan="7"|2002|rowspan="2"|U2|Best Irish Band||-|Best Live Performance||-|All That You Can't Leave Behind|Best Irish Rock Album||-|"Walk On"|Best Irish Rock Single||-|"Elevation"|Best Irish Video||-|Bono|Best Irish Songwriter||-|The Edge|Best Irish Musician||-|rowspan="2"| 2003|U2|Best Irish Group||-|Bono|Humanitarian Award||-|rowspan="3"| 2006|How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb|Best Irish Album||-|rowspan="2"|U2|Best Irish Band||-|Best Live Performance||-|rowspan="3"| 2010|No Line on the Horizon|Best Irish Album||-|rowspan="2"|U2|Best Irish Band||-|Best Live Performance||}
The MVPA Awards are annually presented by a Los Angeles-based music trade organization to honor the year's best music videos.[41]
|-| 2002| "Elevation"| Soundtrack Video of the Year | |-| 2005| "Vertigo"| Best Special Effects | |-| rowspan="3" | 2008| rowspan="3" | "The Saints are Coming" (ft. Green Day)| Best Rock Video | |-| Best Editing | |-| Best Special Effects |
The NME Awards were created by the NME magazine and was first held in 1953.[42] In 2001, they received both the NME Award for "Godlike Genius" and "Best Rock Act".[43] The following year, they received the award for "Best Live Act".[44]
|-| 1983| The Edge| Best Guitarist| |-| 1984| Bono| Best Male Singer| |-| rowspan="2" | 2001| rowspan="2" | U2| Best Rock Act| |-| Godlike Genius| |-| rowspan="2" | 2002| "Elevation" | Best Video| |-| rowspan="2" | U2| Best Live Act| |-| rowspan="3" | 2005| Best International Band ||-| Bono | Hero of the Year | |-| "Vertigo"| Best Track | |-| 2010| No Line on the Horizon| Best Album|
The NRJ Music Award is an award presented by the French radio station NRJ to honor the best in the French and worldwide music industry.|-| 2004 || Themselves || NRJ Award of Honor || |}
The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show. The following year they won Favorite Group at the People's Choice Awards.[45] |-| 2002 || rowspan="4" | Themselves || Favorite Musical Group or Band || |-| 2005 || Favorite Musical Group or Band || |-| 2006 || Favorite Tour Artist || |-| 2010 || Favorite Rock Band || |}
[46] [47] [48] [49] |-|1987|The Joshua Tree Tour|Major Tour of the Year||-|1992|Zoo TV Tour|Most Creative Stage Production||-|rowspan=4|2001|rowspan=2|Elevation Tour|Major Tour of the Year||-|Most Creative Stage Production||-|Paul McGuinness|Personal Manager of the Year||-|Jake Berry|Road Warrior of the Year||-|rowspan=3|2005|rowspan=2|Vertigo Tour|Major Tour of the Year||-|Most Creative Stage Production||-|Jake Berry|Road Warrior of the Year||-|rowspan=3|2009|rowspan=2|U2 360° Tour|Major Tour of the Year||-|Most Creative Stage Production||-|Jake Berry|Road Warrior of the Year||- |2016|Innocence + Experience Tour|Most Creative Stage Production||-|rowspan="3"|2017|rowspan="3"|The Joshua Tree Tour 2017|Major Tour of the Year||-|Most Creative Stage Production||-|Rock Tour of the Year||-|rowspan="3"|2018|rowspan="2"|Experience + Innocence Tour|Major Tour of the Year||-|Best Rock Tour||-|Jake Berry|Road Warrior of the Year||-|2024|U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere|Residency of the Year||-|}
The Q Awards are the United Kingdom annual music awards run by the music magazine Q.[50] [51] [52] |-| 1990 || rowspan="10" | U2 || rowspan="4" | Best Act in the World Today || |-| 1991 || |-| 1992 || |-| 1993 || |-| 1994 || Award of Merit || |-| 1996 || Inspiration Award || |-| 2001 || People's Choice Award || |-| 2004 || Icon Award || |-| 2005 || Best Live Act || |-| rowspan="2" |2006 || Award of Award || |-| The Edge || Innovation In Sound Award || |-| 2009 || The Unforgettable Fire || Classic Album || |-| 2011 || rowspan="2" | U2 || Greatest Act of the Last 25 Years || |-| rowspan="2" |2016 || Best Live Act || |-| The Edge || Gibson Les Paul Award || |}
[53] |-| 2005 || U2 || Inductee || |}
The Sports Emmy Awards are presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) in recognition of excellence in American sports television programming, including sports-related series, live coverage of sporting events, and best sports announcers.[54]
|-| 2011 || 2010 FIFA World Cup – U2 & Soweto Gospel Choir || Outstanding Music Composition/Direction/Lyrics || |}
The UK Music Video Awards is an annual award ceremony founded in 2008 to recognise creativity, technical excellence and innovation in music videos and moving images for music.[55]
|-| rowspan="4" | 2015| rowspan="4" | "Every Breaking Wave"| Best Rock/Indie Video - International| |-| Best Art Direction | |-| Best Cinematography| |-| Best Editing |
The World Soundtrack Academy launched in 2001 by the Flanders International Film Festival Ghent|-| 2003 || "The Hands That Built America" || rowspan="2" | Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film || |-| 2014 || "Ordinary Love" || |}
Footnotes
Bibliography