The Clios Teams With YouTube to Honor Innovation in Music Videos

Submit your entries by Oct. 3

The art of the music video is alive and well today, with YouTube playing a major role in making it possible for artists across the world, at all stages of their careers, to share their music videos with a massive audience. Hence, the decision by The Clios to team with YouTube to launch the Clio Music Innovation in Music Video Award Presented by YouTube.

Here, two YouTube execs—Ali Rivera, the director of multi-genre and live music; and Kathy Baker, director of U.S. label partnerships—discuss the thinking behind this honor:

MUSE: How did this award come about?

Kathy Baker: Ali and I were lucky enough to work with The Clios Music executive director Michael Kauffman last year as jurors for the 2025 Clio Awards. Together, we brainstormed on a specialty award that we planned to introduce for the next year. This year at YouTube, we launched “The Year of the Music Video Renaissance” and have been focused on discovery, engagement, format innovation and amplification. So, this would be a perfect opportunity to publicly recognize creators of innovative music videos with this award.

What qualifies as innovative? What kind of work will make the cut in this category?

Ali Rivera: The award recognizes exceptional, intentional, authentic visual content that effectively markets a song’s release. Artists that craft a unique world around the music, communicating their vision, engaging fans and sparking discussion. The creative impact of the content, regardless of format or scale, will encourage repeated engagement with the music.

Why is the music video an enduring art form?

Kathy Baker: Music videos have always been essential for world building and deep fandom. Artists are able to connect with their fans through immersive and authentic visuals. We have data that clearly shows how important music videos are to connecting fans more closely with their favorite artists, so we feel strongly that music videos are essential to every release.

MUSE: Given how immersed you are in the world of music, you both must watch every single music video that comes out these days.

Ali Rivera: I wish! We definitely watch a lot of music videos, but I’m partial still to the ones I grew up with—those 80s and 90s music videos that created the core memories that my kids are rediscovering. YouTube Living Room has become such a great surface for music video consumption.

The 2026 Clio Music Awards are open! Enter your most creative work HERE by Oct. 3.