Last night (30 November) saw the return of the MOBO Awards, as the award ceremony celebrated its 25th anniversary.

To mark the special occasion, the MOBOs returned to its hometown London, where a plethora of stars attended the event across music, social media and entertainment.

While the ceremony saw many being celebrated for their efforts, a few of our favourite women truly shined bright this year. 

Among the winners was Nella Rose, who won best media personality. The much-loved host and influencer took home the award following an extremely successful year, which has seen her host a variety of shows for Channel 4, MTV and more.

Many took to social media to celebrate Rose’s win with one tweeting: “Nella won a MOBO!! Love that”, while another said: “She has had an amazing year and this award is so deserved!”

Another big winner on the night was Little Simz, who tied with rapper Knucks to be named joint winner of the best album prize.

The joint win follows an extremely successful year for Simz following the release of her album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, which saw her take home the Mercury Prize last month.

Other winners on the night included Mahalia, who won best R&B and soul act. She said at the ceremony: “I didn’t think I was gonna get this award, so let me just start by saying thank you to the MOBOs. Thank you to my wonderful, wonderful parents, my beautiful mom, my amazing dad, my three brothers, my wonderful team. This is incredible and I’m very proud of myself right now.”

Song of the year went to dancer and musician Dreya Mac for her viral TikTok hit Own Brand (Baddie).

Elsewhere, singer and TikTok star PinkPantheress was named best female act, while jungle musician Nia Archives won for best electronic/dance act – a new category following an open letter to MOBO earlier this year calling for it to diversify and represent “black music in all its forms”.

“I weren’t expecting that, I can’t lie,” said the Bradford-born musician. “Jungle is music of black origin and I’m proud to be flying the flag for my community and my scene.”

Other standout moments on the night were performances from R&B group Flo who performed their songs Immature and Cardboard Box, along with a moving tribute from Emeli Sandé, who sang Heaven in tribute to the late SB.TV founder Jamal Edwards. Edwards was honoured with the Paving The Way award.

As the MOBOs marked its 25th anniversary, the ceremony served as a reminder of its importance in representing Black music in the UK and internationally, along with the many amazing stars past and present who’ve contributed to it.

Here’s to another 25.

The full list of winners

Best male act – Central Cee

Best female act – PinkPantheress

Album of the year – Alpha Place by Knucks and Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz

Song of the year – Own Brand (Baddie) by Dreya Mac, FelixThe1st and Finch Fetti

Best newcomer – Bru-C

Video of the year – Doja by Central Cee

Best R&B/soul act – Mahalia

Best grime act – D Double E

Best hip hop act – D-Block Europe

Best drill act – K-Trap

Best international act – Burna Boy

Best performance in a TV show/ film – Kane Robinson (Kano) as Sully in Top Boy

Best media personality – Nella Rose

Best alternative music act – Bob Vylan

Best electronic/dance act – Nia Archives

Best African music act – Burna Boy

Best gospel act – Still Shadey

Best jazz act – Ezra Collective

Best Caribbean music act – Skillibeng

Best producer – Inflo

Lifetime achievement award – Nile Rodgers

Outstanding contribution – Craig David

Paving the way – Jamal Edwards

Image: Getty