Katy Perry Crowned MTV’s 2011 Artist of the Year

Yeah, we know, we know -- MTV doesn't play videos anymore, and they might as well remove the "M" from their name, et cetera. Despite this, they're still handing out awards to musicians, and in this case, the honor is richly deserved: Katy Perry has just been named the MTV Artist of the Year.

It's been a banner year for Perry, who tied a pair of long-standing Billboard records and earned multiple Grammy nominations while dominating Top 40 radio with a slew of hit singles from her platinum-selling 'Teenage Dream' album. Regardless of how you feel about Katy's music, you have to admit -- there were few who artists who were bigger in 2011.

"Hi everyone at MTV! I just want to say thank you for this amazing award," Perry said in response to the honor. "To be Artist of the Year, a whole 365 days, that's pretty cool. I wasn't really allowed to watch MTV growing up, so this feels really validating -- and I've had a fantastic year, a great tour and a great run, and you guys have been so a part of it and such a big reason why. So thank you so much. I really appreciate it."

While this was clearly Perry's year, she still had to beat out some pretty tough competition to claim her award: other artists on MTV's list of nominees included Nicki Minaj, Adele, the Throne, Lady Gaga and Rihanna.

Despite Katy's many hits, it was Adele's 'Rollin' in the Deep' that took home Song of the Year.

So what's next for Katy (who was also named one of Barbara Walters' 'Most Fascinating People' of 2011)? We know she's been in the studio with Tricky Stewart recently, and she reportedly has "something special" in the works. What are you hoping to hear from Katy's next project?