The 2000s was, of course, the decade when nothing could be achieved without a heavy dose of corporate sponsorship, so the NME Awards flitted from Carling to Shockwave and the awards all gained individual sponsors. Let’s take a look at the first half of that decade.
NME Premier Awards 2000
Hosted at the Mermaid Theatre in London on 1 February 2000, by Steve Lamacq and Mary Anne Hobbs.
- Philip Hall On Award: Terris
- Live Act of the Year: Mogwai
- Best Live Act: Super Furry Animals
- On the Decks Award for Dance Act of the Year: Death in Vegas
- Carling Premier Best New Artist: Muse
- Breezeblack Mix of 1999: Junior Carter
- Best Solo Artist: Beck
- Best Album Ever: The Stone Roses, for The Stone Roses
- Best Single Ever: Nirvana, for Smells Like Teen Spirit
- Total Genius Of The Year: Ali G
- Greatest Musical Event Ever: Woodstock
- Best Radio Show: Radio 1 Evening Session
- Carling Premier Best LP: The Flaming Lips, for The Soft Bulletin
- NME Album of the Year: The Flaming Lips, for The Soft Bulletin
- NME Single of the Year: Aphex Twin, for Windowlicker
- Best TV Show: The Royle Family
- Musical Event of the Year: Glastonbury
- Best Venue: Brixton Academy
- Dickhead of the Year: Robbie Williams
- Best Website: NME
- Worst Record Of The Year: The Vengaboys, for We’re Going to Ibiza
- Best Film: The Blair Witch Project
- Best DJ: Fatboy Slim
- NME.COM Award for Best NME Premier Show Performance: Ooberman
- Best Dance Act: The Chemical Brothers
- Best Music Video: Blur, for Coffee and TV
- Best Band: Blur
- Best Single: Blur, for Tender
- Best Band Ever: The Beatles
- Godlike Genius Award for Services to Music: Shaun Ryder
- Radio 1 Evening Session Session of the Year: Supergrass
- Artist of the Year: Travis
NME Awards 2001
Hosted at Planit Arches, London, on 6 February 2001, by Peter Kay.
- Best Band: Radiohead. Also nominated: Coldplay, Oasis, Primal Scream, U2
- Best Dance Act: Fatboy Slim. Also nominated: Artful Dodger, Moby, Sonique, Underworld
- Best Radio Show: Steve Lamacq – The Evening Session. Also nominated: Mark Radcliffe and Lard (Mark Riley), Chris Moyles, John Peel, Dreem Team
- Best Metal Act: Marilyn Manson. Also nominated: At the Drive-In, Limp Bizkit, Queens of the Stone Age, Slipknot
- Best Club DJ: Carl Cox. Also nominated: Fatboy Slim, David Holmes, Judge Jules, Paul Oakenfold
- Radio 1 Evening Session of the Year: Coldplay
- Best New Artist: Coldplay. Also nominated: At the Drive-In, Badly Drawn Boy, Doves, JJ72
- Best Single: Coldplay, for Yellow. Also nominated: Blur, for Music is My Radar, Eminem, for Stan, Limp Bizkit, for Take a Look Around, Oasis, for Go Let it Out
- NME Carling Awards Tour Award: Amen / JJ72 / Alfie
- Best Rock Act: U2. Also nominated: Oasis, Manic Street Preachers, AC/DC, The Beatles
- Hero of the Year: Liam Gallagher
- Godlike Genius: U2
- Best Hip Hop/Rap Act (presented by Run DMC): Eminem. Also nominated: Cypress Hill, Dr. Dre, Outkast, Wu-Tang Clan
- Villain of the Year: Robbie Williams
- Philip Hall Award – Brightest Hope for 2001: Starsailor
- Best Pop Act: All Saints. Also nominated: Five, Madonna, S Club 7, Britney Spears
- Best Club: Cream. Also nominated: Fabric, Gatecrasher, Home, Rock City
- Best Album: Primal Scream, for XTRMNTR. Also nominated: Badly Drawn Boy, for The Hour of Bewilderbeast, Coldplay, for Parachutes, Eminem, for The Marshall Mathers LP, Radiohead, for Kid A
- Best R&B/Soul Act: Kelis. Also nominated: Craig David, Destiny’s Child, Macy Gray, Sugababes
- Best Solo Artist: Badly Drawn Boy
- Best Film: Gladiator
- Musical Event of the Year: Carling Weekend Reading and Leeds. Also nominated: Glastonbury, Oasis, Radiohead, T in the Park
- NME.com Fans Award for Best Live Act: Moby
- Best TV Programme: The League of Gentlemen. Also nominated: The Royle Family, The Simpsons, Trigger Happy TV, The Sopranos
NME Carling Awards 2002
Hosted at Planit Arches, London, on 25 February 2002, by Zane Lowe.
- Best New Act: The Strokes. Also nominated: Gorillaz, Linkin Park, Starsailor, The White Stripes
- Band of the Year: The Strokes. Also nominated: The Charlatans, Radiohead, U2, The White Stripes
- Album of the Year: The Strokes, for Is This It. Also nominated: The Charlatans, for Wonderland, Muse, for Origins of Symmetry, Radiohead, for Amnesiac, Slipknot, for Iowa
- Best Pop Act: Kylie Minogue. Also nominated: Britney Spears, Madonna, S Club 7, Robbie Williams
- Best Solo Artist: Ian Brown. Also nominated: Ryan Adams, PJ Harvey, Kylie Minogue, Andrew WK
- Best Music Video: Radiohead, for Pyramid Song. Also nominated: Basement Jaxx, for Where’s Your Head At, Fatboy Slim, for Weapon of Choice, Gorillaz, for Clint Eastwood, U2, for Elevation
- Best Live Act: U2. Also nominated: Ash, Linkin Park, Muse, Radiohead
- Outstanding Contribution to NME: The Charlatans
- Best Radio 1 Session: The Charlatans
- Best Heavy Metal Group: Lostprophets. Also nominated: Andrew WK, Linkin Park, Slipknot, System of a Down
- Honorary NME Carling Tour Award: Lostprophets
- Honorary NME Carling Tour Award: Andrew WK
- Honorary NME Carling Tour Award: The Coral
- Philip Hall On Award: The Coral
- Best Radio Show: The Evening Session
- Best Hip-Hop/Rap Act: Missy Elliott. Also nominated: Bubba Sparxx, Eminem / D12, Outkast, Roots Manuva
- Best R&B/Soul Act: Aaliyah. Also nominated: Alicia Keys, Craig David, Destiny’s Child, So Solid Crew
- Best Dance Act: Basement Jaxx. Also nominated: The Avalanches, Aphex Twin, Daft Punk, Fatboy Slim
- Best TV Show: The Office. Also nominated: Jackass, Later with Jools Holland, The Simpsons, The Sopranos
- Best Film: Moulin Rouge. Also nominated: American Pie 2, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Shrek
- Godlike Genius Award: Nick Kent and Pennie Smith
- Best Single: Ash, for Burn Baby Burn. Also nominated: Ian Brown, for Fear, Dandy Warhols, for Bohemian Like You, Gorillaz, for Clint Eastwood, Kylie Minogue, for Can’t Get You Out of My Head, and The Strokes, for Hard to Explain
NME Carling Awards 2003
Hosted at Hammersmith Palais, London, 13 February 2003, by Bill Bailey.
- Best Album: Coldplay, for A Rush of Blood to the Head
- Album of the Year: Coldplay, for A Rush of Blood to the Head
- NME Artist of the Year: Oasis. Also nominated: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Coldplay, Eminem, Pink, The Vines
- Best UK Band: Oasis
- Best New Band: The Libertines
- Best Live Band: The Datsuns. Also nominated: The Hives, Muse, Oasis, The Polyphonic Spree, The Vines
- Best Radio Show: Steve Lamacq (The Evening Session / Lamacq Live). Also nominated: Chris Moyles, Mary Anne Hobbs (The Breezeblock), Gary Crowley, Mark Radcliffe and Lard (Mark Riley), John Peel
- Greatest Music Moment of the Year: Ozzfest. Also nominated: Oasis at Finsbury Park, Glastonbury Festival, Reading and Leeds Festivals, T in the Park, V2002
- Best Single: The Vines, for Get Free. Also nominated: Foo Fighters, for All My Life, Queens of the Stone Age, for No One Knows, Doves, for There Goes the Fear, Coldplay, for The Scientist, Ash, for Envy
- Single of the Year: Doves, for There Goes the Fear
- Best International Band: The Hives
- The Fuck Me! Award For Innovation: The Polyphonic Spree
- Philip Hall Radar Award: Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Also nominated: Jet, The Kills, Kings of Leon, The Thrills, The Warlocks
- Best International Band: The Hives. Also nominated: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Foo Fighters, The Vines, The White Stripes
- Best Video: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, for Whatever Happened To My Rock And Roll (Punk Song)
- Best Solo Artist: Ryan Adams. Also nominated: Eminem, Avril Lavigne, Ms. Dynamite, Pink, The Streets
- Hero of the Year: Ozzy Osbourne. Also nominated: Graham Coxon, Liam Gallagher, Dave Grohl, Chris Martin, Craig Nicholls
- Hottest Woman: Avril Lavigne. Also nominated: Karen O, Charlotte Hatherley, Christina Aguilera, Megan Martha White, Kylie Minogue
- Hottest Man: Chris Martin. Also nominated: Liam Gallagher, Fabrizio Moretti, Craig Nicholls, Dave Grohl, Julian Casablancas
- Best TV Show: The Osbournes. Also nominated: The Office, Jackass, Gonzo, I’m Alan Partridge, Phoenix Nights
- Best Live Venue: London Astoria. Also nominated: Brixton Academy, Barrowland Ballroom, Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Rock City, O2 Academy Birmingham
- Best Haircut: Liam Gallagher. Also nominated: Didz Hammond, Craig Nicholls, Dave Grohl, Fabrizio Moretti, Jack White
- Best Dressed: The Hives
- Best Website: NME. Oasis, Foo Fighters, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Popbitch
- Event of the Year: Reading and Leeds Festivals
- Villain of the Year: Robbie Williams
- Worst Album: Robbie Williams, for Escapology, Gareth Gates, for What My Heart Wants to Say, The Streets, for Original Pirate Material, The Vines, for Highly Evolved, Westlife, for Unbreakable, Coldplay, for A Rush of Blood to the Head
- Worst Single: Robbie Williams – ‘Feel’
- Worst Band: Nickelback. Also nominated: S Club Juniors, Westlife, Stereophonics, Atomic Kitten, Blue
- Worst Haircut: Jack Osbourne. Also nominated: Gareth Gates, Kelly Osbourne, Kelly Jones, Pink, Chad Kroeger
- Worst Dressed: Christina Aguilera
