And The Best Female Video VMA Goes To...

It was one of the most intense competitions of the whole show but hey, someone had to win. And at the 2015 VMAs, Taylor Swift won Best Female Video for "Blank Space," beating out Nicki Minaj ("Anaconda"), Beyonce ("7/11"), Sia ("Elastic Heart,"), and Ellie Goulding ("Love Me Like You Do"). Swift's win might not come as a surprise to many — let's be real, her crazy, horse-riding antics in the "Blank Space" video deserve an Oscar, not just a VMA — but there's no denying that her competitors all put out incredible videos that are equally deserving of the award.

I mean, seriously: this was a category full of top-notch contenders. There was Swift, of course, with her record-breaking, image-acknowledging, now iconic video. Then there was Minaj, whose "Anaconda" video, featuring Drake, also broke records and elicited stunned reactions from, well, pretty much everyone who saw it. Beyonce's "7/11" is simply one of the most fun-seeming videos the singer has ever made, and has inspired parodies by everyone from groups of men to Serena Williams. As for Sia, the cage-set "Elastic Heart" is incredible inventive, and features two hugely powerful performances from Maddie Ziegler and Shia LaBeouf (!). And finally, Goulding's video for "Love Me Like You Do" is a gorgeous, artful take on the song that incorporated scenes from Fifty Shades of Grey. What's not to like?

Still, there could only be one winner, and at the VMAs, that person was Swift. Accepting her award, Swift — dressed in a metallic two-piece outfit — first thanked her co-star in the video, Sean O'Pry, and then, of course her fans, for watching the video "a billion times" (literally). Then, in a very sweet, Taylor Swift move, she let her director, Joseph Kahn, take the mic, and he preceded to thank many members of the video's crew. He, in turn, thanked Taylor, saying, "It's a jaded world, but it's hard to believe there's someone as nice, as awesome as you, that's as beautiful and as talented all in the same combination. It's unreal. You inspire us."

You may not agree that Swift had the best video of the group, but looking at those nominated, it's clear that no matter who won the actual award, every single woman in the category made a must-see video. Congrats to Swift, and now, excuse me as I watch "Blank Space" for the 49584 time.

Image: TaylorSwift/VEVO