The 9th Annual Channel O Music Video Awards delivered 14 winners at a glitz-filled evening that showcased Africa as being the hottest place on planet music right now!

Heading the winner’s list was Nigerian superstar D’Banj who capped an amazing 2012 by taking home the most anticipated award of the night, Most Gifted Video of the Year for his chart-topper “Oliver Twist”.

The video – the first to have emerged from D’Banj’s deal with Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music label – also saw the 2011 Special Recognition recipient take home the fiercely contested award for Most Gifted Male Video.

One of 2012’s biggest artists, Zahara, was named winner of the Most Gifted Female Video at the awards event – which this year took place in Soweto for the first time. The Eastern Cape sensation took the highly coveted category for her breakthrough single “Loliwe”.

On the night, Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown was transformed into a playground of the young, gifted and African as the top artists and entertainers turned out in their droves.

Another of the night’s most closely watched category Most Gifted Newcomer highlights emerging talent from the continent, and this year, it was Nigeria’s Davido who took home the trophy – for his massive hit “Dami Duro”.

Davido’s country folk, P Square once again proved to be a Channel O Music Video Awards favourite: the Nigerian twins won the Most Gifted Duo, Group or Featuring Video for the third time for “Chop My Money” featuring Akon and May D.

On an evening that featured a host of superb live performances from many of South Africa’s dance and house hotshots – including Mi Casa, DJ Zinhle, and Bucie – it was a South African innovator DJ Cleo who won Most Gifted Dance Video for his social network hit “Facebook” beating off some stiff competition.

The cross-border collaboration of Zimbabwean-born Buffalo Souljah with Angola’s Cabo Snoop “Styra Inonyengesa” was named Most Gifted Ragga Dancehall Video while rising Nigerian star, Brymo, took home the award for Most Gifted Afro Pop Video for “Ara”.

It was another border-breaking hook-up that snagged Most Gifted Kwaito Video when EES featuring Mandoza’s “Ayoba” beat off stiff competition in this closely watched category while “Oyi”, by Flavour featuring Tiwa Savage took home this year’s Most Gifted R&B Video Award. The last of the genre categories – Most Gifted Hip Hop Video – was award to multi-talented Ice Prince for his massive hit “Superstar”.

The Nigerian artist was the award’s co-host with South Africa’s own Bonang Matheba – and the couple brilliantly kept the flow going on a night jam-packed with live music performances and the who’s who of African entertainment.

The regional categories were an intensely contested race for the crown – but in the end it was Cashtime Fam’s “Shut It Down (Stundee)” that won Most Gifted South Video; Ghana and Nigeria’s D-Black ft Mo Cheddah’s “Falling” that was named Most Gifted African West Video and Tanzania’s AY ft Sauti Sol’s “I Don’t Want to Be Alone” which took home the Most Gifted African East award.

The awards evening was capped when multi-talented South African music veteran, Oskido, was named as this year’s Special Recognition recipient at the 9th Annual Channel O Music Video Awards.

What was your favourite moment at this year’s award ceremony?