Sometimes it really is a popularity contest. At least that’s the case at the annual Billboard Music Awards, which has been handing out honors to music industry veterans and newcomers since 1990. Instead of a secret panel of industry insiders deciding who wins top honors, it is the fans that have complete control over who takes home an award. No, they don’t call a 1-800 number to cast their vote; award winners are determined by the tallied results of all Billboard's Hot 100’s charts across many categories.

This year's show was broadcast from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, where big winner Mary J. Blige swept the ceremony with nine honors. The singer now ranks second as Top Female Winner to Whitney Houston, who took home 14 awards in 1993. Blige swept the R&B/hip-hop categories for her album The Breakthrough and song “Be Without You”, winning a total of nine statuettes including Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Artist of the Year.

American Idol fans are certainly loyal, as the fourth-season winner Carrie Underwood nabbed five awards, including Album of the Year for her debut country album, Some Hearts. She also took Artist of the Year honors in both the Country and Billboard 200 categories. Atlanta rapper T.I. took home five awards, including Rap Artist of the Year and Rap Album of the Year for his fourth album, King.

Live performances kept the show hot, with Janet Jackson, Fergie, and Black Eyed Peas cohort as an opener. Jackson started off the show singing a medley of her singles “Pleasure Principle” and “So Excited”, while Fergie and Co. performed her monster hit “Fergalicous”.

Several other performers also hit the Las Vegas stage including Young Jeezy, Mary J. Blige, and Gwen Stefani. Hip-hop legends Ludacris and Pharrell also teamed up to perform the Hot 100 number-one hit, “Money Maker”.

Each year, as an award show tradition, Billboard honors a music icon with the coveted Century Award. This year, Stevie Wonder presented the award to his good friend, the legendary Tony Bennett, for his nearly six decades of achievement in music.

Click here for a complete list of winners.