Earlier today, we revealed the winners of The Lava Lizard Awards and thanks to the unwavering support of her fans, Beyonce was able to snatch the title of Video of the Year with ‘Run the World (Girls)’. However, although the production was undoubtedly one of the best visuals of the year, the was another visual that was arguably better.

From Lady Gaga to Marsha Ambrosius, 2011 was indeed a year of excellent visual offerings. Hence, as we prepare for the break of the new year, this is the perfect time to reflect on those clips that had the biggest impact on our lives in 2011.

See our list of the Best Music Videos of 2011 below:

10. Jessie J – ‘Who You Are’

Simplicity was definitely the key to the powerful message of Jessie J’s ‘Who You Are’ video. A metaphor for introspection, the visual was a stark contrast to the booming vocals of the record that became an anthem for self-acceptance among the songbird’s fans and a welcome change from the sexually charged club hits that dominated the airwaves throughout the year.

9. Marsha Ambrosius – ‘Far Away’

Perhaps one of the most important videos of the year, Marsha Ambrosius’ ‘Far Away’ tackled the taboo issue of homophobia and suicide in the African-American community. Additionally, rather than portraying gay men in stereotypically hypermasculine or hyperfeminine roles, the clip introduced usually overlooked model of gay culture that involved individuals who acted in accordance with society’s normative behaviours but were marginalised only because of their sexuality.

8. Lady Gaga – ‘Judas’

Although many people might argue that ‘Born this Way’ was a better production because of the included narration, Lady Gaga’s ‘Judas’ was definitely more impressive because it didn’t rely solely on shocking visuals to achieve greater impact. In fact, we got the opportunity to see the eccentric superstar display her occasionally stiff choreography without being covered in mucus or swallowed by an orgy of aliens that left us in a state of confusion and fear.

7. Pink – ‘F*ckin’ Perfect’

Pink has always finds a way to tell a story through her music and she did exactly that with ‘F*ckin’ Perfect’. Probably indirectly depicting about her own life journey, the video exhibited the turmoil of a young woman who battled to avow her own identity in a society that rejected her for being different and ‘abnormal’ before finally understanding her own special beauty. In other words, don’t try to fit in with the rest of the crowd because you’re f*ckin’ perfect being yourself!

6. Rihanna – ‘Man Down’

Most of Rihanna’s videos have been about sex or fashion so it was quite a welcomed surprise when she set aside her usual antics and crafted one of the year’s best works – ‘Man Down’. Filmed in Jamaica, the dark clip illustrated the Barbadian being raped by a strange man who she killed in the opening scene. Indeed, for the first time in her career, Rihanna told a story through her craft instead of posing for a series of glamour shots.

5. Britney Spears – ‘Criminal’

Britney Spears lost her spark as a live performer since her notorious public breakdown in 2007 and following the horrendous clip for ‘Hold it Against Me’, it seemed as though she had also lost her ability to develop interesting videos. Yet, the the entertainer reclaimed her youthful energy in ‘Criminal’, which represented her own spin on the cliche story of Bonnie & Clyde. Either because she was accompanied by her new fiance or as a result of the London scenery, Spears had truly returned to life.

4. Katy – ‘E.T. (Ft. Kanye West)’

Lady Gaga is known for her outlandish costumes but Katy Perry literally took things to an entirely different level with the video for ‘E.T. (Ft. Kanye West)’ – into space. The song was one of her many copy/paste remixes that had been slammed by critics but when the visual debuted in March, her detractors quickly became supporters. Sometimes all it takes is a pound of makeup, clever editing and an albino supermodel to make people enjoy a song.

3. Beyonce – ‘Run the World (Girls)’

When Beyonce’s ‘Run the World (Girls)’ leaked ahead of schedule, many of her fans were enraged that she had not taken the steps to remedy the situation. However, when she released the dance-heavy accompanying video for the tune, they quickly raced to YouTube to share their own versions of her intense choreography. Of course, those who initially disliked the visual also learned to appreciate it when Beyonce premiered a series of low-budget followups that were marred by plagiarism claims.

2. Lady Gaga – ‘Mary the Night’

Lady Gaga earned a second appearance on our list of 2011′s best videos with her 14-minute ‘Marry the Night’ short film. Depicting the tale of her unceremonious ousting from Island Def Jam, the Pop music’s dominant megastar constructed a gripping illustration that kept the easily distracted iTunes generation enthralled from beginning to end. That accomplishment alone deserved to be acknowledged.

1. Rihanna – ‘We Found Love’

I never thought that I would be typing the following words: Rihanna’s ‘We Found Love’ was the best video of 2011. In fact, the Melina-directed production transformed the 10 recurring words of the horrendous tune into a masterpiece that is unquestionably the best visual in Rihanna’s entire filmography. Yes, the clip is clearly yet another dig at her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown but it was hard to deny that it was brilliantly designed.

So there you have it! Did you agree with those choices for the Best Videos of 2011? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think!

Thoughts?