The Radio Disney Music Awards honored the year's achievements in
music, mainly in the
teen pop genre, and were awarded based on
popular vote from the network's listeners via online voting. The trophy awarded to a winner is known as the "Golden Mickey", a gold-colored statuette with a silhouette figure of
Mickey Mouse wearing
headphones nicknamed the "Ardy", representing Radio Disney's initials. The awards were first presented in 2001, but the ceremony was not televised beyond commercial interstitial segments for
Disney Channel to promote their sister radio network. After 2007, the ceremony went on a five year hiatus until 2013. Starting in 2014, the ceremony began to be televised the day after it was held on a tape-delay, as the network attempted to compete with
Nickelodeon's
Kids' Choice Awards in airing awards programming. Starting in 2016, Canadians were able to vote for the first time as Disney programming, formerly under the control of
Family Channel, moved to Disney-branded
Corus Entertainment networks in both
English and
French when these networks launched in September 2015. In 2019, the Radio Disney Music Awards were renamed
ARDYs: A Radio Disney Music Celebration and aired live for the first time instead of on a tape-delay on June 16, 2019. In 2020, a pre-recorded special,
Radio Disney Presents ARDYs Summer Playlist, aired in place of an awards ceremony on July 10, 2020.
Laura Marano served as the host. ==Awards events==