Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber score big at 2012 MTV EMA

Taylor Swift beat Rihanna in the battle of the women at the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards in Frankfurt, Germany, taking three out of a possible five awards.

Rihanna and Swift topped the nominations with six and five nods respectively, but 22-year-old American singer-songwriter Swift walked away with Best Female, Best Live and Best Look.

Barbados-born R&B singer Rihanna went empty handed, while Canadian pop star Justin Bieber matched Swift for the boys and earned Best World Stage, along with repeat wins for Best Pop and Best Male.

South Korean pop sensation PSY's "Gangnam Style" took home the award for Best Video and the late Whitney Houston was named Global Icon for her impact on pop music.

Several stars were on hand as presenters, including host Heidi Klum, Kim Kardashian, Lana Del Rey, Alicia Keys, Ludacris and David Hasselhoff. Swift, Psy and Pitbull were among the performers.

The 19th-annual MTV EMA was broadcast live from Frankfurt's historic Festhalle Sunday.

Complete list of winners:

Best Female - Taylor Swift

Best Male - Justin Bieber

Best New Act - One Direction

Best Song - "Call Me Maybe," Carly Rae Jepsen

Best World Stage - Justin Bieber

Best Video - "Gangnam Style," PSY

Best Rock - Linkin Park

Best Pop - Justin Bieber

Best Look - Taylor Swift

Best Alternative - Lana Del Rey

Best Hip Hop - Nicki Minaj

Best Live - Taylor Swift

Biggest Fans - One Direction

Best PUSH - Carly Rae Jepsen

Global Icon - Whitney Houston

Check out Swift's performance at the awards show: