Even before the curtain went up at Brooklyn's Barclays Center for the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, a handful of artists walked away with Moonmen, presented during the VMA Pre-Show.

Thirty Seconds To Mars took home a Best Rock Video statuette for "Up in the Air." The band beat out Imagine Dragons for "Radioactive," Fall Out Boy for "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)," Mumford & Sons for "I Will Wait," and Vampire Weekend for "Diane Young."

The guys joined MTV's James Montgomery later on the red carpet to thank the Echelon. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! Can I say thank you?" Jared Leto enthusiastically asked. "I want to say thank you very much to everybody who voted. We love you guys. We love your passion. We love your devotion. We love everything about you."

Pink, featuring Nate Ruess of Fun., also won an early Moonman in the Best Collaboration category for their song "Just Give Me A Reason." They were up against Justin Timberlake, featuring Jay-Z for "Suit & Tie"; Pitbull, featuring Christina Aguilera, for "Feel This Moment"; Calvin Harris, featuring Ellie Goulding, for "I Need Your Love"; and Robin Thicke, featuring T.I. and Pharrell, for "Blurred Lines."

Other highlights from the Pre-Show included performances by Ariana Grande and Austin Mahone, as well as a first look at the highly anticipated young-adult adaptation "Divergent," presented by stars Shailene Woodley and Theo James.

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