THE 1975 TO PERFORM AT "2014 mtvU WOODIE AWARDS" AND LEADS NOMINEES FOR NEW SOCIAL VOTING CATEGORY, THE "COVER WOODIE AWARD"

UK Chart Toppers to Play the MTV Artists Stage Presented by Pepsi During the Woodie Awards on March 13 at SXSW in Austin, Texas

Vampire Weekend, Bastille, Arctic Monkeys, Sam Smith and Low Join The 1975 as Nominees for the "Cover Woodie Award" Presented by Taco Bell

New York, NY (February 27, 2014) - mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network, today announced that "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards" nominees The 1975 will perform at the show on Thursday, March 13, 2014, joining previously announced performer Childish Gambino. Performing on the MTV Artists Stage presented by Pepsi, the quartet will take the college crowd by storm and play hits from their self-titled album, which debuted atop the UK Albums Chart in September 2013.

Additionally, mtvU introduced a new Woodie Award category, the "Cover Woodie Award" presented by Taco Bell, which praises artists who have taken a smash hit and turned it on its head to make it their own. Fans can vote for their favorite nominee on Twitter, Instagram and Vine by using custom hashtags with "#vote" in front of the name of the artist they support. The honorees for "Cover Woodie" include Bastille's take of "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus (#votebastille); Arctic Monkeys covering Drake's "Hold On We're Going Home" (#votearcticmonkeys); Vampire Weekend's rendition of "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke (#votevampireweekend); Sam Smith's version of Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man" (#votesamsmith); Low covering Rihanna's "Stay" (#votelow); and The 1975's version of "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction (#votethe1975).

MTV and mtvU will air the half-hour "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards" special, celebrating award winners and showcasing some of the best performances from the Woodies on Sunday, March 16 at 8:00p.m. ET/PT. Woodie Award voting is currently open at Woodies.MTV.com.

"We love SXSW and The Woodies will be THE party to be at," said The 1975. "We cannot wait to get back to Austin!"

The 1975's self-titled debut album was called a love letter to youth, played out in bold and brash Technicolor. The band's eponymous debut album has cemented their status as a breakthrough band of 2013, further bolstered by its inclusion in MTV's Artist to Watch campaign. The group is nominated for two Awards at the "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards," - the "Cover Woodie" and "Breaking Woodie," an award that praises emerging artists. Check out the list of the "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards" nominees here.

To harness the power of live music, MTV and mtvU will kick off the "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards" with a host of performances by up-and-coming artists, including Bleachers and Vic Mensa, during the open-air "mtvU Woodie Awards Festival," with doors opening at 3:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 13, 2014 at Red River and 1st Street in downtown Austin. Open to all SXSW badge holders and music fans over the age of 18, the performances will lead up to the "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards," which will take-over the Festival beginning at 8:00 p.m. CT. Entrance into the "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards" and Festival is free, with an online RSVP available at a later date.

Pepsi and Viacom are kicking off their third consecutive year of a cross network music partnership at this year's "mtvU Woodie Awards." Pepsi continues to be a key player in the music space, rewarding consumers with unparalleled prizes and music experiences around some of Viacom's biggest music events, including the "MTV Video Music Awards," "CMT Music Awards" and the "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards." This year, in partnership with MTV Artists, MTVs fan-focused new music discovery website and mobile app, Pepsi will encourage Millennials to discover some of the year's hottest new acts at the Woodies by bringing fans exclusive performances and artist interviews from the MTV Artists stage, presented by Pepsi. All weekend long following the Woodies, Pepsi and MTV will give fans exciting, new music content captured from the stage on-air and online at Pepsi.MTV.com, where fans can continue their discovery experience and learn more about the breaking new acts on MTV's Artist platform.

The 10th annual "mtvU Woodie Awards" promises to be an unforgettable night of music and performances. The show was established in 2004 and has since propelled numerous recognized acts to the next level of their careers - including surging record sales, headlining tours and mainstream acclaim. Examples include: The Killers (Breaking Woodie '04), N.E.R.D. (Left Field Woodie '04), Death Cab for Cutie (Best Video Woodie '05), Fall Out Boy (Road Woodie '05), 30 Seconds to Mars (Best Video Woodie - Live Action '06) Muse (Performing Woodie '07), Lupe Fiasco (performed at Woodies '07), Vampire Weekend (performed at '08 Woodies), Kings of Leon (Woodie of the Year '09), Jack White (performed at '09 Woodies with the Dead Weather), Rick Ross (performed at '09 Woodies), Matt & Kim (Best Video Woodie '09), Wiz Khalifa (Woodie of the Year '11), Odd Future (performed at '11 Woodies), Sleigh Bells (performed at '11 Woodies) MGK (Breaking Woodie '12), Mac Miller (Woodie of Year and Performing Woodie '12), Zedd (performed at '13 Woodies) and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (Branching Out Woodie '13).

Official sponsors of the "mtvU Woodie Awards Festival" and "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards" include Chevrolet, Pepsi(R), Reese's(R) Peanut Butter Cups, Taco Bell and U.S. Army.

Eric Conte, Amy Doyle, Gina Esposito and Ryan Kroft are the Executive Producers of the "2014 mtvU Woodie Awards." Joe Buoye is the Executive in Charge of Production.

For more information, visit Woodies.MTV.com.

About mtvU

Broadcast to nearly 750 college campuses as well as via top cable distributors in 700 college communities nationwide, mtvU reaches more than 8 million U.S. college students - making it the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S., as well as on cable systems from Charter Communications, Verizon FiOS TV, Suddenlink Communications, AT&T u-Verse and nearly 70 others. mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they are: on-air, online and on the campus. mtvU airs music videos from emerging artists that can't be seen anywhere else, news, student life features and initiatives that give college students the tools to advance positive social change. mtvU is always on campus, with hundreds of events per year, including exclusive concerts, giveaways, shooting mtvU series and more. For more information about mtvU, and a complete programming schedule, visit www.mtvU.com.