Yoko Ono was feted by the U.K.'s Mojo magazine Thursday night, with the music publication honouring John Lennon's widow with its lifetime achievement prize at its annual awards show.

The prize — billed as Ono's first music honour — was to pay tribute to the 76-year-old as a musician and artist in her own right, editor Phil Alexander said in a speech, hailing her as "a huge influence on modern music" and recognizing "her inspirational qualities and ongoing questing."

Accepting the prize, Ono called Mojo's choice "a courageous decision," later adding that she had never expected she could receive such a warm welcome upon taking a stage.

Her husband, who was killed in 1980, "was the only person who was really believing and promoting my work," she said. "Without that I might have been pretty discouraged."

Though better known as an avant-garde artist and for her marriage to Lennon, Ono has nonetheless released more than 20 albums over her 40-year career. Her latest single, I'm Not Getting Enough, is currently No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in the U.S.

Ono attended the ceremony with her son Sean and hit producer Mark Ronson, who is set to perform with the Plastic Ono Band at a music festival in London on Sunday.

A handful of awards in competitive categories were decided via fan voting. Winners included:

• Best live act: Fleet Foxes.
• Best album: 22 Dreams, Paul Weller.
• Best song: One Day Like This, Elbow.
• Breakthrough act: White Lies.

The majority of the presentations, however, were honorary awards whose recipients were chosen by a judging panel. Aside from the tribute to Ono, artists celebrated included Blur, Manic Street Preachers, Joy Division and Island Records founder Chris Blackwell.