2026 Nominees

Samsung Galaxy Creator of the Year Award

The Samsung Galaxy Creator of the Year Award is the pinnacle award of the Content Creator Awards, recognising the creator who has delivered an outstanding overall year in content. It celebrates excellence, consistency, creativity and meaningful impact across the creator economy. This category was open to creators to enter, but our judges could also nominate creators they believed deserved consideration for this prestigious award. The winner of this award will receive a R20,000 cash prize and a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8 valued at approximately R40,999. And the nominees are…

Cars.co.za Automotive Content Award

The Cars.co.za Automotive Content Award celebrates creators from any niche who make great content with a car as part of the story. Whether it's a road trip, a daily commute or simply a moment from everyday life, this award is about creators who use cars naturally within their content to tell authentic stories that entertain and connect with their audiences. The nominees were selected by a panel of judges and now the public gets to decide who'll win! The winner will receive a R10,000 cash prize from Cars.co.za and one of the lucky voters will win a prize valued at R20,000 which includes an experience for two to the awards. And the nominees are…

The People's Choice Award celebrates the creator who has truly captured the hearts of their audience. This year, the public was invited to nominate their favourite creator, the one they believe deserves recognition, and the response was incredible. The awards received more than 84,000 nominations via the website, along with 8,000 comments on social media. The five creators who received the highest number of unique public nominations are the finalists. And now, the decision is in the hands of the public once again. This category goes to public vote, so audiences get to decide who takes home the People's Choice Award. And the nominees are…

Emerging Creator Award, backed by Creator Club

The Emerging Creator Award, backed by The Creator Club, celebrates fresh voices who are making their mark in the digital space, with between 2,000 and 250,000 followers. It recognises creators who may still be early in their journey, but are already demonstrating originality, creativity, strong audience connection and the potential to become tomorrow's biggest creators. This category now goes to public vote, with the winner receiving a brand campaign valued at R50,000, courtesy of The Creator Club. And the nominees are…

YouTube Creator of the Year Award

The highest honour for a South African creator whose work is built on YouTube.

#CapturedWithGalaxy Award

Capture your world your way on any Samsung Galaxy device. Five shortlisted entries go to a public vote.

The Dance Creator Award celebrates creators who use movement, rhythm and storytelling to connect with their audiences. It recognises the creators who bring energy and creativity to our feeds with performances that make us wish we could dance like them! And the nominees are…

The Style Award celebrates creators who have a distinctive personal style and use their platforms to inspire others. These are the creators we turn to for fashion inspiration and visual ideas, creators with a unique aesthetic who consistently curate content that catches our eye and keeps us coming back for more. And the nominees are…

The Best Comedy Content Creator Award celebrates creators who make us laugh, consistently. From sketches and satire to characters, storytelling and observational humour, this award recognises creators who have made comedy the heart of their digital content. And the nominees are…

947 Sound of Tomorrow Award

The 947 Sound of Tomorrow Award recognises an emerging music artist who is using digital platforms to build their audience, promote their music and create momentum. It celebrates the new voices making noise online and showing us why they could be the next big thing in music. And the nominees are…

The Trendsetter Award celebrates professional creators whose careers have skyrocketed over the past 12 months, setting trends and shaping culture across digital platforms. These creators demonstrate significant growth, cultural influence, and momentum, inspiring their communities and driving conversations across the broader creator landscape. And the nominees are…

A hugely contested category, the Podcast of the Year Award celebrates creators producing podcasts that inform, entertain and keep audiences coming back for more. From interviews and debates, to storytelling and thought-provoking conversations, this award recognises podcasts that have built loyal audiences through creativity, consistency and meaningful content. And the nominees are…

The Impact Creator Award celebrates creators who use their platforms to make a real difference. Whether they're raising awareness, championing a cause or inspiring meaningful change, these are creators whose content goes beyond entertainment and has a real purpose. Entrants submitted compelling motivations, supported by evidence of real-world impact, which the judges considered when casting their votes. And the nominees are…

The Best Social Series Award celebrates creators who have turned short-form social content into an ongoing series. Whether it's documenting a journey, sharing a recurring format or taking audiences along episode by episode, this award recognises creators who know how to build a compelling story in bite-sized content and keep audiences coming back for the next instalment. And the nominees are…

Telkom Best Online Series Award

The Telkom Best Online Series Award celebrates creators producing original, high-quality episodic content with the production value and storytelling you'd expect from a traditional series. Primarily housed on platforms like YouTube, these are creators who have developed a strong concept, compelling episodes and a series that keeps audiences coming back for more. And the nominees are…

The Thumbstopping Award celebrates that one piece of content that made you stop scrolling. It could be a video, image, reel, meme or social post, but whatever the format, it grabbed attention immediately, sparked engagement and made a great impression. And the nominees are…

The Best Creator x Brand Collaboration Award celebrates creators who have mastered the art of working with brands without losing what makes their content uniquely theirs. It recognises collaborations that are authentic, creative, memorable and valuable to both the audience and the brand. And the nominees are…

The Expert Voices Award celebrates creators who use their platforms to share knowledge, expertise and insights that help audiences learn and make better-informed decisions. From finance and careers to wellness, science, technology and beyond, this award recognises creators who make expertise engaging and accessible. And the nominees are…

The Wildcard Award is for the creators whose niche is quite out of the ordinary. It celebrates the different, the unique, the daring and the completely unexpected. It's for content that makes you think 'I've never seen anything like that before.' And the nominees are…

Calling all agencies and brands! This award celebrates the campaigns that made you sit back and say, “Yes, we nailed it.” It’s for work that went beyond posting a single piece of content, campaigns that combined strategy, creativity, and measurable impact, while collaborating with content creators in an authentic and compliant way. We’re looking for campaigns that not only delivered results but also resonated culturally, captured audience attention, and set a benchmark for branded content in the creator economy. This category is not for creators to enter, it’s all about the brand and agency execution. This is the only category with an entry fee of R2,900 per entry. The entry fees go into creating creator workshops to help emerging creators professionalise their craft.