Instagram introduces its own version of ‘The Oscars’

Internet’s favourite picture and video site Instagram has launched its own award shows. The Rings Awards, announced this week, aim to celebrate the creativity of its more than three billion monthly active users. The awards will recognise 25 top users that meet this criteria, according The Hollywood Reporter

“We felt that it was time to have an award that recognizes people who take these creative chances on our platform,” says Eva Chen, the head of fashion partnerships at Instagram, who was part of the conceptualization for the awards program. “These people are cultural catalysts, and they’re sparking conversations, and by doing that, they encourage people to express themselves as well.”

The awards will be a physical ring designed by English fashion designer Grace Wales Bonner, as well as a unique digital golden ring for their Instagram profile and stories. The awardees will also get the ability to customize the background color of their Instagram profile, an ability that will be unique to them. Further, their content will be featured in their own spotlight and feed within the app.

The categories for the winners will span across various topics and categories, from fashion or makeup to sports and entertainment, allowing for a wide array of honorees across interest groups that reflect the diverse Instagram community. 

The panel of judges includes Chen, Wales Bonner and Instagram head Adam Mosseri, along with director Spike Lee, rugby star Ilona Maher, makeup artist Pat McGrath, designer Marc Jacobs, actress Yara Shahidi, the artist KAWS, among others.

Speaking about the process of shortlisting nominees, Chen said, “Instagram is a community of three billion people, and those three billion people probably reflect a billion different interests, so the criteria was really tough. I’m saying this as a judge, seeing the huge list of nominees, and being able to cull it down just to 25, it was a challenge.” 

The head of fashion partnerships noted that there were too many great people to choose from. However, the judges were looking for people who take creative chances, are always pushing the envelope and thinking about new ways to talk to their audience.

Chen further revealed that the awards have been in the making for many years. “It’s so important now for creators to hone their craft and feed themselves on this ever growing platform,” said Chen. “So I think that the hope is for us to be able to do this for years to come, and every year,  just keep on kind of upping the ante in terms of creativity and spotlights.”

Looking at the widespread popularity of award shows for popular music, TV and films, it’s about time social media creators receive some recognition for their hard work.