Instagram introduces new ‘Ring’ award for top creators

Earlier this week, Instagram announced that it’s launching an awards program, with 25 creators set to receive a gold ring next week.

Instagram's new gold ring around a winning creator's profile picture

Rings is not tied to a specific type of content or follower count: the award represents the spirit of creativity. “Every act of creativity, big or small, can lead to something great,” Instagram wrote in their press release.

The company says the new awards program will recognise creators around the world who "shift culture" and "break barriers".

The judges panel for the new awards program includes Instagram head Adam Mosseri, director Spike Lee, designer Marc Jacobs, YouTuber Marques Brownlee, actress Yara Shahidi, makeup artist Pat McGrath, and more.

Winners will receive a physical custom ring designed by English fashion designer Grace Wales Bonner, along with a digital golden ring around their Instagram profile. They’ll also be able to design a custom “Like” button that appears when liking feed posts.

The ring winners will receive, designed by Grace Wales Bonner.

But winners won’t be receiving any sort of monetary prize. Tech Crunch reports that the launch of the new awards program also comes as creators saw a 52% decrease in brand deals in 2024, according to a survey from Kajabi. Also, Bank of America said last year that along with a slowdown in sponsored partnerships, there’s competition in the space, as more paid partnerships are concentrated among the top creators.

So just how excited are creators? No prize money and no ceremony? We'll see the winners reaction on October 16th...