Instagram has unveiled a new initiative called the “Rings” Awards, designed to celebrate 25 of the platform’s most creative and influential figures across the globe.
The award includes a physical gold ring crafted by British designer Grace Wales Bonner, and a matching digital version that will adorn the winners’ profiles and stories.
Winners, drawn from diverse fields such as fashion, sports, and entertainment, will also receive exclusive in-app recognition and profile customization.
“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,” said Eva Chen, Head of Fashion Partnerships at Instagram.
“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.”
What the Winners Get
Each recipient will get a real gold ring presented in a custom box, alongside a digital golden ring displayed around their Instagram Stories, replacing the platform’s typical orange-pink gradient.
They will also gain unique customization options, such as the ability to modify their profile background colour, and will be spotlighted in a dedicated in-app feature showcasing their creativity and impact.
The initiative blends the physical and digital worlds, giving creators both tangible recognition and an enhanced presence on one of the world’s largest social media platforms.
The Judging Panel
The selection of the 25 recipients will be overseen by a diverse panel of cultural and creative icons, including Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, filmmaker Spike Lee, designer Marc Jacobs, tech creator Marques Brownlee, and Grace Wales Bonner, who also designed the ring.
Other judges include rugby star Ilona Maher, makeup artist Pat McGrath, actress Yara Shahidi, artist KAWS, and Eva Chen.
The wide-ranging expertise of the panel underscores Instagram’s intention to reflect its global diversity and ensure representation across creative sectors.
Why Instagram is Doing This
With a community of more than three billion users, Instagram says the Rings Awards are part of a broader effort to recognize and celebrate creativity at scale.
By honouring creators across varied interests and backgrounds, the platform aims to reinforce its identity as a space that empowers innovation and expression.
The initiative shows Instagram’s growing focus on creator recognition, at a time when social platforms are competing fiercely to retain top talent.
“The winners will span content topics and categories, from fashion or makeup to sports and entertainment,” Instagram said, emphasizing the importance of showcasing a “wide array of honorees” that reflect the platform’s expansive and diverse user base.
In essence, the Rings Awards mark a new chapter in Instagram’s global creator strategy, one that transforms recognition into a symbol of both prestige and community belonging, embodied in a golden ring that bridges the digital and physical worlds.
Talking Point
Instagram’s introduction of the “Rings” Awards represents a calculated move in the platform’s evolving creator economy, a blend of cultural celebration and strategic branding.
While the initiative symbolically honors creativity and diversity within its vast three-billion-user community, it also reflects Meta’s growing effort to retain high-value creators amid intensifying competition from TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and emerging creator-centric platforms.
The inclusion of high-profile judges such as Spike Lee and Marc Jacobs adds artistic legitimacy, yet critics may question whether such recognition truly empowers the wider creator base or primarily amplifies already established figures.
The program’s emphasis on exclusivity, just 25 recipients globally, risks reinforcing elitism within a platform built on accessibility and community.
Nonetheless, by merging physical prestige (a real gold ring) with digital visibility (customized profiles and golden story rings), Instagram has cleverly turned recognition into an aspirational status symbol, subtly redefining digital influence as something both tangible and hierarchically validated.
