Snapchat to Recognize Creator Contribution in its First-Ever Snappys Awards
In Focus
- The Snappys award show will recognize creators for shaping Snap’s culture
- Meta and TikTok held similar events in October and November 2025 respectively
- DJ Khaled is set to receive Snapchat’s “Lifetime Achievement Award” during the event
Snapchat is planning to host the flagship “The Snappys” award show on March 21, 2026. According to TechCrunch, Snapchat’s The Snappys awards will recognize creators for shaping the social media platform’s culture.
“The Snappys will honor creative excellence, cultural impact, and community-building across the platform, spotlighting Snap Stars spanning entertainment, comedy, music, sports, beauty, and more,” the company said in a statement.
Creator Recognition Will Span Sectors
Snapchat’s creator awards program will recognize talent in different categories, including beauty, fashion, food, music, games, and sports. The platform will also award categories like comedy, collaboration, and cultural impact. The social media platform will issue awards like “Best Storyteller”, “Breakout Creator of the Year,” and “Spotlight MVP”.
“Together, these honors reflect the many ways creators spark conversations, build community, and define culture on Snapchat. The Snappys reinforces Snapchat’s ongoing commitment to celebrating creators not just as users, but as artists, entertainers, and cultural leaders,” Snapchat added.
Content creator and comedian Matt Friend will host the Snapchat creator awards show. The Snappys will be held at the company’s headquarters in Santa Monica, California. The social media platform plans to release more details about the event, including lists of nominees, in the coming weeks.
Snap launches creator awards show soon after the social media platform introduced the direct-to-fan subscription feature that allows content developers to earn income from fans. The feature is part of the social media platform’s strategy to diversify revenue sources.
Social Media Firms Turn to Creator Awards
Creator awards are increasingly becoming common with social media platforms. In October 2025, Meta’s Instagram launched the “Ring” award to recognize content creators across the globe.
The social media platform unveiled 25 winners online, with each receiving a custom ring designed by British fashion designer, Grace Wales Bonner. The winners also received a digital gold ring on their Instagram profile.
Video streaming platform, TikTok, also conducted its first-ever awards show in the U.S. in November, 2025. Like Instagram, the company issued category-specific awards, including “Video of the Year”, “Breakthrough Artist of the Year”, “Creator of the Year” and “Muse of the Year”.
In addition to the U.S., TikTok hosted award shows in several other countries, including South Korea, Mexico, and Germany. News about The Snappys comes months after the social media company signed a $400 million deal to integrate Perplexity AI into the platform.
Snapchat’s Award Event Will Be Similar to TikTok’s
Unlike Instagram’s online award event, Snapchat will host a physical event where winners will be revealed live. The social media platform says its event will be graced by among others, industry leaders, creators, and special guests.
Among the expected special guests is DJ Khaled, who is set to receive Snapchat’s “Lifetime Achievement Award”. Through creator awards, companies in this industry are positioning themselves as key players in the entertainment sector, and not just social apps.
