**Instagram Introduces ‘Ring’ Award to Honor Top Creators Globally**
*By Mudit Dube | Oct 07, 2025, 10:57 AM*
Instagram has launched a new awards program called the **’Ring’**, designed to honor top creators on its platform. The first batch of 25 winners will be announced next week as part of Instagram’s ongoing effort to recognize and celebrate individuals who drive cultural change and push creative boundaries.
### Esteemed Judging Panel
The judging panel for the ‘Ring’ award features a diverse group of notable personalities, including Instagram head **Adam Mosseri**, renowned director **Spike Lee**, fashion designer **Marc Jacobs**, popular YouTuber **Marques Brownlee**, actress **Yara Shahidi**, and makeup artist **Pat McGrath**.
Each winner will receive a custom-designed gold ring created by English fashion designer **Grace Wales Bonner**, along with a digital golden ring displayed on their Instagram profile. In addition, winners will have the exclusive opportunity to customize a unique “Like” button for their feed posts.
### Strategic Shift at Meta
The introduction of the ‘Ring’ award comes amid Meta’s recent scale-back of creator payout programs. Earlier this year, Meta discontinued a program that paid creators for ads on their profiles. In 2023, the company also ended bonuses for Reels creators on both Instagram and Facebook, and it shut down its affiliate marketing bonuses back in 2022.
### Challenges Facing Creators
Creators have faced a significant drop in brand deals, with a 52% decrease reported in 2024. Bank of America highlighted that along with declining sponsored partnerships, competition has intensified as paid partnerships become increasingly concentrated among the top tier of creators.
Despite these challenges, Instagram remains committed to recognizing and celebrating its most creative users through this symbolic new award program.
### Celebrating Creativity Through ‘Ring’
Instagram describes the ‘Ring’ award as a way to celebrate creators who are unafraid to take risks and express their authentic selves through creativity. According to an Instagram blog post, the award is “all about celebrating those who bring people together over their creativity, and deserve recognition.”
This new initiative reaffirms Instagram’s dedication to uplifting innovative creators and fostering a vibrant creative community on its platform.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/science/instagram-s-new-ring-award-will-honor-top-creators/story
