It’s no secret that social media, and Instagram in particular, has been a frontier for people to explore their creativity. That’s why this October, the platform launched ‘Instagram Rings’, a new award for creators designed to celebrate those who are pushing creative boundaries and conquering the self-doubt that comes with putting your art out into the world.
So, how can you spot a Rings creative in the wild? They’ll be hard to miss, considering that, in addition to a custom physical ring designed by Grace Wales Bonner, winning creators will also receive a gold ring around their Instagram profile; this exclusive ring will show up on the creator’s profile when they have an active Instagram story.
The 25 inaugural Rings winners are Mika Ninagawa, Futura, Gabriel Moses, Aki and Koichi, Mohammed and Humaid Hadban, Mimi Choi, Golloria, Thalita and Gabriela Zukeram, Dolly Singh, Elyse Myers, Zarna Garg, Katie Krejci, Tyshawn Jones, Nigel Sylvester, Chris Brickley, Ashley Gordon, Laufey, Ari Miller, Sebastian Jern, Cole Bennett, Brian Lindo, Linda Lomelino, lifeonfilm (an account run by Grant Weintrob, Christian Baiocco and Griffin Katz), Olivia Dean, and Adrian Per. Spanning a wide range of niches and categories, among the winners are DJs, food-fluencers, photographers, athletes and other storytellers. Some of our favourites include Golloria, who is a beauty creator with a sharp eye for product reviews, and Tyshawn Jones, an American skateboarder known for his gravity-defying tricks.
The winners, however, weren’t chosen by mere follower count. Rather, the judges, who included 13 renowned creatives across the globe, were guided by the creators’ ability to create something meaningful and true to themselves, take risks and inspire others along the way. Among the panel of judges were Grace Wales Bonner, who designed the ring, along with Spike Lee, Marc Jacobs, KAWS, Marques Brownlee (MDBHD), Adam Mosseri, Eva Chen, Pat McGrath, Cédric Grolet, Tainy, Murad Osmann, Illona Maher and Yara Shahidi.
Whether it’s fashion, food, sports or something else entirely that dominates your feed, you’re sure to find your next internet obsession in this list of winners – just keep an eye out for the exclusive gold ring.