How it all started

The Youtube Awards were first held in 2007 and again in 2008. These awards were meant to promote and identify the videos that stood out on the YouTube platform. 

The winners were shortlisted by the YouTube staff after the best videos were voted by the users globally.  

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YouTube was founded in 2005 and quickly caught traction. The YouTube Awards served as a medium to honor and appreciate all the hard work the creators put into their videos, starting from filming and editing all the way to hitting the ‘publish’ button. 

But the awards were discontinued after 2007 for a number of reasons.

YouTube fans were also disappointed, since more established videos like I got a crush…on Obama which had more views were ignored, and new videos were given more preference. 

All these negative comments and critics forced YouTube to discontinue the YouTube Awards

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YouTube Creator Awards

A few years later YouTube re-introduced new sets of awards that have been on-going ever since. 

These awards are known as YouTube Creator Awards or YouTube Play Buttons. Unlike YouTube Awards, these awards are aimed at acknowledging growing and popular channels and creators with increasing subscribers. 

The awards are based on the channel’s subscriber count and other qualifications that YouTube staff personally evaluate.

Before an account is given the award, it goes through rigorous scrutiny and evaluation of whether the channel is upholding the platform’s policies. 

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It must be active over the past six months and it shouldn’t have violated any of the guidelines. The channel must also be a part of YouTube’s partner program and shouldn’t have been suspended.

Types of Creator Awards 

There are different types of creator awards that you can claim or nominate yourself for. 

Physical aspects of the trophy vary as per the awards and subscriber count. The more subscribers you have, the bigger trophy you receive. 

Similarly, the trophies vary in colors also. You can receive silver, gold, and red trophies as per your channel’s growth.

All trophies have a YouTube play button symbol on them to signify the trophy is given to you from YouTube.

Youtube creators who are presented with these awards receive special benefits, such as invitations to exclusive YouTube gatherings and other high-profile events.  

To gain a better understanding, here is a table of the different creator awards awarded by YouTube: 

The color and physical size of the trophy increases as you progress from one award to the next.  

If you think your channel qualifies for the YouTube Award but don’t know how to nominate yourself, below is a step-by-step guide. 

How to Nominate Your Channel for YouTube Creator Awards?

• Head over to this link and enter all the necessary information. 
• Once you are eligible for an award, and YouTube has evaluated your channel, they will email you your Award Redemption code while also sending you a notification banner on your YouTube Studio.  
• Once you receive your code, visit the YouTube creator award redemption site and enter the code. 
• After entering the code, you will be asked to specify how you want your name to appear on the trophy and enter your shipping details. 
• Once you have entered all the necessary information, click on ‘place order’ to redeem your award. Remember, if you are based in either India or Brazil you will be asked for extra information, such as your Tax ID, etc. as it is required by the customs offices. 
• After redeeming your award and placing your order, you will automatically receive a confirmation email. 
• The award will be delivered to your location in around 2-3 weeks. When your award is shipped, you will receive a shipping confirmation email. 

To ensure your award reaches you in time, you must make sure you use your proper legal name in shipping information. This is in case you have to pick up your award from a customs or delivery office. 

You will be required to pay any taxes or extra fees that are required in certain locations.   

Once your award is shipped you will receive an email from the shipping company. If they try to reach out to you, it is your responsibility to get in touch with them and answer their questions. 

If you fail to do so, the shipping company can return the award back. When this happens, and if you still want your award, you will be required to re-claim it by performing the entire procedure again. 

In case you want to re-claim your award but you have misplaced your redemption code, you can request for a new one by heading over to this link and re-filling all the necessary information.   

Famous Channels/Creators who have received YouTube Creator Awards

YouTube is famous for its variety of videos under different categories such as education, technology, science, etc. Lots of channels and creators who push videos in these streams have received the YouTube Creator Awards in the past few years. 

Some of the famous creators in the tech field include Unbox Therapy, Marques Brownlee, MrWhoseTheBoss, etc. All these creators have won YouTube Creator Awards and have millions of subscribers on their channel. 

MrBeast is one of the most subscribed creators with more than 120 million subscribers. His content includes family-friendly and goofy videos.  

Other famous creators include PewDiePie who is a Swedish YouTube creator well-known for his comic videos. 

Fernanfloo who creates content related to gaming and humor has more than 45 million subscribers and has achieved numerous YouTube Awards. 

Some of the famous channels who have received Creator Awards in the education category include CrashCourse with over 14 million subscribers, Khan Academy with 7 million subscribers, and Ted-ed with more than 18 million subscribers.      

Conclusion

Most influencers showcase their trophies on their handles, because YouTube Creator Awards is not just a milestone you reach, but also an advertising technique. 

Viewers are likely to follow awarded channels and creators. In fact one of the leading factors which affect subscriber count positively is the subscriber count itself. 

A heavily subscribed account having a YouTube award credited to its name, gives authenticity and confidence in the channel to the potential subscribers. 

If you are confident your channel is eligible and should receive one of these awards, you should head over to the above mentioned link, enter all the necessary details, redeem your award and most importantly showcase it back on all of your social media handles. Check out these articles for valuable tips and tricks to increase your followers and subscribers on YouTube.