Tucked within Sydney’s grand ICC Theatre on Wednesday night, a major award show was in full swing. Excited attendees posed in front of brand activations, confetti rained down, and celebrities such as Cody Simpson and Osher Gunsberg announced the winners, determined by a staggering 6.4 million public votes.
You’d be forgiven for thinking this was the Logies or ARIAs. But no, it was the TikTok Awards, a five-year-old initiative to recognize people who, if you’re over the age of 35, are probably unrecognizable. Labelled ‘the Oscars of social media’ by some, the awards demonstrate how much the video platform offers beyond inexplicably changing the meaning of words like “demure” and normalizing snack food for dinner. It celebrates the best emerging talent in areas including comedy, beauty and fashion, music, sports, and cooking.
The Rise of TikTok Awards
Last year, the Australian ceremony (which also honors New Zealand creators) attracted over 2.2 million viewers across TikTok Live, Binge, FOX8, and Kayo Sports. US singer JoJo Siwa even performed onstage, and airguns blasted T-shirts into the crowd. Although the audience tracking systems are very different, this year’s Logies had a national average audience of 1.29 million viewers and the ARIAs had 212,000.
Figures on the number of people voting for those awards are not known, but that is another metric that is shooting up for the TikTok awards. This year, the number of public votes increased by 3 million.
“Being a teen mum and high school drop-out, I didn’t have much going for me. So, when I won, it didn’t feel real,” says Kat Clark, 2022 Creator of the Year.
Impact on Creators
For the creators, the awards really do matter. Since winning Creator of the Year in 2022, Kat Clark has worked with a growing number of exclusive brands, collaborated with other creators, and moved to the US to expand her career. “I listened to a lot of negative people in my life saying TikTok isn’t a real job and your 15 minutes of fame will be over soon. But winning that award made me realize I had such an incredible opportunity,” Clark shares.
Bridey Drake, crowned top creator last year for her comedic videos about the realities of adulthood, saw her TikTok followers increase from just over 3 million to nearly 4 million. All sorts of collaborative opportunities opened up, including the upcoming documentary series about her life, Pure Average.
Meet the 2023 Winners
Creator of the Year
When Ilai Havea Siaufusi O’Auhangame Matangi began creating funny videos with his children during the COVID-19 lockdowns, he had no clue he’d eventually be handed the country’s biggest social media award – the first Pasifika creator to do so. “It was all just for entertainment. I had no intentions to get to this level,” says Matangi, who won best comedy creator last year.
Matangi is part of a large cohort producing content with their families. Ironically, his children (all of whom are under the age of 16) will not be able to independently access the content in which they appear when the government’s social media ban comes into effect.
Entertainment Creator of the Year
A turning point for Theo Shakes, who reenacts stereotypical television and film tropes, was when he performed as a Sherlock Holmes-type character on TikTok. “A composer said, ‘I’ll compose music for you,’ and his name was Gabriel Rojas – shout out from all the way in America. He [now] composes my TikToks every now and then,” Shakes says.
Since his first TikTok, Shakes has learned that “humour is king, relatability is prince and creativity is queen” – but his main takeaway is the platform’s ability to connect.
Comedy Creator of the Year
Liam Dowling and Ben Christopher hit the jackpot when they recognized the power of nostalgia. Their relatable videos, which see the pair reenact funny childhood memories, became so popular they’ve been able to turn content creation into full-time jobs.
Music Artist of the Year
Emerging musicians such as Savali now flock to TikTok, where they can engage with fans and gain viral exposure without the backing of a traditional record label.
Food Creator of the Year
Andy Hearnden first put on an apron at the age of three. He left school in Year 10, trained to become a chef, and then began his TikTok journey. “I love cooking for friends and family, and they’d always ask for cooking tips. So, I started making cooking videos that focused on inspiring people to cook more at home,” he says.
High-Quality Content Creator of the Year
Melbourne-based chef Anthony Randello-Jahn posts what can only be described as aesthetic food porn. His sultry sourdough videos saw his TikTok fame truly take off, but he says he has since transitioned into a more elevated space.
Australian content creators arguably have to work even harder to make it big on the platform, he adds, since larger-scale opportunities tend to come from overseas. “You end up building everything yourself,” Randello-Jahn says. “But those challenges have pushed me to level up every part of my craft.”
The TikTok Awards continue to highlight the significance of digital platforms in shaping new forms of entertainment and storytelling. As these creators push boundaries and redefine success, the world watches with anticipation for what will come next.
