Instagram reveals 2025 ‘Rings’ awards winners: Details explored
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CHONGQING, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 4: In this photo illustration, a smartphone held in a hand shows the logo of Instagram, a popular social media and photo-sharing platform owned by Meta Platforms, with the company's branding seen in the background on September 4, 2025 in Chongqing, China. (Photo illustration by Cheng Xin/Getty Images)Instagram has named 25 creators on its app as recipients of the newly introduced Rings award. The social media platform announced on October 6, 2025, that they would honor creative users who aren’t afraid to be original, adding that creators who unite others through their craft deserved to be recognized:
"We’re excited to share something new: Rings, an award from Instagram that celebrates those who aren’t afraid to take creative chances and do it their way. Those who bring people together through their creativity and deserve recognition."
The social media app collaborated with Grace Wales Bonner to design the winners’ rings and had a panel of thirteen judges, including actress Yara Shahidi, designer Marc Jacobs and makeup icon Pat McGrath, to decide the recipients of this year’s awards.
The winners of the golden rings will have exclusive gold rings around their pictures when they post a story. They also have the opportunity to customize their profile backdrop colors and include their own design on the “like” button.
Instagram unveils pioneer Ring winners
The photo and video sharing app unveiled the class of 2025 Ring winners and expressed that they looked forward to celebrating their creative talents for years to come.
The 25 Ring winners are as follows:
- @colebennett
- @gabrielomoses
- @ninagawamika
- @nigelsylvester
- @akiandkoichi
- @twolostkids
- @oliviadeano
- @omgadrian
- @linda_lomelino
- @tyshawn
- @dollysingh
- @djagonline
- @zarnagarg
- @golloria
- @sebastianjern
- @futuradosmil
- @laufey
- @twinshadbad
- @mimles
- @lifeonfilm
- @ariatinsta
- @briancantstopeating
- @cbrickley603
- @elyse_myers
- @thehomesteadingrd
In an interview with Cosmopolitan published on October 16, 2025, Yara Shahidi, a member of the judges' panel, revealed that she nominated creators based on their unique approach:
“I’d say that everyone that I proposed [for the award] was pretty interdisciplinary,” she explained, adding that her primary focus was championing diverse picks. It wasn't necessarily me focusing on, like, who is in my traditional discipline. It was more like, ‘I love this person's tone,’ or ‘I love how this person tapped into such a unique voice.”
She noted that she didn’t prioritize follower counts and the blue checks and was only swayed by the “creative clout” of the nominees:
“For the judges, the guidelines were truly: who inspires us creatively? And thinking about who pours into and uses the platform in that creative way. It was very intentional that the verbiage wasn't around, ‘you need X amount of followers or up’ but more relying on who we turn to as regular sources of inspo.”
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TOPICS: Instagram Ring