Instagram wants to celebrate 25 of its three billion active monthly users with an award through its new programme Instagram Rings.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that these 25 users will receive a physical ring designed by English designer Grace Wales Bonner as well as a unique golden ring for their Instagram profile and stories. They will also be able to customise the background colour of their Instagram profiles, and their content will also be featured in their own spotlight and feed within the app.
“We felt that it was time to have an award that recognises people who take these creative chances on our platform,” the publication quoted Eva Chen, head of fashion partnerships at Instagram and one of the people who helped conceptualise the awards, as saying. “These people are cultural catalysts, and they’re sparking conversations, and by doing that, they encourage people to express themselves as well.”
The judges for Rings will include Chen, Wales Bonner, Instagram head Adam Mosseri as well as director Spike Lee, rugby star Ilona Maher, makeup artist Pat McGrath, designer Marc Jacobs, actor Yara Shahidi and the artist KAWS, among others.
“Instagram is a community of three billion people, and those three billion people probably reflect a billion different interests, so the criteria was really tough,” Chen said. “I’m saying this as a judge, seeing the huge list of nominees, and being able to cull it down just to 25, it was a challenge, and I know that, like the other judges, it was too many great people to choose from. But really, we were looking for people who take creative chances and who are always pushing the envelope and thinking about new ways to talk to their audience.”
The winners will be picked from across content topics and categories, from fashion or makeup to sports and entertainment.
