In my opinion, part of the appeal of TikTok is watching smaller, lower-quality videos from people who don't position themselves as influencers. But what do I know? The company announced it will hold its first awards ceremony in the US later this year. It seems the Oscar-ification of short video is here.
IN blog on the TikTok websiteThe company said the show, appropriately named the TikTok Awards, will take place at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on December 18, 2025, and will “pay tribute to the creators who have inspired, entertained and united communities across the country.”
To that end, the site also says that starting November 18, it will invite users to “vote for their favorite authors.” So how will all this play out?
Who is nominated for the TikTok Awards?
TikTok says it will announce nominees in 14 categories, including Creator of the Year, Video of the Year, Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Muse of the Year, whatever that means. But don't think you can nominate just any old channel for an award.
Toward the end of its announcement, TikTok included a “Meet the Nominees” section, which makes it clear that the company has already chosen its competitors—and it might not be someone you recognize. As someone who has spent a total of 13 hours on TikTok in the last week (which I admit to doing in this work), I only recognize one of them.
To be fair, the company says there's “more to come,” so it's entirely possible that someone I recognize will be added to the list of options. However, it appears that candidates are selected by some kind of internal board, so your outcome may depend on whether you agree with the selection. Personally, I admit that many of my favorite channels are journalists, racy comedians and political commentators, so perhaps they don't appear here due to an attempt to appear apolitical and family friendly. (Justice for Dave the cat, though).
You can vote
Voting for the TikTok Awards will begin on November 18, and the company says you can cast your votes using the TikTok Awards hub in the app. While it's currently unclear how you'll find the hub, I'm guessing it will appear as a pop-up above your feed when you first open the app, as it has in previous TikTok giveaways. I am confident that the nominated authors will also quickly connect users with the hub.
It is currently unclear how many votes users will be able to cast. Some sites, e.g. Crunchyrollfor example, allowing users to vote for their rewards once a day, which likely encourages user engagement or discourages the creation of fake accounts. Whether TikTok will implement a similar system remains to be seen.
What are your thoughts so far?
How to watch TikTok Awards
If all you want to know is who will win, you'll be able to watch the actual TikTok Awards ceremony live on December 18 starting at 6 pm PT, with the “live red carpet” starting an hour before that. If you're comfortable watching on your phone, you'll be able to tune in through the TikTok app, but for better TV integration, TikTok says Tubi will also host the program. If you're late, Tubi will also have an archive of awards available for you to search for the next day.
Can I come to the TikTok Awards in person?
While TikTok promises an “immersive IRL experience with interactive moments,” it doesn't post any links to purchase tickets, meaning the event will likely be invite-only. This is probably important for the safety of creators, but a bummer for those who want to help bring the “For You Feed,” as TikTok puts it, to life.
Is this really the first TikTok Awards?
While 2025 will be the first year of the TikTok Awards in the US, in previous years they have come to countries such as Korea, Japan, Australia and Brazil. The delay is likely due to the app's uncertain future in the US, but final deal With the transfer of control of the company to American entities now achieved, it is likely that TikTok is looking to make up for lost time by strengthening its presence in the country.
So, will you be watching the TikTok Awards? Personally, I'm not sure they line up with what I like most about the app—there's an entire category dedicated to people who sell through commission in the TikTok store, and I immediately scroll through when I see it—but I figure it could be a fun way to spend an evening. So, essentially the same approach I'm taking to the Oscars, and at the very least it should lead to some nice hot takes on the accounts I watch.
