You Can Vote at the First-Ever US TikTok Awards Ceremony.
Part of the appeal of TikTok for me is that it offers short, less polished videos from people who don’t bill themselves as influencers. But who knows? The company announced it will host its first awards ceremony in the US later this year. It seems Oscar-style short videos are already here.
In a blog post on TikTok’s website, the company announced that the awards ceremony, appropriately named the TikTok Awards, will take place at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on December 18, 2025, and will “celebrate content creators who have inspired, entertained, and united communities across the country.”
To this end, the site also announces that it will invite users to “vote for their favorite authors” starting November 18th. So, how will this all work?
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 of the Year, and Muse of the Year—whatever that means. But don’t think just any old channel can be nominated.
At the end of its announcement, TikTok added a “Meet the Nominees” section, making it clear the company has already chosen the nominees, and it’s possible some of them will be unfamiliar. As someone who’s spent a total of 13 hours on TikTok over the past week (which I admit is for this job), I only know one of them.
To be fair, the company says there are “more to come,” so perhaps someone I know will make the list. In any case, it seems the nominees are chosen by some internal committee, so your opinion may vary depending on whether you agree with the selections. Personally, I admit that many of my favorite channels feature journalists, witty comedians, and political commentators, so perhaps they’re not represented here out of a desire to appear apolitical and family-friendly. (Although, of course, to be fair to Dave the Cat.)
You can vote
Voting for the TikTok Awards will begin on November 18, and the company says voting will be possible through the in-app TikTok Awards center. It’s unclear how to find this center, but I expect it will appear in a pop-up window above the feed when you first open the app, as it did for previous TikTok contests. I’m sure nominated creators will quickly add links to the center as well.
It’s unclear how many votes users will be able to cast. Some sites, such as Crunchyroll , ask users to vote for their awards once a day, presumably to encourage activity or prevent the creation of fake accounts. It’s unclear whether TikTok will implement a similar system.
How to watch the TikTok Awards
If you’re just interested in the winner, you can watch the TikTok Awards ceremony live on December 18th, starting at 6:00 PM PT, with a “live red carpet” broadcast starting an hour before. If you’re more comfortable watching on your phone, you can tune in through the TikTok app, but for better TV integration, TikTok says Tubi will also host the program. If you miss it, Tubi will also have an archive of the awards ceremony available for on-demand viewing the next day.
Can I attend the TikTok Awards ceremony in person?
While TikTok promises “immersive real-world experiences with interactive moments,” it doesn’t provide ticket links, meaning the event will likely be invite-only. This is likely important for the creators’ safety, but disappointing for anyone looking to help bring life to the “For You Feed,” as TikTok calls it.
Is this really the first TikTok Awards?
While 2025 marks the first year the TikTok Awards will be held in the US, in previous years they have been held in countries such as Korea, Japan, Australia, and Brazil. The delay is likely due to the app’s uncertain future in the US, but with the final agreement to transfer control of the company to American companies reached, TikTok is likely eager 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 it matches my favorite aspects of the app—there’s an entire category dedicated to people selling merchandise through the TikTok shop for consignment, and I swipe right away when I see it—but I think it could be a fun way to spend an evening. Basically, it’s the same approach as the Oscars, and at the very least, it should provide some interesting and compelling insights into the accounts I follow.