TikTok has announced the shortlist for the TikTok Awards MENA 2025, marking the return of its annual event focused on creators and digital culture across the Middle East and North Africa. The ceremony will take place on 8 January 2026 in Riyadh, held in partnership with the 1 Billion Followers Summit, an event positioned around the growth of the creator economy in the region. By aligning the awards with the summit, TikTok is aiming to place creator recognition within a broader conversation about digital influence, audience building, and monetisation.
The TikTok Awards MENA 2025 will recognise 66 creators across 11 categories, reflecting a wide range of content styles including entertainment, education, sports, fashion, food, and lifestyle. According to TikTok, the shortlisted creators were selected based on their cultural impact over the past year, including how their content shaped trends, reached audiences beyond national borders, and contributed to conversations both on and off the platform.
Brand partnerships play a visible role in this year’s event. L’Oréal Paris Middle East joins as the main sponsor and will present the Beauty Creator of the Year award, alongside an on-site activation during the ceremony. Puck Arabia and Bath & Body Works Arabia will present the Food Creator of the Year and Lifestyle Creator of the Year awards respectively. While these partnerships highlight the commercial side of the creator economy, they also underline how branded collaborations have become a routine part of creator recognition in the region.
TikTok Middle East leadership described the awards as an opportunity to acknowledge creators who consistently engage audiences and reflect the diversity of MENA communities. The 2025 shortlist includes a mix of established names and emerging voices, ranging from educators and athletes to entertainers and social commentators. The categories suggest a continued emphasis on mainstream content formats, while still leaving room for niche communities and specialised creators.
Public voting is now open and will continue until 23 December 2025, allowing users across the region to participate in selecting the winners. The ceremony itself will feature live performances from regional artists whose music gained traction on TikTok during the year, with additional details to be announced closer to the event. Hosting duties will be shared by actress Cynthia Samuel and travel creator Sherif Fayed.
The TikTok Awards MENA 2025 will be livestreamed on @TikTokMENA and @TikTokMENA_Live, offering regional audiences access to the ceremony as it happens. As TikTok continues to position itself as a central platform for creator-led culture in MENA, the awards function less as a simple popularity contest and more as a snapshot of how digital influence in the region is evolving.
