Different YouTube plaques and what they mean

YouTube, a leading video-sharing platform since its inception, has provided creators with lucrative opportunities through viewer engagements and marketing collaborations.

Additionally, YouTube hosts awards ceremonies that honour channels reaching significant subscriber milestones.

To understand these awards better, let’s explore the different tiers of YouTube’s award program for creators.

It all began with the introduction of the Gold Play Button for channels reaching 100,000 subscribers, symbolizing a major achievement and community growth.

In 2012, YouTube formalized its Creator Awards program with three distinct tiers:

• Silver Creator Award (100,000 subscribers): Replaced the framed version with a physical silver Play Button.
• Gold Creator Award (1,000,000 subscribers): Established the iconic standalone gold Play Button.

Notably, Bahati and Diana, the only East African couple to achieve this recognition, received the prestigious Gold Creator Award.

The Silver Creator Award was officially introduced at VidCon in 2013, a popular online video creator conference.

YouTube continued to expand its award program to acknowledge even greater milestones:

• Diamond Creator Award (10,000,000 subscribers): Launched at VidCon 2015, featuring a sparkling diamond Play Button.
• Custom Creator Award (50,000,000 subscribers): Introduced in 2017, with each recipient receiving a uniquely designed Play Button. However, YouTube discontinued this tier in March 2021.
• Red Diamond Creator Award (100,000,000 subscribers): This prestigious award, unveiled in 2018, features a red diamond Play Button, symbolizing the pinnacle of achievement on YouTube.

YouTube Creator Awards go beyond subscriber counts; they celebrate the dedication, creativity, and community-building efforts of successful YouTubers.