The Critics Choice Association, the critics group behind one of the biggest stops on Hollywood’s awards circuit, opened submissions Monday for its inaugural Critics Choice Creator Awards.
Creators can enter work first released between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2026, with discounted early entry through Nov. 16 and a final deadline of Feb. 1. Nominees will be announced March 4, and winners will be revealed at a gala in April 2027 produced by Bob Bain Productions.
The category list reads like a map of where the creator business is headed. Alongside expected awards like Best Creator of the Year and Best Viral Video, the CCA created separate short-form and long-form categories for micro-drama series, including acting awards for the stars of those vertical soaps that have become one of YouTube’s and TikTok’s fastest-growing formats. Video podcasts get their own trophy apart from audio shows. There are awards for business creators, news reporters, educational series and crime and justice creators, which treats creator content as the full programming slate it has become.
The CCA developed the eligibility rules with the Creators Guild of America, which will also certify the qualifications of nominees and winners. Nominating committees will be drawn from CCA members, including a new Creator Awards branch open to critics and journalists who cover content creation and the creator economy. CCA voting members will then pick the winners.
The awards also bring Hollywood’s awards economy with them.
Entries carry fees, with discounts for early submissions, though the CCA hasn’t published the amounts. The organization is also selling “FYC digital campaign opportunities,” the same For Your Consideration marketing studios use to court voters each awards season.
That gives brands, networks and creator studios a new place to spend on promoting creators, and gives creators a new line of credibility to take into sponsorship and talent deals.
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“We are dedicated to helping entertainment consumers ‘find the good stuff’ as well as helping the best creators get found,” CCA CEO Joey Berlin said.
The Creator Awards join the CCA’s lineup of film, TV, documentary, reality and genre awards. That puts a YouTube series, a TikTok micro-drama and a prestige streaming show under the same critical umbrella for the first time, judged by people whose job is deciding what’s worth watching.
Disclosure: What’s Trending founder Shira Lazar sits on the advisory board of the Creators Guild of America, which co-developed the awards’ eligibility guidelines.
