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Instagram Unveils Golden Ring Awards To Honor Trailblazing Creators

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

October 8, 2025

Instagram has taken a strategic step in redefining creator recognition by launching its new Golden Ring Awards program. Designed to honor content pioneers who push cultural boundaries, this initiative will soon spotlight 25 global creators with exclusive rewards that resonate beyond monetary incentives.

Innovative Recognition For Pioneering Creators

The awards, which herald a symbolic yet prestigious accolade in the digital space, will see winners receiving a custom-designed physical ring by renowned English fashion designer Grace Wales Bonner, complemented by a digital golden ring displayed on their Instagram profiles. In an innovative twist, recipients will also have the opportunity to design a custom ‘Like’ button visible on their feed posts. This move reinforces Instagram’s commitment to celebrating creativity and individuality, comparable to the cultural impact of premier awards like the Oscars in the film industry.

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Prestigious Panel And Strategic Vision

The judging panel underscores the program’s high-caliber aspirations, featuring Instagram head Adam Mosseri, director Spike Lee, designer Marc Jacobs, YouTuber Marques Brownlee, actress Yara Shahidi, and makeup artist Pat McGrath among other luminaries. Their collective expertise adds significant credibility, aligning the awards with industry standards of excellence and artistic innovation.

Context In A Shifting Creator Economy

This development comes at a critical juncture for the creator economy, where traditional monetization strategies have been undergoing rapid reassessment. Meta, Instagram’s parent company, has recently scaled back its creator payout programs including sponsored ad initiatives, Reels bonuses, and affiliate marketing incentives. Additionally, a recent survey by Kajabi highlights a 52% decrease in brand deals in 2024, a trend noted by financial institutions such as Bank of America, which linked the slowdown to increased competition favoring top-tier creators.

Symbolic Over Monetary Incentives

Instagram’s Golden Ring Awards are a deliberate pivot toward symbolic recognition rather than financial rewards. The platform emphasizes that these awards celebrate risks, innovation, and the unifying power of creative expression, rather than serving as a direct revenue boost for recipients. Winners will be officially announced on October 16, marking a notable moment in the evolving landscape of digital content creation.

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Eurobank Wins Two Euromoney Awards Following Cyprus Merger

Eurobank has been named Cyprus’ Best Bank for 2026 by Euromoney, while also receiving the award for Best Bank for Large Corporates at the publication’s latest Awards for Excellence.

Merger Marks A Milestone

The awards recognise the bank’s performance during 2025, a year marked by the completion of the legal merger between Hellenic Bank and Eurobank Cyprus. The transaction created Eurobank Limited, which the group says is now Cyprus’ largest banking and insurance organisation, with assets exceeding €28 billion.

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Euromoney’s Awards for Excellence evaluate banks’ performance over the previous calendar year, with this edition covering January 1 to December 31, 2025.

Lending, Customers And Digital Growth

Eurobank said its business lending portfolio expanded by around 17 per cent during 2025, while its customer base grew to more than 710,000 retail clients and 11,500 business customers.

The bank also continued its digital expansion, saying more than 96 per cent of transactions are now completed through digital channels, and most financing applications are submitted via its mobile app.

Expanding International Presence

Eurobank also highlighted the opening of its first representative office in India, describing the move as a step toward strengthening business links between Cyprus and India while supporting Cyprus’ role as a gateway to the European Union for Indian businesses and investors.

According to the bank, Euromoney recognised not only the successful completion of the merger but also its lending growth, digital transformation and contribution to Cyprus’ position as an international business and investment hub.

CEO On The Awards

“The Euromoney awards confirm Eurobank’s strong momentum and the successful implementation of our group’s strategy in Cyprus,” Chief Executive Michalis Louis said.

He said the merger strengthened the bank’s ability to support households, businesses and the wider economy, while highlighting continued investment in digital services and the opening of the representative office in India as key milestones during the year.