SEAblings assemble! The first-ever edition of TikTok Awards Southeast Asia culminates late November, with six participating nations vying for honours in digital content creation.
Living up to its theme “The Ones Who Spark It,” TikTok Awards Southeast Asia 2026 aims to recognise “iconic and rising” influencers from the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam who have made positive impacts to the community.
TikTok launched the “regional star-studded celebration” October 12, Monday, alongside the beginning of its first phase.
Eleven categories
The landmark spectacle began with local public voting from October 12 to 26, where TikTok users in each participating nation selected a roster of the most deserving local content creators across the following categories:
- Creator of the Year
- Rising Creator of the Year
- Education Creator of the Year
- Sports Creator of the Year
- Food Creator of the Year
- Entertainment Creator of the Year
- Beauty & Fashion Creator of the Year
- Lifestyle Creator of the Year
- Popular Video of the Year
- TikTok LIVE Creator of the Year
- TikTok Shop Creator of the Year
Each participating nation had to name three most-voted creators per category, referred to as “Country Nominees.”
But only the top-voted local creators in each category will proceed to the next phase as a “Country Representative,” and have a shot at becoming one of TikTok Awards Southeast Asia 2026 winners.
As of press time, the list of Country Nominees from all six involved Southeast Asian countries is complete.
The Philippines will host a ceremony November 5, Thursday, for the announcement of Country Representatives.
Winners of the inaugural TikTok Awards Southeast Asia will be unveiled November 27, Friday, in Bali, Indonesia.
Over 460 million users
The launch of the TikTok Awards Southeast Asia is a testament to the platform’s massive influence in the region.
Recent findings by SensorTower position TikTok as the fastest-growing platform in Southeast Asia, with more than 460 million users as of late 2025.
According to TikTok’s Head of Strategic Accounts for Southeast Asia, Nikhil Rolla, Indonesia hosts the highest number of TikTok users in the region, standing at 160 million, followed by Vietnam with 70 million, Thailand with 50 million, “and the remaining 180 million spread across SEA (Southeast Asia) come to TikTok every month to be entertained as they learn and discover something new.”
“This scale represents more than just exponential growth opportunities for developers, app publishers and businesses; it also reflects our vision for Southeast Asia: to be a key driver of the region’s digital economy,” he said in a statement.
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