Not to be confused with YouTube Awards or YouTube Music Awards.
YouTube Creator Awards
Awarded forAchieving a subscriber milestone on YouTube
PresenterYouTube
CountryWorldwide
YearJune 28, 2012 (age 14)
WebsiteAward page

YouTube Creator Awards, also known as YouTube Play Buttons,[1] are a series of awards from the American video platform YouTube that aim to recognize its most popular channels. They are based on a channel's subscriber count but are offered at the sole discretion of YouTube. Each channel is reviewed before an award is issued to ensure that the channel follows the YouTube community guidelines.[2] YouTube reserves the right to refuse to hand out a Creator Award, which it has done for channels featuring horror or extremist political content.[3][4]

Awards

When a YouTube channel reaches a specific milestone and is deemed eligible for a YouTube Creator Reward,[2] they are awarded a relatively flat trophy in a metal casing with a YouTube play button symbol. The trophies are of different sizes: each button and plaque becomes progressively larger with the channel's subscriber count.[5] The Gold Creator Award was introduced at VidCon 2012,[6] alongside the Silver Creator Award at VidCon 2013[7] and the Diamond Creator Award at VidCon 2015.[8] The Creator Awards are made by the New York firm Society Awards.[9]

Prior to March 2021, YouTube featured three additional benefit levels. These are not eligible for Creator Rewards, but they do offer several preliminary benefits:

  • Graphite was for channels with 1 to 999 subscribers.[10]
  • Opal was for channels with 1,000 to 9,999 subscribers.[11] This is the minimum subscriber count required for the YouTube Partner Program, which also requires a minimum of 4,000 total viewer watch hours in the past 12 months, plus a manual review of the channel's content to determine compliance with the program guidelines.[12]
  • Bronze was for channels with 10,000 to 99,999 subscribers.[13] The YouTube NextUp program is exclusive to channels meeting this threshold and other program criteria. This is also the minimum subscriber count required for a Spreadshop[14] or Spring (formerly called "Teespring") merchandise shelf.[15]

List of award types

There are currently three regular Creator Awards tiers,[2] plus a fourth and fifth that have been awarded a few times:

Silver Creator Award

Awarded to the channels that reach or surpass 100,000 subscribers. The old version was made of nickel-plated cupronickel alloy.[16] The new version (as of March 1, 2017) is 92% nickel, 5% carbon and 2.5% zinc, with traces of other metals.[17] In March 2018, the look of the Silver Play Button was updated from a metal button housed within a window box with the channel's name printed on the front glass pane to a cleaner-looking flat designed metal plaque award featuring the channel's name embossed on it.[18][19] Channels at this level are also eligible to apply for a digital verification badge.[20]

Gold Creator Award

Awarded to the channels that reach or surpass 1,000,000 subscribers. It is made of gold plated brass.[16] In March 2018, the look of the Gold Play Button was updated from a metal button housed within a window box with the channel's name printed on the front glass pane to a cleaner-looking flat designed metal plaque award featuring the channel's name embossed on it.[18][21][22]

Diamond Creator Award

Awarded to channels that reach or surpass 10 million subscribers. It is made of silver-plated metal inset with a large piece of colorless crystal in the shape of a play button triangle.[23][24] When introduced during VidCon 2015, 35 channels qualified for the award.[25] As of December 13, 2025, there are over 2,800 channels that have reached this level.[26]

Custom Creator Award

Formerly awarded to channels that reach or surpass 50 million subscribers. As of September 1, 2020, it is the sole award to be missing from the Creator Awards FAQ.[27] However, it continued to be granted at YouTube's discretion after this date. PewDiePie gave the nickname of Ruby Creator Award to this award, as he received a ruby-colored award in the shape of his channel's logo. The color can vary per creator, however: for example, T-Series received a colorless award, while Blackpink received a black award on top of a pink base. As of April 09, 2026, 101 channels have reached this level, but this playbutton is no longer awarded, although some channels received custom playbuttons for other milestones (e.g. America's Got Talent for 20 million and MrBeast for 200 million).[26][better source needed]

Red Diamond Creator Award

Awarded to channels that reach or surpass 100 million subscribers. Inspired by the Diamond Creator Award, it features a play button triangle with a large dark red crystal. It was added to the Creator Awards FAQ by September 1, 2020.[27]

As of March 12, 2026, there are 17 channels that have reached this level:

  1. T-Series (May 29, 2019)[28][29]
  2. PewDiePie (August 25, 2019)[30][31][29]
  3. Cocomelon (December 12, 2020)[32]
  4. SET India (March 28, 2021)[33]
  5. MrBeast (July 28, 2022)[34]
  6. Kids Diana Show (August 16, 2022)
  7. Like Nastya (August 25, 2022)
  8. Vlad and Niki (August 13, 2023)
  9. Zee Music Company (September 24, 2023)
  10. WWE (March 8, 2024)
  11. Goldmines (September 20, 2024)
  12. Stokes Twins (November 30, 2024)
  13. Sony SAB (March 17, 2025)
  14. KIMPRO (April 17, 2025)
  15. Alejo Igoa (December 26, 2025)
  16. Blackpink (February 20, 2026)
  17. Alan's Universe (March 12, 2026)

200M Award

Awarded to the channels that reach or surpass 200 million subscribers. This playbutton was revealed in a Matthew Beem video, where he transformed YouTuber MrBeast's House. It has a very similar design to the Red Diamond Award, though it features a yellow center-piece. It has been dubbed by many as the Amber Award, though YouTube has yet to give it an official name. As of 23 January 2026, there are only three creators eligible for this award – T-Series[35], MrBeast[36] and Cocomelon.

300M Award

Awarded to the channels that reach or surpass 300 million subscribers. This playbutton was also revealed in the same Matthew Beem video as the 200M Award. It follows the same pattern of the 200M and Red Diamond Awards, however this time with a green center-piece. Its unofficial name is the Emerald, or even Malachite Award, though YouTube has yet to give it an official name. As of 29 August 2025, there are only two creators eligible for this award – T-Series and MrBeast.[37]

400M Award

Awarded to the channels that reach or surpass 400 million subscribers. This playbutton was revealed in a post by MrBeast. The award features the same design as the three aforementioned awards, this time with a blue center-piece. It has been dubbed the Sapphire Award and the Blue Diamond award, though YouTube has yet to give it an official name. As of 29 August 2025, only creator MrBeast[38] is eligible for this award.

References

  1. ^ https://x.com/TeamYouTube/status/2057392768247280033
  2. ^ "YouTube Creator Rewards". YouTube. Archived August 25, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  3. ^ Weiss, Geoff (February 6, 2018). "YouTube On 'Play Button' Awards: "Not All Creators Who Apply Will Receive Awards"". Tubefilter.com. Archived June 13, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  4. ^ Alexander, Julia (February 2, 2018). "YouTube says 'not all creators who apply' for Creator Awards will receive them". Polygon.com. Archived June 12, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  5. ^ "YouTube Creator Hub". YouTube. Archived February 1, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  6. ^ Cohen, Joshua (2012-06-29). "YouTube Gives 24-Karat Gold 'Play Button' to Channels with 1M+ Subs". Tubefilter.com. Archived 2021-02-03 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  7. ^ Storbeck, Devon & Wang, Christine (September 3, 2013). "VidCon Round-Up: What's New". YouTube Official Blog. Archived August 26, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  8. ^ "YouTube Gives New Diamond Play Button To Channels With 10 Million Subscribers". Tubefilter.com. 2015-07-24. Archived 2019-04-10 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  9. ^ Watts, James D. Jr. (July 10, 2020). "Some of the most famous trophies in the entertainment world get their finishing touches in Grove". Tulsa World. Archived 2022-08-01 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  10. ^ "Graphite". YouTube Creators. October 30, 2018. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  11. ^ "Opal". YouTube Creators. October 30, 2018. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  12. ^ "Channel memberships eligibility, policies, & guidelines". YouTube Help. Archived April 2, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  13. ^ "Bronze". YouTube Creators. October 30, 2018. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  14. ^ "Spreadshop Partners with YouTube to Grow Merchandise Sales Globally". Business Wire. November 12, 2020. Archived 2022-08-01 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  15. ^ Alexander, Julia (June 21, 2018). "YouTube partners with Teespring to help creators sell official merchandise". Polygon. Archived August 22, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  16. ^ "What is the Gold Play Button REALLY Made Of?". YouTube. December 3, 2016. Archived September 3, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  17. ^ "What is the NEW Silver Play Button REALLY made of?!". YouTube. March 2017. Archived September 4, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  18. ^ "YouTube's silver and gold play buttons are getting a new look". SocialBlade.com. April 2, 2018. Archived June 15, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  19. ^ "YouTube's Silver and Gold play Button Awards Get Redesigned". Youtubermag.com. April 2018. Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  20. ^ McPhie, Jonathan (September 19, 2019). "Updates to YouTube's verification program". YouTube Creator Blog. Archived September 20, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  21. ^ Acuna, Kirsten (July 19, 2012). "YouTube Is Rewarding Its Most Popular Users With Gold". Business Insider. Archived April 21, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  22. ^ Cohen, Joshua (June 29, 2012). "YouTube Gives 24-Karat Gold 'Play Button' to Channels with 1M+ Subs". Tubefilter.com. Archived April 9, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  23. ^ Brouwer, Bree (July 24, 2015). "YouTube Gives New Diamond Play Button To Channels With 10 Million Subscribers". Tubefilter.com. Archived April 10, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  24. ^ Dillon, Poppy (August 3, 2015). "YouTube Announced Diamond Play Button". TenEighty. Archived January 17, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  25. ^ "YouTube Announces Diamond Play Button". Archived 2019-01-17 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  26. ^ "Top 5000 Subscribed YouTube Channels (Sorted by Subscriber Count)". Archived February 24, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  27. ^ "Join the Creator Awards Program - YouTube Help". YouTube Help. September 1, 2020. Archived September 1, 2020 at the Wayback Machine.
  28. ^ Leskin, Paige (May 31, 2019). "Bollywood music channel T-Series beat out PewDiePie after a months-long battle to become the first YouTube channel to reach 100 million subscribers". Business Insider. Archived 2020-07-28 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  29. ^ Weiss, Geoff (September 9, 2019). "YouTube Forges New 'Red Diamond Creator Award' For Channels With 100 Million Subscribers". Tubefilter.com. Archived March 27, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  30. ^ "Married to @marziapie 💍Revived our love of Minecraft ⛏️ Reached 100 million subscribers on YouTube ✔️ What a month to celebrate and congratulate @PewDiePie 👊". No. 1165444428988743680. August 25, 2019.
  31. ^ Alexander, Julia (August 26, 2019). "PewDiePie becomes the first individual YouTube creator to hit 100 million subscribers". The Verge. Archived August 26, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  32. ^ Bean, Travis (December 14, 2020). "100 Billion Views And Counting: 'CoComelon' Is Absolutely Dominating Netflix And YouTube". forbes.com. Archived 2022-07-31 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  33. ^ "Sony Entertainment Television reaches 100 million global subscribers on YouTube". exchange4media.com. April 6, 2021. Archived 2022-07-31 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  34. ^ Spangler, Todd (July 28, 2022). "MrBeast Tops 100 Million YouTube Subscribers: 'I Hope to Do YouTube Until the Day I Die'". variety.com. Archived 2022-07-29 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  35. ^ "T-Series becomes first channel globally to surpass 200m subscribers on YouTube". Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  36. ^ "YouTube honors MrBeast with unique 200M subscriber reward". Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  37. ^ "MrBeast makes history, becomes first YouTuber to reach 300 million subscribers". Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  38. ^ "World's richest youtuber MrBeast receives custom 400 million subscribers play button, but fans are disappointed; here's why". Retrieved 29 August 2025.