If you’ve ever bought something because a content creator you trust recommended it, learned a new skill from a ten-minute video, or found your people in a comment section, you already know how much influence creators have. Now there’s an award built to recognise it.
Meet the Creator Impact Awards
The Creator Impact Awards, led by creator-economy company SUGRco and presented by Hnry, celebrate Australians who use their platforms to make a real difference. That means changing conversations, influencing behaviour, building communities and turning ideas into businesses and careers.
Indigenous storyteller, journalist and multimedia creator Tom Forrest (below), better known as Outback Tom, is the first confirmed member of the selection panel. More panellists will be announced throughout October.
How it works
- Nominations are open now. They opened on 1 October.
- An expert panel picks nine Australian Impact Nominees.
- Around 1,000 of the country’s top creators vote live.
- The Australian Creator of the Year is crowned at the Creator Christmas Party in Melbourne on Tuesday, 24 November.
It’s peer-voted, which makes the win mean a little more. The people who know the work best get to decide.
Why this matters
The numbers explain why the awards are arriving now:
- 43 per cent of Australian news consumers now get news from creators and influencers, according to the 2026 Digital News Report: Australia.
- Almost half of 18 to 24-year-olds use TikTok for news.
- Research from IAB Australia found creators influence the brands 61 per cent of Australians discover, rising to 85 per cent among people under 40.
Creators are no longer sitting beside traditional media. For a lot of us, they’re the first place we hear about what’s happening and what’s worth buying.
SUGRco CEO Brooke Howard-Smith says the old “water-cooler moment” has shifted. Those moments now often start with a creator and spread through a community in minutes. He also points to something that matters for audiences who haven’t always seen themselves in mainstream coverage: creators are trusted voices on the issues their audiences care about, and they can give space to stories that might otherwise struggle to be heard.
The business behind the content
The other half of the story is the economics. Creating is a form of self-employment, and a growing one.
Hnry, an accounting and tax automation service for sole traders, shared figures from creators using its platform:
- Annual payments to Australian creators have roughly doubled in two years.
- The number of creators grew by 44 per cent.
- Creators earning over $50,000 rose 81 per cent.
- Creators earning at least $100,000 quadrupled.
Hnry Australia Managing Director Karan Anand describes the typical creator as a sole trader running an incredibly sophisticated business. They’re the talent, producer, salesperson, marketer and business owner all at once. If you’ve ever wondered how a hobby becomes a paycheque, that’s the story.
Know someone who deserves a nomination?
Think of the creator who taught you something, made you feel seen, or built a community you’re glad to be part of. Nominate them. Details are at anzcreatoroftheyear.com.
