Hundreds of guests. Almost 40,000 public votes. More than 90 nominees. 19 winners. One unforgettable night. 

The Galleria in Sandton was alight with colours of purple and pink this past Saturday, 9 September, as the DStv Content Creator Awards, in Association with Samsung Galaxy, took centre stage. It wasn’t just another awards night but the biggest night in South African content creation.

You felt the buzz on social media leading up to the awards, and it came alive as nominees, guests, and fans thronged the Purple Carpet, with the awards’ TikTok Live giving viewers online access to the glitz and glam. Some of the personalities spotted on the carpet included Lasizwe, K Naomi, Julia Anastasopoulos, Pona Halo, Nomuzi ‘Moozlie’ Mabena, Kim Jayde, Candice Modiselle, Matt Flax, Farieda Metsileng, Carol Ofori, Karabo Poppy, Kefilwe Mabote and Lemii LoCo.

Donovan Goliath, the award-winning comedian and content creator, hosted the awards and navigated the night with energy and humour. Live music was curated and performed by SA legends Black Motion.

One of the country’s most powerful storytellers, authors, playwrights and performers, Gcina Mhlophe, officially opened the awards by reading a beautiful poem and blessing the awards and all the attendees, nominees and winners.

The show then kicked off with Bontle Modiselle Dance Studio lighting up the stage, accompanied by the Dance Award category nominees, 250Machine, Adriaan Hughes, Justin De Nobrega, Kelly KiKx and Mr NT.

A special moment was when the awards’ founder, Manuela Dias de Deus, expressed her vision for the awards. “Our idea has always been to put creators on the radar and open doors for emerging and established talent. The youth’s potential to monetise their content and create job opportunities is immense,” said Manuela. “More so, our vision is to make the awards the biggest event of its kind on the continent. We want to continue to grow and be on everyone’s feeds.”