Instagram Rings Awards Return for 2026 With Versace and Mosseri on Jury

Instagram has confirmed the second edition of its Rings Awards, with winners to be announced across the platform's official channels later this month. The 2026 programme again centres on creators, and the jury reads like a condensed cultural summit: Donatella Versace, A$AP Rocky, FINNEAS, filmmaker Chloé Zhao and Instagram head Adam Mosseri all hold seats.

The most significant detail for practitioners is the award's stated judging philosophy. Unlike traditional awards that reward end-metrics or specific content formats, Instagram says the Rings honours the creative journey itself — creators who experiment, work through creative blocks and use an authentic voice to spark cultural conversations.

That framing matters for anyone running creator programmes. It signals that Instagram, a platform that typically optimises for engagement outputs, is formally rewarding process over performance. The award criteria are not a ranking algorithm, and Instagram has not said winners gain distribution benefits. But the categories and jury composition tell creators which creative behaviours the platform wants to celebrate publicly.

Who picks the 2026 winners?

The global jury blends fashion, music, film, sport, food and publishing. The confirmed panel:

• Donatella Versace, fashion designer
• A$AP Rocky, musician
• FINNEAS, musician and producer
• Vikas Khanna, Michelin-starred chef
• Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram
• Chloé Zhao, filmmaker
• Mikaela Shiffrin, Olympic skier
• OSGEMEOS, artist duo
• Emily Adams Bode Aujla, designer
• Charm LaDonna, choreographer and creative director
• Eva Chen, fashion executive and creator
• Will Welch, GQ Editor-in-Chief
• Isamaya Ffrench, makeup artist
• Jack Edwards, creator

Fourteen names, spanning at least eight creative disciplines. That breadth matches the award's stated goal of recognising creators who shape culture "both on and off the platform" — a phrase that positions the Rings as bigger than an in-app popularity contest.

What is the physical award?

The trophy is a literal ring, and this year it carries a designer's signature. Instagram collaborated with jury member Emily Adams Bode Aujla, the American fashion designer, to create the bespoke physical rings. Her design draws on the psychology of people who shape their own fortune: the 2026 ring incorporates a four-leaf clover crafted from Connemara marble, the green stone quarried in western Ireland.

The object itself is part of the message. A handcrafted ring made from rare marble, designed by a jury member, reinforces the award's pitch that sustained craft — not a single viral moment — earns recognition.

What should creators and marketers take from it?

For creators, the second consecutive edition confirms the Rings is now an annual fixture rather than a one-off campaign. Nominations and selection rest entirely with the jury of cultural practitioners, artists, designers and industry leaders, so there is no stated public submission or voting mechanic in the announcement.

For brands and agencies running creator partnerships, the award's emphasis on persistence and authentic voice offers a template for how platform-endorsed creative value is being defined heading into 2026. Campaigns built around a creator's long-term voice, rather than one-off format plays, align more closely with what Instagram says it is honouring.

When do we know the winners?

The full list of winning creators for the 2026 Rings Awards will be revealed across Instagram's official channels later this month. Until then, the criteria, jury and trophy design are the only confirmed facts; claims about winners, eligibility or reach benefits circulating among creators remain speculation.

A second edition with this jury caliber suggests Instagram sees creator recognition as durable infrastructure, and observers should expect the winners' reveal to double as a statement about which creative trajectories the platform intends to champion next.