Held at SMAC gallery, the very first COSMO Influencer awards in association with Bernini were in honor of South African social media stars, both upcoming and those who have made a solid impact in the digital world as influencers.
Over the past couple of years, COSMO has been one of the magazines to actively recognise and trust in the voice of influencers across the board. From beauty, fashion, lifestyle and the YouTube world. This was evident through the 2019 March Influencer Issue starring Jessica Van Heerden, Mihlali Ndamase and Nadia Jafta as the cover girls. Although there was much talk around the choice in cover stars, I believe the cover was a great conversation starter. Many more influencers were featured even within the covers of the magazine, which was a great way of encouraging the growth of this industry, as well as recognising all the creatives who put in so much effort and passion into their craft!
Anyway, back to the awards. The process was a simple one to follow. Influencers between the ages 18- 35 yrs could be nominated by any reader of the magazine, or even nominate themselves in any of the below categories. However, in order to nominate someone, they had to have a minimum of 5 000 Instagram followers or 5 000 YouTube Subscribers. Only the Best Newcomer category was exempt to this rule.
The Entry Categories
Entrants are eligible to win one of the seven Cosmopolitan Influencer Awards in the following categories:
- Best Beauty Influencer: @Mihlalii_n
- Best Style Influencer: @SarahLanga
- Best Travel Influencer: @TravelGirlBoss
- Best Lifestyle Influencer: @Kefilwe_mabote
- Best Health and Wellness Influencer: @JuaKhumalo
- Best Celebrity Influencer: @Bonang_m
- Best Disruptor Influencer: @Yoliswa_Mqoco
- Best Newcomer Influencer: @By_Kiara n
- Influencer of the Year Sparkle Award: @Mihlalii_n
The Prize
Selected from the categories above, the ultimate winning influencer, Mihlali Ndamase, walked away with the COSMO Influencer of the Year Sparkle Award, in association with Bernini, plus a crazy cash prize of R15 000!
A big congratulations to all of the winners – they are all so deserving of their win! A big s/o to all those who also voted and participated in the bigger picture in moving the influencer space in the right direction.
I was invited to attend the award ceremony for the COSMO 2019 Influencer Awards and here’s a glimpse into the lovely evening.
