Taking place on Sunday, July 13th, at the Federal Palace Hotel’s Balmoral Hall in Lagos, the 5th Edition of the Trendupp Honors, Africa’s first honors for influencers and content creators, was a glittering celebration honoring the creative genius influencing Africa’s digital future.
The event this year, with the theme “Still Explosive,” celebrated five years of recognizing boldness, tenacity, and inventiveness in the rapidly changing digital landscape. 17 exceptional winners were recognized by the awards in a variety of categories, including advocacy, tech, comedy, collaboration, content, and the much-coveted Force of Influence titles.
KieKie, the media personality and content king, returned as host and guided the evening from poignant speeches that encapsulated the essence of Africa’s thriving creator economy to electrifying performances and spectacular red-carpet encounters.
Tiwalola “TJ” Olanubi, the founder and CEO of Trendupp Africa, discussed the significance of this year’s awards:
“What started five years ago as an audacious idea has now evolved into a Pan-African movement. ‘Still Explosive’ wasn’t just a theme, it’s the mantra. This year’s winners are not only Influencers and Content Creators, they’re culture shapers.”
“They’re shifting narratives, building communities, and moving the continent forward with consistency and engagement through every creative content. This isn’t the future of influence, this is the now.”
There were more than 300,000 public nominations for the 17 prize categories. After the nomination stage, 104 finalists were carefully assessed by a jury composed of reputable industry leaders Sam Onyemelukwe, Iyabo Ojo, Denrele Edun, Azuka Ogujiuba, Ameyaw Debrah, TheVisualAdvocate (Ayotunde Ishola), and Kelechi Amadi-Obi. The jury’s three main criteria were creativity, engagement, and consistency.