Meet the Creators of the Year: 18th Annual Shorty Awards

Every year, our Creator of the Year awards recognize the people shaping how culture moves online.

This year’s honorees come from very different corners of the internet, yet share one thing in common. Each has built a distinct voice and grown it into something that reaches far beyond content.

We’re proud to recognize the 18th Annual Shorty Awards' Creators of the Year, whose work reflects the creativity, ambition, and originality driving the internet forward.

About the Curator

This year’s list was curated by Jeff Barrett, Chief Evangelist at the Shorty Awards.

"This year's list is an accurate snapshot of where the creator economy lives right now. Vagueposting at its worst. But specificity, depth, rooted fandom at its best. Different lanes, same gravitational pull. Mass appeal is giving way to depth of engagement. The genres don’t match, the formats don’t match, but the behavior does. We are all consumers first, creators second, whether we admit it or not. And if you’re already reading this on your phone, thumb hovering, halfway thinking about what to tap next then you know we are in the right place. IYKYK."

Viral Creator of the Year: Haley Baylee

Haley Baylee has built a following that spans millions by keeping her content grounded and relatable.

With more than 35 million followers gained in just three years, her mix of humor and self-awareness has connected with a wide audience. Her content feels familiar in a way that makes it easy to share and come back to.

Her path into this space was far from typical. Once a scientist, she now works as a full-time creator, host, and model, moving between digital content, live events, and major brand collaborations.

She has appeared on magazine covers, attended major red carpets, and worked alongside some of the biggest names in entertainment, while keeping her voice consistent across it all.

Her growth has earned recognition from publications like Forbes and TIME, along with a Streamy nomination, placing her among the most visible creators working today.

Sports Creator of the Year: Stephania Ergemlidze

Stephania Ergemlidze’s rise in sports media stands out for how deliberately she built it.

Born with a physical disability and without the traditional path of organized basketball, she carved out her place through consistency and a genuine love for the game. Today, she reaches more than 6 million followers across platforms and has become a recognizable voice in basketball content.

Her viral series, where she pulls a basketball hoop through city streets and challenges strangers to one-on-one games, turns everyday encounters into something competitive, unpredictable and fun to watch.

She is also the entrepreneur behind @basketball, one of the most coveted handles in sports, which she is developing into a hub for basketball culture and community.

Photography Creator of the Year: Elias Weiss Friedman, The Dogist

Photo credit: Matthew Williams

Elias Weiss Friedman, globally known as The Dogist, has built one of the most recognizable photography platforms on the internet.

With more than 11 million followers and over 50,000 dogs photographed, his work captures dogs in a way that feels personal, expressive, and unmistakably his own. What began as a simple concept has grown into a body of work that resonates far beyond pet photography, drawing in a devoted global audience.

His images have appeared in publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Vogue, and his subjects range from everyday dogs to those belonging to public figures like Joe Biden and Serena Williams.

Beyond photography, Elias has built The Dogist into a multifaceted brand including the release of his New York Times bestselling book This Dog Will Change Your Life and his digital talk series DOGS: with Elias Weiss Friedman. He also supports organizations focused on animal welfare through The Dogist Fund.

His work continues to show how a clear perspective, applied consistently over time, can turn a simple idea into something widely recognized and deeply felt.

Creator Advocate of the Year: Shira Lazar

As the founder and CEO of What’s Trending, Shira Lazar has spent two decades helping audiences understand the internet and the people shaping it. Her work has consistently stayed ahead of where culture is heading, from social media and creator trends to emerging technology and AI.

This year, we are honoring Shira for the way she has championed creators beyond content itself. Through Creators 4 Mental Health, she has brought resources and research to a space that has often gone without both. She also helped develop the Creator Bill of Rights alongside Ro Khanna, advocating for clearer protections and standards for creators as workers and business owners.

At a time when the creator economy is maturing rapidly, Shira has helped push the conversation toward sustainability, well-being, and long-term support.