South Africa’s top digital storytellers were honoured at the 2026 Content Creator Awards on Saturday, 17 October, at The Galleria in Sandton. Thembisa-born creator Grace Mondlana walked away with the night’s biggest prize, the Samsung Galaxy Creator of the Year Award.
Mondlana and comedian Vafa Naraghi each took home two awards. Lasizwe was named YouTube Creator of the Year, and the animated hit The Adventures of Noko Mashaba won the Telkom Best Online Series Award.
Grace Mondlana Crowned Creator Of The Year
Mondlana was named Samsung Galaxy Creator of the Year, a public-vote category, and also won the Trendsetter Award.
Born in Thembisa in 2001, Mondlana started creating content during the COVID-19 pandemic while she was working as a teacher. She has since built a following with lifestyle vlogs, motivational content, wellness tips and relatable everyday videos on YouTube and TikTok. Her brand partnerships include Coca-Cola, Cadbury, KFC and Takealot, and she became the first brand ambassador for GWM South Africa.
The win completes a fast rise at these awards. In 2024 she won the Emerging Creator Award, and two years later she has taken the top prize.
She beat a strong shortlist for Creator of the Year that included Donovan Goliath, Nadia Jaftha, Primo9teen and fellow double winner Vafa Naraghi.
Full List Of 2026 Content Creator Awards Winners
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy Creator of the Year Award | Grace Mondlana |
| YouTube Creator of the Year Award | Lasizwe |
| BYD People’s Choice Award | Olwethu Ncapayi |
| Emerging Creator Award, backed by Creator Club | Sine_rsa_ |
| Cars.co.za Automotive Content Award | Tebogo Moropa |
| #CapturedWithGalaxy Award | Kaytee Shots |
| Dance Creator Award | Chad Jones |
| Style Award | Yasmin Furmie |
| Best Comedy Content Creator Award | Ikho |
| 947 Sound of Tomorrow Award | Mikhalé Jones |
| Excellence in Branded Content Award | Oliver Agency for Cleanipedia presents Bakhombise |
| Trendsetter Award | Grace Mondlana |
| Podcast of the Year Award | SMWX |
| Impact Creator Award | Josh Wide Awake |
| Best Social Series Award | Vafa Naraghi |
| Telkom Best Online Series Award | The Adventures of Noko Mashaba |
| Thumbstopping Award | Vafa Naraghi |
| Best Creator x Brand Collaboration Award | Nabilah Kariem for Le Creuset |
| Expert Voices Award | Miss Angler |
| Wildcard Award | Lindosasmr |
ALSO READ: How To Become A Content Creator And Actually Make Money
Winners In The Spotlight
Vafa Naraghi: Best Social Series And Thumbstopping Award
Comedian and content creator Vafa Naraghi was the night’s other double winner, taking the Best Social Series Award and the Thumbstopping Award. He’s known for multilingual comedy and social commentary on language, culture and identity in South Africa. His viral sketches draw on everyday South African experiences. In 2025 he took his first national solo stand-up tour, Becoming South African, around the country.
Lasizwe: YouTube Creator Of The Year
Soweto-born Lasizwe (Thulasizwe Dambuza) won the YouTube Creator of the Year Award, a public-vote category. He’s one of South Africa’s best-known YouTubers, with more than a million subscribers. His shows include the celebrity interview series Drink or Tell the Truth, Awkward Dates and the comedy series Nomatriquency: The Funeral, built around his much-loved character Nomatriquency. He beat Centtwinz, Noko Mashaba, Shev and Dev, SMWX and Zayaan.
The Adventures Of Noko Mashaba: Telkom Best Online Series
More than a decade after its first episode in 2013, The Adventures of Noko Mashaba is still winning awards. Created by self-taught animator Jonas Lekganyane, the 2D animated satire follows Noko, an ordinary man from Limpopo, through mysteries and urban legends. It’s told mainly in Sepedi, mixed with English, isiZulu, Setswana and street slang. Lekganyane chose Sepedi on purpose, to help preserve his home language. The series was also a nominee for YouTube Creator of the Year.
Olwethu Ncapayi: BYD People’s Choice Award
The BYD People’s Choice Award was decided by public SMS vote, and it went to Olwethu Ncapayi. Ncapayi beat a shortlist that included Anika Dambuza (The City Makoti), Garfieldzar, Grace Mondlana and Tanaka Dube.
Emerging Talent And Niche Voices
The awards also recognised creators in specialist areas:
- Sine_rsa_ won the Emerging Creator Award, backed by Creator Club.
- Tebogo Moropa won the Cars.co.za Automotive Content Award.
- Miss Angler won the Expert Voices Award.
- Lindosasmr won the Wildcard Award.
- Kaytee Shots won the new #CapturedWithGalaxy Award, which Samsung introduced this year with a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 as the prize.
How The Winners Were Chosen
Five categories were decided by public SMS vote: Creator of the Year, YouTube Creator of the Year, Cars.co.za Automotive, Emerging Creator and People’s Choice.
The remaining categories were judged by a panel of 55 industry judges from South Africa’s content, media and entertainment industries. For the first time, the awards held in-person judging sessions in Johannesburg and Cape Town, as well as two weeks of virtual judging. The judging criteria were developed with the Interactive Advertising Bureau of South Africa (IAB SA) to make results more consistent and credible.
Entries closed on 5 July, nominees were announced in August and winners were revealed at the Sandton gala.
About The Content Creator Awards
The Content Creator Awards were founded in 2022 by Manuela Dias de Deus, founder of the agency One-eyed Jack, at a time when many creators still had to defend content creation as a real career. The awards are run as a non-profit that puts sponsorship money back into creator workshops, training and industry growth.
“Our responsibility has shifted from legitimising the industry to raising the benchmark for excellence,” said Dias de Deus when this year’s nominees were announced.
Samsung Galaxy joined as title sponsor this year. Other partners included YouTube, Telkom, BYD, Cars.co.za, 947, eVOD, Creator Club, Humanz and Ray-Ban.
“Creators are shaping culture, influencing purchasing decisions and redefining storytelling every single day,” said Rae Hargreaves, Head of Marketing: Mobile eXperience at Samsung South Africa.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Won Creator Of The Year At The 2026 Content Creator Awards?
Grace Mondlana won the Samsung Galaxy Creator of the Year Award. She also won the Trendsetter Award.
When And Where Were The 2026 Content Creator Awards Held?
The awards were held on Saturday, 17 October 2026, at The Galleria in Sandton, Johannesburg.
Who Won YouTube Creator Of The Year?
Lasizwe won the YouTube Creator of the Year Award.
Who Won The People’s Choice Award?
Olwethu Ncapayi won the BYD People’s Choice Award, which was decided by public vote.
Who Won More Than One Award?
Grace Mondlana (Creator of the Year and Trendsetter) and Vafa Naraghi (Best Social Series and Thumbstopping) each won two awards.
How Are The Content Creator Award Winners Chosen?
Five categories are decided by public SMS vote. The rest are judged by a panel of industry judges using criteria developed with IAB South Africa.
What This Means For Gauteng’s Creator Economy
With the ceremony held in Sandton and the top prize going to a creator from Thembisa, Gauteng was at the centre of this year’s awards. The winners show how wide South Africa’s creator economy has become, from comedy, dance and fashion to podcasts, animation, ASMR and branded content. They also show that local stories told in local languages can reach big audiences.
For young people in the province thinking about content creation as a career, this year’s winners prove that consistency, a clear voice and strong storytelling can turn a phone and an idea into a business.
