Last weekend in May, the eyes of the global entertainment community turned to the French Riviera. Cannes Film Festival presented its coveted Grand Prix to director Mati Diop, the first black woman filmmaker to take the prize. Just a short stroll down the iconic Croisette Boulevard, another event made pop culture history at the famous Hotel Martinez. The first-ever World Blogger Awards celebrated top pioneering influencers in twenty-two categories. Over 200 Instagram and YouTube celebrities gathered to honor their peers from the United States, Brazil, France, Ukraine, Russia, Italy, Great Britain, India, China and UAE. The ceremony reached more than 110 million people across multiple social media channels, an unprecedented marker for a new industry “where glamor meets business power.” Among the highlights of night were several memorable appearances.
Alice, Nadine and Farah Abdelaziz were presented with the Best Sisterhood Award. The Abdelaziz siblings with a combine following of over two million people are bringing Lebanese style and Arabic fashion to the world. Their acknowledgement further positions “Haute Beirut” as a regional fashion powerhouse. Meanwhile, Leila Brunton won the Best Middle East Style award.
In other fashion moments, Victoria Silvstedt became Best Glamour Influencer. The proximity of the world’s premier film festival highlighted her role as a producer of an upcoming documentary film “The Dalai Lama: Scientist.” Best Fashion Business Influencer accolades went to Anna Andres, former Miss Ukraine who runs her 755K account with confidence of a Crown. Zaklina Berrido Pisano, also known as “the most sensual grandma in the world” took home the Best Style Influencer trophy. The Swiss-Russian blogger Karolina Zubkova-Mattes added Best Haute Couture Influencer to her signature Fairy Tale lifestyle. The Greek-Brazilian style maven Erika Santos became Best Beauty Influencer thanks to her 1.2 million followers. Venezuelan supermodel Sharon Fonseca won Best Model Influencer and put another spotlight on her home country in need of global media attention! Globetrotter Samuel Sohebi captured the menswear market with the Best Male Fashion award.
#FoodPorn category honored its top influencer - Jonathan Cheban - better known as @FoodGod; and a young Ukranian Instagram star Sasha Chistova took home Youth Influencer award.
Among the “Heavyweight Champions” of the inaugural World Blogger Awards were extraordinary people who have broken the ten million follower threshold in their respective fields. With 13 million YouTube subscribers Gaurav Chaudhary is one of the most trusted voices in tech reviews and the 2019 Best Technical Influencer. With a devoted audience of 15 million, the Vines Master Ashish Chanchlani is Best Comedy Influencer, no joke about it. At 25 years old, Bhuvan Bam earned Best Entertainment Influencer after he became the first YouTube content creator in India to cross the 10 million subscribers mark. You may not know Nusret Gökçe, but you most likely love the kitchen antics of SaltBae. The legendary viral chef is this year’s Best Celebrity Influencer with nearly 22 million fans. The Grand Prix went to Gianluca Vacchi, the Italian DJ, fitness model, lifestyle entrepreneur and otherwise King of Instagram for his pioneering use of the platform.
Maria Grazhina Chaplin, the producer of World Bloggers Awards, said: “We have learned a lot. We were impressed by the number of applicants and their turn out. We are delighted by the worldwide interest we received. Everybody is already looking forward to 2020”. The last weekend in May has now become a whole lot more glamourous and prestigious on the Croisette.
Here is a complete list of winners in other categories:
Best Parenting Blog is Re Andrade
Best Philanthropist Blog is Valentina Nessi
Best Artistic Blog is Benjamin Ortega
Best Style Travel Blog is Aggie “Travel in Her Shoes”
Best Globe Trotter is Jolie Nguyen
Best Holidays Blogger is Mareen “Miss Everywhere”
Best Luxury Travel Blogger is Naomi-Jane Adams
Best Tourism Blogger is Lenka Josefiova
Best Middle East Style Award is Leila Brunton
Best Asian Actress is Anita Chui
Best Latin America Media Personality is Amanda Ford
Best Fittest Mum is Kerllen “Healthy Fit Mum”
Best Vloger is Patricia Gloria Contreras
Best Lifestyle Blogger is Staсia Mar
Best Comfort Food Blogger is Brahms “Daddy Foody”
Best Street Food Blogger is Anthony Rahayel
Best Lifestyle Influencer is Victoria Bonya
Best Sustainable Influencer is Greta Thunberg
Golden Like Award is Amazing Narnia
Best Adviser is Anna Gyrol
Best Inspiration is Lilia Karpiak
Best Multi-Platform Blogger is Camilla Lucchi
Best Women Empowerment is Aliia Roza
