At the first-ever National Creators Awards that took place at Bharat Mandapam on March 8, Jaya Kishori was presented with the ‘Best Creator Award for Social Change’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the National Creators Award to the winners and also engaged in short conversations with the creators. More than 1.5 lakh nominations came in and around 10 lakh votes were cast. There were a total of 200 nominees vying for the inaugural award.
Called this generation’s ‘Mirabai’, Kishori shares teachings from Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana. While receiving the award, Kishori stated, “I am a storyteller or Srimad Bhagavatam. I speak about Bhagavad Gita. The thought process is that connecting with God is the work of the elderly. This is a wrong thought process.”
She added, “The youth need spirituality the most today. If I can live a spiritual life along with a materialistic life, I think, every youth can.”
PM Modi added to this. “People get scared that becoming spiritual means ‘jhola lekar chale jaana’.” To which Kishori added, “The biggest knowledge is Srimad Bhagavad Gita, and it is being recited to Arjun, who is on the verge of becoming the king. Lord Krishna has not said that leave the kingdom. He said just fulfil your duties.”
The awards were given across 20 categories, including best storyteller, the disruptor, celebrity creator, green champion, best creator for social change, most impactful agri creator, cultural ambassador, best travel creator, swachhta ambassador, new India champion, tech creator, heritage fashion, most creative creator (male and female), best creator in food category, best creator in education and international creator award.
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The nominees included established creators/celebrities and emerging talent. The list included Celebrity Creator like Katrina Kaif, Kangana Ranaut, Jackie Shroff, Sadhguru, Yash and Sunil Chhetri; Social media influencers like Komal Pandey, Siddharth Batra and Kritika Khurana Ranveer; Best Storyteller like Zakir Khan, Keerthika Govindasamy, Ranveer Allahbadia, Zeel Patel, Avijit Jamloki; Disruptor of the Year includes Nancy Tyagi, Abhi and Niyu, Sushant Divgikr, Revant Himatsingka, Shivam Malik, Favourite Green Champion Abhinav Yadav, Vani Murthy, Ramveer Tanwar; Best Creator for Social Change like Sandeep Maheshwari, Supriya Paul, Siddhesh Lokare, Supriya Paul, Sushant Divgikr, Prajakta Koli. In agri-creators – Darshan Singh and Rythu Badi. The awards also acknowledge creators in diverse fields such as travel, technology, and gaming, with familiar names like Visa2explore, Gaurav Chaudhary, and Total Gaming in the running.
In a statement on X, Prime Minister Modi had said earlier, “These Awards are a celebration of innovation, creativity and the remarkable spirit of the creator’s community.”
“Social media has helped a lot in showcasing people’s skills and talents. Youngsters in India are doing wonders in the field of content creation. To honour their talent, the National Creators Award has been initiated,” PM Modi had posted earlier on X (formerly known as Twitter).
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The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in a statement said that the award is an effort to recognise excellence and impact across domains, including storytelling, social change advocacy, environmental sustainability, education and gaming.
“The National Creator Award has witnessed exemplary public engagement. In the first round, more than 1.5 lakh nominations across 20 different categories were received. Subsequently, in the voting round, about 10 lakh votes were cast for digital creators in various award categories. Following this, 23 winners, including three international creators, were decided,” it said. This overwhelming public engagement is testimony that the award truly reflects the people’s choice, it added.
The Terms & Conditions for the awards include the requirement that nominees must be 18 years and above, holding Indian nationality, and have content published on various digital platforms. Creators can self-nominate in a maximum of three categories, and nominations were assessed based on creativity, impact, reach, innovation, sustainability, and alignment with award goals. A code of conduct ensuring content complies with legal and community standards was mandatory. The Jury’s decision was final, with no appeals or re-evaluations, and follower/subscriber counts were considered as of February 9, 2024.
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