Creator Awards (Play Buttons)

What are YouTube Creator Awards?

YouTube Creator Awards are physical trophies — the play buttons — that YouTube sends to channels that pass a subscriber milestone and meet its eligibility rules. There are 4 levels: Silver at 100,000 subscribers, Gold at 1,000,000, Diamond at 10,000,000 and Red Diamond at 100,000,000.

Why the award matters

The trophy itself is decoration, but the milestone behind it is not. Passing 100,000 subscribers is the point where most brands start treating a channel as a serious media asset, and the award is a public, verifiable marker of that scale.

It is also a clean-record check. YouTube reviews policy history before it ships anything, so an award effectively confirms the channel has no live strikes and no unresolved problems with content originality. You do not have to be in the YouTube Partner Program to receive one.

Eligibility criteria

Your channel has to pass a subscriber milestone and meet every condition on YouTube's list:

• Pass a specific subscriber milestone — Silver: 100,000 subscribers; Gold: 1,000,000; Diamond: 10,000,000; Red Diamond: 100,000,000.

• Your channel is active, with uploads within the last 6 months.

• You don't have an active Community Guidelines violation, and haven't received any in the last 365 days.

• You don't have active copyright strikes or violations.

• You're in compliance with YouTube's Terms of Service.

• You haven't been rejected or suspended from the YouTube Partner Program.

• Your channel isn't terminated or linked to an account that has been terminated.

• You don't have content that is deceptive, spammy, or a scam.

• Your main content is original. Channels built on compilations, mixes, curation or heavy use of someone else's copyrighted content or characters may be ineligible.

Awards are given at YouTube's discretion, and the program is unavailable in a number of countries and regions — the current list sits on the official Creator Awards page.

How to check and claim yours

Reviews run for up to 10 days after you cross a milestone. When you pass, YouTube emails you a redemption code and may also show a banner in YouTube Studio. If the code goes missing, YouTube's interactive eligibility check returns it.

1. Copy the redemption code YouTube sent you.

2. Enter it on the Creator Awards redemption website.

3. Add your shipping details and the channel name you want engraved.

4. Select Order Now to finish.

Delivery takes roughly 2-3 weeks, and damage has to be reported within 7 days of arrival. Some countries charge customs duties or taxes that YouTube legally cannot cover. For a level-by-level walkthrough, read our guide to YouTube play button levels.