The nominations for the awards, which are running under the theme The Golden Era – Bold & Elegant, are underway until 6 August, with voting taking place from 5 to 21 September.
The Pulse Influencer Awards celebrate digital creativity, innovation and community-building efforts of influencers in Africa, and will be held simultaneously in Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Uganda and Ivory Coast.
Last year, the awards platform received an overwhelming participation of more than 860 000 votes cast across different categories, with Ivy Mugo, who runs the Just Ivy show, claiming the Pan African, Most Innovative Influencer and Business Influencer of the Year (Kenya) awards. Other big winners were Lydia KM and Murugi Munyi of the The TMI Podcast KE who won three awards: YouTube Influencer of the Year, Podcast Influencer of the Year and Instagram Influencer of the Year.
This year, the awards have made some significant changes, including streamlining the category list from 29 to 24 in order to focus on core areas of influence. Additionally, the new Next Gen Influencer of the Year category has been introduced to recognise the efforts of emerging digital creators.
“The awards recognise individuals who have used social media as a platform to distribute value, share ideas and build large, active communities, highlighting the hard work of our influencers,” Pulse Kenya director of content Judysheila Mugo said.
“The initiative acts as a conduit between the influencers and different brands that work closely with them. It’s usually fulfilling once an influencer gets a new connect from these brands courtesy of the awards.”
Dan Obura, Linda Okero, Agnes Opondo, Felistus Gathii, Roy Karuhize, Marvin Loreh, Julie Nguru and Joe Mbugua have been announced as members of this year’s selection jury.
“These are highly recognised individuals working in the Kenyan business and creative sector and they will use their wealth of knowledge and expertise to select the most exceptional talents in the digital landscape,” Mugo said.
Below are the award categories:
Industry categories
Music Influencer of the Year
Dance Influencer of the Year
Fashion Influencer of the Year
Arts & Photography Influencer of the Year
Lifestyle Influencer of the Year
Media & Blogger Influencer of the Year
Food Influencer of the Year
Business Influencer of the Year
Comedy Influencer of the year
Most Influential Actor/Actress of the Year
Tech Influencer of the Year
Sports Influencer of the Year
Next Gen Influencer of the Year
Channel categories
Instagram Influencer of the Year
LinkedIn Influencer of the Year
YouTube Influencer of the Year
Facebook Influencer of the Year
TikTok Influencer of the Year
Twitter Influencer of the Year
Podcast Influencer of the Year
Pan-African categories
Positive Impact Influencer of the Year
Most Innovative Influencer of the Year
Best dressed categories
Best Dressed Female
Best Dressed Male
