October 29, 2026
Industry
Four awards, including the evening’s top honor: Vollmarcant is the 2026 “Creator of the Year.” At the VD Award Gala held atCologne’s E-Werk, the political and social media creator received four awards.He gained fame through his widely viewed social media videos, in which he seeksout conversations with AfD supporters and far-right extremists atdemonstrations and political events and critically examines their positions. In addition to the grand prize, healso won in the categories “Best in Short Form,” “News & Commentary,” and“Social Responsibility” — making him the big winner of the evening. The event was sponsored by the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Film and Media Foundation NRW.
The 50-member jury of industry experts particularly commended Vollmarcant for making political debates accessible to a young social media audience through arguments, facts, and direct dialogue. They noted that it was especially remarkable that, despite facing hostility, he consistently seeks dialogue, thereby demonstrating how social dialogue can function even in highly polarized times.
Theawards ceremony served as the grand finale of the 2026 VideoDays Festival,where organizer We Are Era welcomed a total of approximately 1,500 guests forthe fifth consecutive year. Among them were about 800 content creators and 700representatives from agencies, brands, platforms, broadcasters, productioncompanies, and media outlets.
Thesold-out VideoDays Festival also reaffirms Cologne’s role as one of Germany’sleading creator hubs and as a center for a growing digital media economy. Theenthusiastic response demonstrates how closely the traditional media industryand the pop culture community economy have come to converge. Key regionalstakeholders — including the City of Cologne, the State Media Authority ofNorth Rhine-Westphalia, the Media Startup Center NRW, and KölnBusiness — werealso involved, driving innovation, entrepreneurship, and networking in NorthRhine-Westphalia as a media hub.
Five years after its rebranding, the VideoDays Festival once again demonstrated just how much the creator economy has professionalized. On the Main Stage, the Masterclass Stage, and in the Matchmaking Area, creators and representatives from media outlets, platforms, and brands discussed innovative business models, social commerce, the shift from social video to the entertainment market, as well as credibility, disinformation, and social responsibility.
At the evening VD Awards Gala, outstanding creative achievements, innovative formats, and social engagement were honored. In addition to the individual CreatorAwards, the Best Brand Collab Award was also presented: in cooperation with media partners Campaign Germany and DMEXCO, the VideoDays Festival recognized an outstanding collaboration between a creator and an advertising brand. In a public vote, over 2,000 votes determined which brand collaboration from the shortlist made the biggest impression. The winner in this category was a collaboration between the Ricola brand and creator Maraam, aka @maraamharaam, which generated significant buzz on social media with a viral yodeling song and the tagline “Fühl dich bonbon” (Agency: WeCreate).
Animation:
Tyyrathecreator
Beautyand Fashion:
Krobos
Bestin Long-Form:
Vince
Bestin Short-Form:
Vollmarcant
Bestin Streaming:
Rosemondy
BestVisual:
FelixHeinzelmann
Comedy:
MaraamHaraam
Creatorof the Year:
Vollmarcant
Food:
Hunglaublich
Gaming:
Krokoboss
Music:
SelamAraya
Newcomer(Audience Choice Award):
IsiComedy
News& Commentary:
Vollmarcant
Science& Education:
LiniI, the Rescue Mouse
SocialResponsibility:
Vollmarcant
Sports:
ArdaSaatçi
Storytelling:
Vince
Vlog:
SelfieSandra
Following the gala, the industry celebrated the conclusion of the VideoDays Festival at the official after-show party. This annual industry highlight was supported by partners such as YouTube, Meta, Snapchat, Pinterest, Amazon Music, Substack, Sony, OTTO, E wie einfach, nevernot, Community Editions, Betterplace.org, funk, beyerdynamic, the German Camera Award, and 1LIVE/WDR.
