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Reaching a YouTube Creator Award milestone does not automatically earn a Play Button. YouTube reviews the channel against its eligibility criteria and awards plaques at its discretion. If your channel qualifies, YouTube provides a redemption code; enter it on the official redemption site, submit shipping details, and choose how the channel name should appear. Check YouTube’s Creator Awards eligibility guidance or use its interactive eligibility checker to get started.
YouTube Creator Award milestones
The award tier corresponds to the channel’s subscriber milestone. These are program thresholds published by YouTube, not a guarantee that a plaque will be issued.
| Award | Subscriber milestone |
|---|---|
| Silver Creator Award | 100,000 |
| Gold Creator Award | 1,000,000 |
| Diamond Creator Award | 10,000,000 |
| Red Diamond Creator Award | 100,000,000 |
YouTube describes Creator Awards as recognition for creators’ efforts to grow channels and build communities responsibly. It also states that awards are given at its discretion. The subscriber count is only one part of the decision. YouTube Creator Awards Help
Who is eligible for a YouTube Play Button?
YouTube’s published criteria include the following. Meeting them does not guarantee approval: YouTube reviews each channel.
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#1 Best Overall
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- The channel has reached one of the award milestones.
- It is active and has uploaded content within the previous six months.
- It has no active Community Guidelines violation and none in the previous 365 days.
- It has no active copyright strikes or violations.
- It follows YouTube’s Terms of Service.
- It has not been rejected from or suspended from the YouTube Partner Program (YPP).
- It is not terminated and is not linked to a terminated account.
- Its content is not deceptive, spammy, or scam-oriented.
- Its main content is original. Channels primarily built around compilations, mixes, curation, or heavy use of other people’s copyrighted content or characters may be ineligible.
You do not have to be a YPP member to receive a Creator Award. The YPP-related criterion is that the channel must not have been rejected from or suspended from the program. YouTube’s review and discretion still apply. See the current eligibility criteria.
Official Artist Channels
Official Artist Channels can receive awards if they reach a milestone and meet the same eligibility requirements. YouTube’s FAQ says there is one complimentary award per artist at each milestone. A related auto-generated topic channel or partner-provided channel that already received an award does not receive another when counts merge into an Official Artist Channel. Creator Awards FAQs
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How to claim a YouTube Creator Award
- Reach a milestone and keep the channel eligible. Continue meeting YouTube’s activity, policy, account-status, and originality criteria while waiting for review.
- Allow time for review. If you crossed the milestone within the previous week, YouTube’s FAQ says review may take up to 10 days.
- Look for a notification. YouTube may send an email or show a banner in YouTube Studio when redemption is available. Check the account email and Studio notifications.
- Retrieve the redemption code. Follow the notification. If you dismissed it or can no longer find the code, use YouTube’s interactive eligibility check to retrieve it.
- Redeem the award through YouTube’s redemption website. Enter the code, provide shipping information, specify the channel-name display, and place the order.
- Track delivery and respond to requests. Use your full legal name for shipping, watch for the carrier’s tracking email, and supply any additional information the carrier requests.
YouTube estimates delivery at approximately two to three weeks after redemption. Timing is an estimate, not a guaranteed arrival date. YouTube’s FAQ covers review timing, code recovery, and delivery.
Why hasn’t the notification arrived?
Crossing the subscriber threshold does not trigger an instant award. YouTube must review the channel, and its FAQ says the review may take up to 10 days if the milestone was reached within the previous week. Check your email and YouTube Studio for a notification, then use the interactive eligibility checker if you need to confirm eligibility or recover a code. If the checker does not show an award, review the published criteria rather than assuming the subscriber count alone qualifies the channel.
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Shipping, customs, and regional availability
Additional information and possible charges
YouTube says recipients in Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, and Vietnam may need to provide extra information, such as a tax ID, for customs. Separately, YouTube’s FAQ says customs duties or taxes may be payable in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, and Uzbekistan. These are different country lists and requirements; check the redemption instructions and local customs rules for your shipment.
Places where awards are listed as unavailable
YouTube currently lists Creator Awards as unavailable for channels in Belarus, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Yemen. Availability may change, so confirm the current official list before relying on it.
Rank #4
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Rules for using or buying an award
Creator Awards are for personal use. YouTube says they may not be sold or distributed outside the channel team. Violations can lead to forfeiture, ineligibility for future awards, or possible termination of a YouTube or Google account. A third-party replica is not an official YouTube-issued Creator Award.
YouTube introduced a smaller, lighter award in August 2024, saying the quality and design remained the same. The previous size was discontinued for complimentary redemptions and purchases. The FAQ describes a process for requesting additional purchases; consult it for current details about that option. Read YouTube’s Creator Awards FAQs.
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Keeping a gaming channel active while you work toward a milestone
For gaming creators, meeting the six-month upload activity guideline means planning channel publishing alongside the rest of the eligibility criteria. If you publish edited videos or compilations, ensure your channel’s main content is original and that you have the rights needed for any included gameplay, music, or other material. An always-on YouTube stream is not a substitute for original content or a guarantee of award eligibility.
Or let it run in the cloud
If you want uploaded videos to loop as a YouTube live stream, StreamNeo runs the stream in the cloud: upload a recording or make a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. Nothing has to stay on at home; uploaded video streams as made, up to 4K 60fps, at one flat price per slot. StreamNeo can automatically recover if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card, and the Monthly price is $9.99 per month. It is a YouTube-only service for uploaded videos, not a camera-based live broadcast. Learn more at StreamNeo, or start the free first day.
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