• On April 18, 2019, ABOUT YOU will, for the third time, be giving out the ABOUT YOU Awards to the most influential social media stars, this time in seven new categories
• A new voting process and expanded show concept with an high-qualified expert jury: Doutzen Kroes, Stefanie Giesinger, Lena Gercke and Bonnie Strange calling for the 2019 nominees on social media
• The biggest influencer award show will again be broadcast in a TV format on ProSieben at the best airtime for its core audience
• The social media community will be there live too, with approximately 200 tickets being purchased exclusively through the ABOUT YOU app

Germany’s biggest and most spectacular award show for social media stars is proceeding to the third round – and reinventing itself again this year too. After successfully coming to TV last year with over eight million viewers and more than one billion media contacts reached, the ABOUT YOU Awards 2019 are becoming even more varied, emotional, and personal. On April 18, 2019, everything will revolve around the most important influencers in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria who have left a mark on and moved social media over previous months, earning these coveted awards. The show will be broadcast in TV format on ProSieben this year too, complemented with exclusive reporting on social media before and after the event. The awards have established themselves as the most important prize for influencers in Europe over the last two years through their unmatched combination of digital and TV.

For the third awards ceremony, the organizers will be building on the success of previous years while also setting new standards again: “We are excited to reinvent the ABOUT YOU Awards this year. With our new show concept and new, expanded voting process, we can respond to the rapid-fire market of the social media world,” says Julian Jansen, Content Director at ABOUT YOU. Running the show with him is Chris Nickel, also Content Director, and together they are responsible for the ABOUT YOU Awards.

More glamor, more authenticity, and more relevance – all things that the newly introduced, high- qualified expert jury stands for. It is made up of high-profile experts in the seven new categories of Style, Comedy, Music, Empowerment, Newcomer, Health, and Idol of the Year. As high-qualified jurors are already Doutzen Kroes, Lena Gercke, Stefanie Giesinger and Bonnie Strange confirmed.

The new award categories are a response to the latest trends and greatest topics and developments in social media. The established, special award for “Idol of the Year” will be joined by another prize for which the nominees are chosen exclusively by the expert jury instead of receiving votes online. The new category of “Empowerment” will award influencers who use their powerful platform for initiatives to address important topics such as diversity and sustainability and, in doing so, reach and move people beyond the boundaries of social media.

The appointment of the highly qualified, expert jury will play a key role in the show’s new concept and especially for the expanded voting process. Unlike previous years, the nomination process will be ongoing from February 4 to 9 with jurors putting out a call on social media for their community to submit suggestions for this year’s nominees using the ABOUT YOU app. Once the deadline has passed, the jurors will select together with ABOUT YOU the top 10 nominees. Fans and followers will then be able to vote for their favorites in five of seven categories using the ABOUT YOU app or at www.aboutyou-awards.de from February 11 to 17 during the public, online nominee vote. The expert jury will hold a secret ballot for the final winners in each category from among the voted top three nominees and announce the results at the great show spectacular on April 18. Winners from previous years include Stefanie Giesinger, Matiamu by Sofia, Ischtar Isik, Farina Opoku, and Riccardo Simonetti.

Whether on TV or social media – anyone can follow the spectacular show closely just like last year. For the first time, fans and followers this year will have the chance to purchase one of around 200 limited tickets exclusively via the ABOUT YOU app and experience their stars live on location together with the invited guests.

“The ABOUT YOU Awards have established themselves in the marketing industry as a good example of how a digital company can create real event experiences where real people tell real stories and elicit real emotions,” says Tarek Müller, cofounder and co-CEO of ABOUT YOU.

The innovative show concept has prepared a number of exciting changes for viewers. The jurors themselves, for example, will host this year’s event. New show elements will also make for top-class emotion and entertainment. Together with Germany’s greatest social media stars on the stage, the evening is destined to be unique. The award show will be attended by around 1,500 guests, including VIPs, influencers, chief editors, and decision makers from the digital and media sectors – and, for the first time, also fans who can now experience their generation’s digital stars up close.

#AYA2019