1 Billion Followers Summit unveils fifth edition updates, extended agenda and global partnerships

Dubai: The 1 Billion Followers Summit, the world's largest event dedicated to shaping the creator economy, organised by the UAE Government Media Office, has finalised and announced the agenda of its fifth edition.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Summit will take place from 8th to 10th January 2027 across the Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and the Museum of the Future in Dubai, under the theme ‘Content for Good’.

The Summit held a press conference today following the conclusion of preparatory meetings for its upcoming fifth edition. Hosted by Creators HQ at the Emirates Towers and in the presence of Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, the press conference announced updates to the fifth edition of the Summit with its extended agenda and growing global partnerships to establish the UAEas a hub for the content economy.

Updates included the world’s largest AI Film Award, valued at $1 million, in partnership with BytePlus, the enterprise technology services arm of ByteDance.

This marks the second edition of the AI Film Award, which launched its inaugural edition during the Summit’s fourth edition. This year, TikTok is partnering with the 1 Billion Followers Summit on this initiative to further expand the campaign's reach to audiences around the world.

For the first time, the 1 Billion Followers Summit will feature the Instagram Creators Day, a day-long event curated and led by Instagram that brings together top creators, industry leaders and the Instagram team. The Summit also announced the second edition of Creators Market, showcasing 100 creator-led SMEs.

The press conference unveiled an impressive speaker lineup marking the largest participation in the Summit’s history, featuring over 400 speakers with a combined following exceeding 4 billion people, which further reinforces the UAE’s standing as a global hub of the creator economy.

High-level discussions and dialogues

The preparatory meetings for the fifth edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit featured high-level discussions and dialogues that brought together CEOs from major global social media platforms and digital media companies, experts in the creator economy and new media, top international content creators, alongside entrepreneurs and representatives from digital startups.

Participants explored strategies to bolster the Summit’s media presence, sharing insights on keeping pace with global trends to elevate impactful content creation, while helping new creators scale their ventures while amplifying their reach and impact.

Attendees also examined the latest storytelling techniques, ways to combat misinformation and how to leverage rapid advancements in AI to enhance creative output. Additionally, discussions highlighted intellectual property tools, emerging tech trends and key shifts within the creator economy.

The meetings involved in-depth discussions on the evolution, future and monetisation of the content industry amid its growing presence in the broader media landscape. Participants emphasised the importance of fostering sustainable collaborations between creators and creative enterprises that align with the standards and trends of social media platforms.

Saeed Al Eter, Chairman of the UAE Government Media Office and CEO of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, reaffirmed that the UAE believes its role extends beyond merely keeping pace with the transformations across the creator economy, to convening those who make it happen under one roof: content creators, platforms, companies and investors. This was the inspiration behind the 1 Billion Followers Summit, which acts as a space for partnerships, ideas and opportunities that shape the future of this industry. He noted that the Summit’s global partnerships are an extension of the UAE leadership's commitment more than 30 years ago to invest in the media and its associated industries.

He stated, "Content creators possess the power to shape public awareness, set priorities, transform mindsets and influence the behaviour of millions. With such immense power comes immense responsibility that is our duty toward our societies and nations, as well as our responsibility to share genuine knowledge, bring nations together and spread love and humanity.”

Al Eter added that content has evolved into an industry that creates opportunities for the youth, opens new markets for businesses, and shapes the way the world communicates, learns and trades. He stressed that the UAE has systematically established itself as a global destination for content creators, transforming the sector from individual activity into an integrated economy that attracts international capital and talent.

Al Eter pointed out how the 1 Billion Followers Summit is part of a comprehensive vision to spearhead the digital content sector. As part of these efforts, the UAE launched a AED 150 million Content Creators Support Fund, established Creators HQ, which has drawn 5,000 registered members from 130 countries, with a combined audience of over 5 billion followers, and announced the AED 50 million Creators Ventures Accelerator. The number of licensed content creators in the UAE currently has reached 15,000 from more than 90 nationalities.

He stated that the Summit’s fifth edition is set to see its largest participation to date, featuring over 400 speakers with a combined audience of more than 4 billion followers, four times that of the inaugural edition, further reinforcing the UAE’s standing as a global hub for the creator economy.

Highlighting the key initiatives planned for the new edition, Eter noted that the Summit will launch the second edition of the world’s largest AI Film Award, valued at $1 million. The Summit will also feature the second edition of the Creators Market, which hosts 100 creator-led SMEs, alongside the launch of the #1MillionStories competition in collaboration with TikTok, offering a $100,000 prize.

He noted that the Summit will host leading global platforms across interactive pavilions, specialised workshops and sessions, adding that the Summit’s agenda will focus on the next wave of AI adoption in content creation, expanding its role to encompass full business management for creators. This includes media campaign management, content distribution, translation and localization for regional markets, brand partnership sourcing, campaign negotiation, audience analytics, intellectual property and rights management, commercial opportunity discovery and sales and ROI tracking.

Alia Al Hammadi, Vice Chairperson of the UAE Government Media Office and Deputy CEO of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, said: "With its extended agenda, the fifth edition reflects the 1 Billion Followers Summit’s commitment to empowering creators across tools, investment and reach. It underscores our focus on keeping pace with technological transformations while delivering real opportunities for impactful content that elevates the economic and creative value of digital media.”

Al Hammadi added: "The Summit’s growing partnerships with major digital platforms and global tech companies highlights international confidence in the UAE’s standing as a global hub for the creator economy, and the belief in its mission. These active partnerships also testify to the supportive ecosystem fostered by the UAE under the vision of its leadership with the aim of driving the sector’s growth and forging new paths for the next generation of creative entrepreneurs.”

The 1 Billion Followers Summit announced details of the second edition of the $1 million AI Film Award, the world’s largest award of its kind, in partnership with BytePlus.

BytePlus provides API access to Dreamina Seedance, ByteDance’s video-generation AI model, which brings advanced, multimodal video creation capabilities into creative workflows.

The award outlined seven themes for eligible film submissions:

Science & Discovery: Bringing a major scientific breakthrough or discovery to life;

Civilisations & Empires: Telling a human story from a major civilisation, kingdom empire or defining era;

Culture & Traditions: Exploring the story behind a tradition, celebration, food, art form, ritual or cultural practice;

Inventions & Human Ingenuity: Telling the struggle behind an invention, solution or idea that changed daily life;

Exploration & Adventure: Recreating a journey, expedition or encounter that changed how people understood the world;

Turning Points in History: Focusing on one decision, event or moment that changed the course of what followed;

Lost & Forgotten Stories: Bringing back people, places, achievements or ideas that deserve to be rediscovered.

The $100,000 #1MillionStories Award

The fifth edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit will host the #1MillionStories competition in partnership with TikTok, the global discovery platform for videos, live streaming, and more.

This global TikTok competition invites people around the world to share the one piece of content - a film orTV series - that changed their life forever and tell the story of why it mattered through a creative TikTok video.

Participants will share their stories on TikTok, with entries judged based on creativity, impact, storytelling and reach. The winner will receive a cash prize of $100,000 offered by 1 Billion Followers Summit.

TikTok LIVE will bring the creativity and energy of its global community to the 1 Billion Followers Summit through a dedicated LIVE booth designed to bring creators and audiences closer together. Across the Summit, audiences will also experience LIVE performances from global music and entertainment creators, the launch of the TikTok LIVE Academy in partnership with Creators HQ, and livestreams of the closing ceremony and select sessions. Together, these experiences will demonstrate how TikTok LIVE helps creators express themselves, grow professionally, build engaged communities and connect with audiences around the world.

The upcoming edition will also host the Creators Brand Village organised in partnership with Alfan. It is a dedicated space designed for creators to connect with brands and earn money during the 1 Billion Followers Summit.

The next edition of the Summit will host the Instagram Creators Day for the first time. The day-long event, curated by Instagram, will feature conversations and creator-led sessions that bring together top creators, industry leaders and the Instagram team to explore the key trends and shifts shaping the next generation of creators, standout content, building communities and sustainable businesses, as well as amplifying cultural impact.

For the second year, the 1 Billion Followers Summit will dedicate a pavilion for creator-led SMEs. The Creators Market offers startups within the content economy a unique platform to showcase their ideas and offering, and the opportunity to make deals or receive support to establish their brands in the UAE. The Creators Market will feature 100 SMEs.

The press conference announced the Summit’s strategic partners, including major social media platforms and digital companies. The list features TikTok, X, YouTube, Instagram, Meta and Snapchat.
Major platforms like Instagram, Meta, TikTok, bilibili, OpenAI, LinkedIn, Google, X and YouTube will have their dedicated spaces, where they host dialogues, discussion panels and interactive workshops that connect creators with industry experts.

The Summit also announced its strategic sponsors, including Emirates, e&, Dubai Digital Chamber, PUBLICIS GROUP Middle East, DIFC, Museum of the Future, Talabat, Saudi German Hospital, Global Southing, Dubai Silicon Oasis and RTA.

Building on the success of its past four editions, the fifth 1 Billion Followers Summit continues its momentum as the world’s largest gathering for content creators. Its record-breaking fourth edition hosted over 580 sessions and 500 global speakers, and focused on two core pillars: transforming content creators into agents of positive impact, and harnessing AI to expand creative possibilities.

To drive purposeful content, the Summit launched major global initiatives, including strategic partnerships with YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, X and Meta, as well as the Educator Award in collaboration with TikTok, which generated 320,000 video submissions and 1.8 billion views.

Additionally, the Summit teamed up with MrBeast for the 1 Billion Acts of Kindness campaign, which inspired over 170,000 community actions and 100 million views within three weeks. The campaign selected 20 global creators to join a humanitarian project with support from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives and the Varkey Foundation.

On the technological front, the Summit explored cutting-edge AI applications and hosted the $1 million AI Film Award in partnership with Google Gemini. Drawing over 30,000 entries from 116 countries, the competition saw director Zoubeir Jlassi claim top honours for his winning film "Lily”.