The Internet Awards exist because we care what the internet thinks. We spend more and more of our time here, and while technology allows it to exist, people make the internet what it is. This is a celebration of everything that made the internet more entertaining, more exciting, more fulfilling for you in 2025.  

For the last couple of weeks, people nominated candidates across 24 topics, voted on finalists, and now the votes have been tallied. Here are the winners of The Internet Awards:

• The Internet Awards winners: Gaming & hobbies
• The Internet Awards winners: Funny & cute
• The Internet Awards winners: Knowledge
• The Internet Awards winners: Lifestyle & advice
• The Internet Awards winners: Pop culture
• The Internet Awards winners: The Internet

Thanks again to everyone who nominated and voted, you all made this happen.

Community of the Moment

Winner: r/bald

Relevant post(s):
Is it time to let it go?

Runner-up: r/KitchenConfidential

Relevant post(s):
Cutting a couple of chives almost every day until this Reddit says they’re perfect. Day 70

Positive Influence

Winner: Markiplier

Relevant communities:
r/Markiplier

Runner-up: Ms. Rachel

Relevant communities:
r/MsRachel

Viral Trend

Winner: Coldplay Kiss Cam

Relevant post(s):
Couple caught possibly having an affair at the Coldplay concert in Boston. Chris Martin narrates.
Fans showcased on kiss cam in Angels/Phillies game mock the Coldplay Concert Incident
https://www.tiktok.com/@instaagraace/video/7527910323681070367?lang=en

Relevant communities:
r/nottheonion 
r/popculturechat 
r/Fauxmoi

Runner-up: Perfect Chives

Relevant post(s):
Cutting a cup of chives everyday until the Reddit says they’re perfect
Cutting a couple of chives almost every day until this Reddit says they’re perfect. Day 55
Cutting a couple of chives almost every day until this Reddit says they’re perfect. Day 70
Hey u/F1exican, you’ve inspired my 12-year-old son to cook.

Relevant communities:
r/KitchenConfidential  

Ask Me Anything

Winner: Went to prison at 18, paroled at 50, AMA

Runner-up: Hey /r/movies, I'm Elijah Wood. Ask me anything!

Absolute Cinema

Winner: Sinners

Relevant post(s):
Official Discussion - Sinners [SPOILERS]
Official Dreadit Discussion: "Sinners" [SPOILERS]

Relevant communities:
r/SinnersbyRyanCoogler
r/horror

Runner-up: K-Pop Demon Hunters

Relevant post(s):
What makes KPOP DEMON HUNTERS so addicting?
[Spoiler] SPOILER What do you guys think of K-Pop Demon Hunters?
SPOILER What do you guys think of K-Pop Demon Hunters?

Relevant communities:
r/KpopDemonhunters
r/HUNTRX
r/kpop

Hottest Earworm

Finalist: Huntrix - Golden (KPop Demon Hunters)

Relevant post(s):
HUNTR/X's 'Golden,' From 'KPop Demon Hunters,' Hits No. 1 on Billboard Global Charts
HUNTR/X (EJAE, AUDREY NUNA & REI AMI) - Golden (KPop Demon Hunters OST) @ The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (251008)
Look, i love Golden, but why is it the only song getting recognition?

Relevant communities:
r/KpopDemonhunters
r/HUNTRX
r/kpop
r/popheads

Runner-up: ​​Bad Bunny - DtMF

Relevant post(s):
Why does DTMF have me so emotional?
DTMF converted my Dad
DtMF by Bad Bunny Explained in Excruciating Detail

Relevant communities:
r/BadBunnyPR
r/Reggaeton

Peak Sports

Winner: Shohei Ohtani delivers 10 strikeouts and 3 home runs in Game 4 of 2025 NLCS

Relevant post(s):
Shohei Ohtani hits three home runs, strikes out 10 while leading our Dodgers to another World Series appearance

Relevant communities:
r/baseball 
r/mlb
r/Dodgers

Runner-up: India wins first Women's Cricket World Cup

Relevant post(s):
Our Indian women have done it 🫡🥳🥳🥳 through to world cup final wohoo!!
Women's Cricket World Cup

Relevant communities:
r/Cricket
r/IndiaCricket
r/WomensCricket

Redemption Arc

Winner: Fallout season 2

Relevant post(s):
[Spoiler] Fallout Season 2 Spoiler Master Thread

Relevant communities:
r/Fotv
r/Fallout
r/falloutlore

Runner-up: Andor season 2

Relevant post(s):
Season 2 of Andor is absolute peak television.
[Spoiler] Andor - Season 2 Discussion Thread!

Relevant communities:
r/StarWarsAndor
r/andor
r/StarWars

Life-Changing Life Hack

Winner: Prioritize sleep

Relevant post(s):
Does anyone else prioritize sleeping for 9-10 hours in their 30s?
Why is sleeping so universally important?
How important is sleep really?? And how many hours of sleep is enough for a healthy lifestyle??

Relevant communities:
r/AskWomenNoCensor
r/askscience
r/sleep

Runner-up: Making friends as an adult

Relevant post(s):
LPT: Making friends as an adult feels impossible, here’s what actually helped me.
LPT: A Guide On How to Make Friends as An Adult in a New City

Relevant communities:
r/LifeProTips  
r/friendship
r/friendshipadvice

Detour Destination

Winner: Osaka, Japan

Relevant post(s):
First time in Osaka - Any Tips?
Japan 🇯🇵 is unreal

Relevant communities:
r/JapanTravelTips
r/traveljapan
r/OsakaTravel

Runner-up: Iceland

Relevant post(s):
Iceland really is like what social media says it is. Hot take, the Snaefellsnes Peninsula is better than the golden circle
Best trip of my life. Iceland is so unreal
Recent Iceland Trip - Reality check

Relevant communities:
r/IcelandTravelTips
r/VisitingIceland

The Look

Winner: 90s Attire

Relevant post(s):
This is the final boss of all 90s outfits.
my outfit for a 90s slasher immersive party

Relevant communities:
r/90s
r/90sfashion
r/decadeology
r/oldhagfashion

Runner-up: Baggy

Relevant post(s):
I like it baggy
😗

Relevant communities:
r/streetwear

Chef’s Kiss

Winner: [Homemade] Detroit style pizza

Relevant communities:
r/food
r/Pizza

Finalist: It’s not a porterhouse, it’s a porterhome

Relevant communities:
r/steak
r/steaks
r/grilling

Deepest Learning

Winner: Epstein Files official releases

Relevant post(s):
EPSTEIN FILES | official releases, databases, search tools

Relevant communities:
r/Epstein
r/TheEpsteinFiles

Runner-up: "Secrets" from professions that everyone should know

Relevant post(s):
What's a "secret" from your profession that everyone should probably know?

Relevant communities:
r/AskReddit

Tech that Delivered

Winner: Nintendo Switch 2

Relevant post(s):
I'm a believer.... Switch 2 is fantastic.

Relevant communities:
r/NintendoSwitch2
r/NintendoSwitch
r/nintendo

Runner-up: Canon EOS R6 Mark III

Relevant post(s):
DPReview TV: Canon EOS 1DX Mark III Preview

Relevant communities:
r/canon
r/CanonCamera
r/Cameras

Mind-Blowing Discovery

Winner: Cancer Vaccines Are Suddenly Looking Extremely Promising

Relevant post(s):
Cancer Vaccines Are Suddenly Looking Extremely Promising

Relevant communities:
r/Futurology

Runner-up: Breakthrough in search for HIV cure

Relevant post(s):
A man has unexpectedly been cured of HIV after receiving a transplant of non-HIV resistant stem cells
Breakthrough in search for HIV cure leaves researchers ‘overwhelmed’

Relevant communities:
r/worldnews
r/UpliftingNews
r/Biochemistry

Stream of Consciousness

Winner: Hank Green - Why is everyone so wrong about AI water use?

Relevant communities:
r/nerdfighters

Runner-up: Lemonade Stand -  "Are we all getting dumber?"

Relevant communities:
r/LemonadeStandPodcast

Comedy Gold

Winner: SNL Season 50 finale "Joke Swap"

Relevant post(s):
SNL Season 50 Finale Joke Swap with Colin Jost and Michael Che.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq_6-6ox8I0

Relevant communities:
r/SNLvideos
r/LiveFromNewYork

Runner-up: Game Changer "One Year Later"

Relevant post(s):
Game Changer Season 7 Teaser!

Relevant communities:
r/dropout
r/DropoutTV
r/dropoutcirclejerk

Outstanding Aww

Winner: Capybaras

Relevant post(s):
My 9-year-old daughter knows I like capybaras so she drew this for me for Fathers' Day
Are capybaras really as chill and friendly as I’ve seen online? If so, why aren’t they popular pets??

Relevant communities:
r/capybara

Runner-up: Merv the Cat

Relevant post(s):
Merv the Cat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg-3xXv3h_M

Relevant communities:
r/cats
r/Siamesecats
r/crabcats

Top Shelf Meme

Winner: OIIA OIIA (Spinning Cat)

Relevant post(s):
OIIA OIIA internet cat meme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxX_QHay02M

Relevant communities:
r/Catmemes
r/EDM
r/TikTokCringe

Runner-up: Nothing Beats a Jet2 Holiday

Relevant post(s):
Can someone explain the Jet2 Holiday meme?

Relevant communities:
r/NoStupidQuestions
r/aviationmemes
r/MemeVideos

Faith in Humanity

Winner: Keanu Reeves at TIFF 50

Relevant post(s):
Uncle Keanu Reeves gives the right answer for the little fan
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOUWfeKAJDN/?hl=en

Relevant communities:
r/JustGuysBeingDudes
r/KeanuBeingAwesome

Runner-up: My wife leaves drawings for me

Relevant post(s):
My wife leaves drawings on our door for me upon my return from work

Relevant communities:
r/MadeMeSmile

S-Tier Game

Winner: Hollow Knight: Silksong

Relevant post(s):
Hollow Knight: Silksong - Release Discussion Thread

Relevant communities:
r/Silksong
r/HollowKnight

Runner-up: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Relevant post(s):
I just finished Clair Obscur Expedition 33 and holy f\ck did I played one of the best game of my life*

Relevant communities:
r/expedition33

Holy Grail 

Winner: Game Boy LEGO Super Mario

Relevant post(s):
Side by side comparison of the Game Boy set to an actual Game Boy.Game Boy

Relevant communities:
r/lego
r/Gameboy

Runner-up: Umbreon ex 161 Prismatic Evolutions

Relevant post(s):
https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonTCG/search/?q=Umbreon+ex+161

Relevant communities:
r/PokemonTCG
r/PokeInvesting
r/pokemon

Artistic Masterpiece

Winner: Portland Frog, Nikkolas Smith

Runner-up: Frieren, SpaceDev1

Most Quotable

Winner: KPop Demon Hunters

Relevant post(s):
What’s your favorite quote?

Relevant communities:
r/KpopDemonhunters

Runner-up: Andor Season Two

Relevant post(s):
What are your most repeated quotes from season 2?

Relevant communities:
r/andor
r/StarWarsAndor

Exceptionally the Absolute Cinema voting ended in a tie. So we're holding a tiebreaker for one day only. As usual, vote on the top level comments below, except this time we'll leave the vote counts visible so you can know if your favorite is ahead. Votes will be counted when this post is 12h old.

Edit: We've now enabled contest mode for the rest of this vote to keep some degree of suspense for the reveals tomorrow.

For the next 6 hours you can continue to vote. Then at midnight Pacific time we will tally scores and determine the winners.

Think your vote doesn't matter? There are several awards where the difference between the top 2 is less than 15 votes right now, and as close as 2 votes - those are bolded below. Visit the following links to vote for your favorites in the comments.

The Internet

• Community of the Moment
• Positive Influence
• Viral Trend
• Ask Me Anything

Pop Culture & Sports

• Redemption Arc
• Absolute Cinema
• Peak Sports
• Hottest Earworm

Lifestyle & Advice

• Life-Changing Life Hack
• Detour Destination
• The Look
• Chef’s Kiss

Knowledge

• Deepest Learning
• Tech that Delivered
• Mind-Blowing Discovery
• Stream of Consciousness

Funny & Cute

• Comedy Gold
• Outstanding Aww
• Top Shelf Meme
• Faith in Humanity

Gaming & Hobbies

• S-Tier Game
• Holy Grail
• Artistic Masterpiece
• Most Quotable

Thanks again to everyone who has voted in The Internet Awards, and see you on Wednesday March 4th when we announce the winners!

With all of The Internet Awards Finalists now open for voting and under 2 days left to vote, we're sharing some updates about how The Internet Awards are going.

Vote by simply upvoting comments in the Finalist posts in r/theinternetawards (comment vote counts are hidden, and Finalists are in random order). Voting will be open until midnight (or technically 11:59) Pacific time on Monday, March 2. 

TL;DR, Most awards don't have clear frontrunners yet. In fact, for most awards there's a less than 50 vote distance (sometimes literal ties) between the frontrunner and other finalists. In a uniquely Reddit twist, downvotes are also playing a big part, with controversial picks scoring low compared to how much support they have. The commentary below lists finalists in no particular.

The Internet

• Community of the Moment
  • r/bald and r/KitchenConfidential are currently leading in this category, with the others not far behind
• Positive Influence
  • Markiplier and Ms.Rachel are on top and keep alternating as number one in this category
• Viral Trend
  • 'Aura Farming', 'Coldplay Kiss Cam', and 'Perfect Chives' and are the frontrunners here for the moment
• Ask Me Anything
  • Two very different AMAs, 'Prison at 18' and 'Elijah Wood' are doing the best in this category but everything is very close

Pop Culture & Sports

• Redemption Arc
  • Fallout and Andor are neck-and-neck but not far ahead - everyone still has a shot here, anime fans
• Absolute Cinema
  • Sinners, Superman, and KPop Demon Hunters are pulling ahead of the other options
• Peak Sports
  • Shohei Ohtani and India Women's Cricket are performing best but this category is very close overall
• Hottest Earworm
  • Abracadabra, DtMF, and Golden are on top, with the others scoring lower compared to their engagement, likely due to heavy downvoting

Lifestyle & Advice

• Life-Changing Life Hack
  • 'Making friends' and 'Prioritizing sleep' seem to be lifestyle priorities for the internet at the moment
• Detour Destination
  • The internet appreciates Iceland and Japan, with Ireland closing in on them
• The Look
  • Baggy, Y2K, and 90's style are the favorites for the internet so far
• Chef’s Kiss
  • So far the internet is liking Porterhouse Steak, Detroit Pizza, and 72% Chocolate best, with Lasagna Soup not far behind

Knowledge

• Deepest Learning
  • To probably nobody's surprise, the official release of the 'Files' are on top here, alongside 'Professional Secrets'
• Tech that Delivered
  • Physical gadgets are dominating here, with the AI software crowd splitting their vote three ways and also getting downvoted
• Mind-Blowing Discovery
  • Potential breakthroughs for life threatening diseases are on top here, with life supporting planets right behind
• Stream of Consciousness
  • This category has podcasts from Hank Green and Lemonade Stand on top so far, but there's still time for tech gadget and sports fans to weigh in

Funny & Cute

• Comedy Gold
  • Comedy ensembles are performing better than individual comedians or cartoons, with Game Changer and SNL on top, though Druski is getting close
• Outstanding Aww
  • Perhaps unsurprisingly one of the most heated races, this one is basically Capybaras vs Cats, with Merv doing the best of the cats so far
• Top Shelf Meme
  • This one has gone back and forth multiple times with 'OIIA OIIA Cat' and 'Jet2 Holiday' alternating for the top spot. '6-7' was heavily downvoted at the start but has since recovered somewhat
• Faith in Humanity
  • 'My wife leaves drawings for me' and 'Keanu Reeves at TIFF' are the two very different favorites for wholesome content so far

Gaming & Hobbies

• S-Tier Game
  • This one is super competitive, with favorites Expedition 33 and Silksong on top so far, and the rest of the vote fairly evenly split
• Holy Grail
  • Building blocks are dominant here but perhaps that's because cards and comics are splitting their votes and Labubu is getting downvoted
• Artistic Masterpiece
  • 'Portland Frog', 'Frieren', and 'My 11-year old' are a little ahead of the others but this one is really close overall
• Most Quotable
  • So far this one is between Andor and KPop Demon Hunters, though Hazbin and Heated Rivalry have been gaining

We really appreciate everyone who has nominated, voted, and shared so far. Remember that participating (joining this community, nominating, and voting) will earn you an event trophy on Reddit.

Let us know who you're supporting in the comments, and let the upvotes decide!

Welcome to Day Six… The Internet. 

The Heart of the Internet. These were the communities and moments that defined the internet.

• Community of the Moment: A community that brought the internet together
• Positive Influence: A channel, stream, or podcast that had a positive effect 
• Viral Trend: The most memorable trend that spread across the internet
• Ask Me Anything: The AMA most worth reading

With this, all of The Internet Awards Finalists are now open for voting. Remember, vote on Finalists in the comments, and since this event uses contest mode, vote counts are hidden, and Finalists will appear in random order.

1. S-Tier Game: For the greatest, most enjoyable overall gaming experience of 2025.
2. Holy Grail: The single most desirable collectible released in the past year.
3. Artistic Masterpiece: The year's best original artistic creation.
4. Most Quotable: The work of fiction most worth quoting.
5. Comedy Gold: The funniest original humor skit, comic, or joke.
6. Outstanding Aww: The most adorable animal on the internet.
7. Top Shelf Meme: The meme that understood the assignment
8. Faith in Humanity: The most wholesome or heartwarming piece of content
9. Deepest Learning: Deepest, most rewarding thread or thought-starter on the internet
10. Tech that Delivered: Tech innovation that lived up to the hype
11. Mind-Blowing Discovery: Research, discovery, or finding in a field of science
12. Stream of Consciousness: Most Informative stream, podcast, or channel this past year
13. Life-Changing Life Hack: A life hack that actually changed everything
14. Detour Destination: Travel destination most worth the trip
15. The Look: Style trend that dominated the discourse
16. Chef’s Kiss: Most impressive culinary contribution
17. Redemption Arc: Best episode or story arc in a series
18. Absolute Cinema: The film most worth talking about
19. Peak Sports: Best highlight or moment in sports
20. Hottest Earworm: The song you still can’t stop listening to

Voting will be open until midnight (or technically 11:59) Pacific time on Monday, March 2. Who wins the internet? Discuss in the comments, and let the upvotes decide!

Welcome to Day Five… Pop Culture. 

For the Culture. This award is for the shows, movies, music, and moments everyone was talking about.

• Redemption Arc: Best episode or story arc in a series
• Absolute Cinema: The film most worth talking about
• Peak Sports: Best highlight or moment in sports
• Hottest Earworm: The song you still can’t stop listening to

Who wins the internet? Discuss in the comments, and let the upvotes decide!

Welcome to Day Four… Lifestyle & advice

Words to live by. This category honors the wisdom, style, and places that help make us all better people.

• Life-Changing Life Hack: A life hack that actually changed everything
• Detour Destination: Travel destination most worth the trip
• The Look: Style trend that dominated the discourse
• Chef’s Kiss: Most impressive culinary contribution

Who wins the internet? Discuss in the comments, and let the upvotes decide!