Meet The First Winning Class Of VidCon’s ‘Emerging Creator Grant Program’

In June, during his keynote address to conclude the ninth annual VidCon, event co-founder Hank Green unveiled the Emerging Creator Grant Program, whereby the Viacom-owned convention pledged to distribute $2,000 to emerging creators weekly over the course of one year.

And now, VidCon has announced the first class of recipients of the nationwide program, which has just gone live. The 13 initial recipients were hand-selected by Green in collaboration with the VidCon production team, and the lineup features both familiar faces and nascent YouTube creators who are relatively new to the scene. For instance, longtime YouTube viewers might recognize vets like comedy creator Nicola Foti and African American vlogger Jouelzy — who are being recognized alongside promising newcomers like fitness vlogger Andrew Smith and fan artist Kately McCaigue.

VidCon will hand out 52 grants over the course of the next year for a grand total of $104,000. Winners can spend the money in any way that they see fit — be it on equipment or to take time off work — and will also receive a ticket to a VidCon event of their choosing.

In order to apply for a grant, aspiring creators can visit www.vidconcreatorgrant.com. To be eligible, creators must have uploaded at least two videos per month consistently for six months prior to applying, and garner less than 150,000 views on a regular basis.

Check out the first class of recipients below:

1. Audrey Huyghe Atlanta, GA

2. Hallease Narvaez San Antonio, TX (pictured above)

3. Lauren Fairweather Providence, RI

4. Mitchell Coomber Bakersfield, CA

5. La’Ron Readus Detroit, MI

6. Andrew Smith Seattle, WA

7. Nicola Foti Los Angeles, CA

8. Katelyn Blodgett Chandler, AZ

9. Taylor Behnke Brooklyn, NY

10. Ming Cai Longmont, CO

11. Zoe Hong Oakland, CA

12. Wahima Lino Los Angeles, CA

13. Jouelzy Baker Dallas, TX