The United Arab Emirates’ 1 Billion Followers Summit returns for its fourth year Jan. 9-11, 2026, and expects to welcome thousands of content creators, entrepreneurs, and industry experts to the Emirates Towers, Museum of the Future, and International Financial Centre in Dubai.
Last year’s summit brought over 30,000 attendees, including 15,000 creators and 420 speakers. Along with offering dozens of panels and workshops, it handed out a $1 million prize to British creator Simon Squibb, founder of free entrepreneur resource guide/networking pool HelpBnk, and divvied up $13.6 million among participants in a Shark Tank-esque competition called “1 Billion Pitches,” where startups went before a panel of investors and talked up their ideas in STEM, tech, and more. Winners there included “trainable pathology” program Halo AI and South Korean media company Eugenius.
The UAE Government Media Office, which organizes 1 Billion Followers Summit in an effort to advertise its region as “a global hub for positive content creation and growth in the digital economy,” wants to make the 2026 event even bigger.
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Repeating 2025’s theme of “Content for Good,” the upcoming 1BFS has partnered with digital platforms including Google/YouTube, TikTok, Meta/Instagram, X, and Snapchat. It hasn’t yet announced speakers for 2026, but last year’s headlining speakers included Tucker Carlson, Zach King, Jay Shetty, Airrack, Supercar Blondie, and Elon Musk‘s mother Maye Musk.
It’s also brought in five ambassadors to help guide the summit’s direction (descriptions provided by 1BFS):
- Simon Squibb is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and one of the most-followed business creators online. Having founded and invested in over 100 companies, Simon now dedicates his time to helping people start businesses for free. Through his content, he shares advice, mentorship, and opportunities to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. He is also the founder of HelpBnk, a platform built to support aspiring founders and democratize access to entrepreneurship.
- Alexandra Mary Hirschi, the Australian content creator known as “Supercar Blondie” – the nickname of the Australia-born media personality based in the UAE where she began her journey and built a global presence of over 100 million followers across platforms. Her story embodies the UAE’s ability to serve as a launchpad for digital talents reaching the world. It is a story of transformation from a simple journalist into a content empire managing a global team
- Khalid Al Ameri is a content creator, writer, and speaker from the UAE, known for his heartfelt videos on culture, relationships, and social issues in the Arab world. Through his relatable storytelling and cross-cultural content, he has built a strong online presence and inspired millions globally.
- Omar Farooq, Bahraini content creator, widely recognized across the Arab world for his video series “Omar Tries”, which explores cultural and humanitarian experiences. His YouTube channel has garnered over 1.2 billion views and more than 6.7 million subscribers.
- Ammar Kandil, the co-founder of Yes Theory, a movement and media company built around seeking discomfort and living life outside of one’s comfort zone. Through powerful storytelling, global adventures, and community-building, Ammar and his team have inspired millions to embrace curiosity, courage, and meaningful human connection. He continues to push boundaries by leading creative projects that unite diverse communities around the world.
This year’s $1 million prize will go out to the winner of a contest for the best short film made using generative AI. The contest, a collaboration with Google Gemini, “aims to support and encourage the production of purposeful films using diverse AI tools, raise awareness of the humanitarian messages such films should convey, and enhance creative capabilities, aesthetic vision, and advanced skills in integrating AI into film production,” organizers said.
More details about the contest will be released in September, but for now, organizers said the top 10 films (judged on “storytelling, creativity, integration of AI, execution, and alignment with the theme in delivering a humanitarian message”) will be showcased at 1BFS, and the winning film will walk away with $1 million.
More details about the rest of 1BFS 2026–programming and speakers, creator business development offerings, and other interactive opportunities–will be released in coming months as well.
Tickets to the summit are currently on Super Early Bird sale, with three-day general passes starting at $40.50 USD per person. Three-day creator tickets (with access to workshops, networking sessions, and the Creators Lounge) start at $121.50. And finally, three-day VIP tickets (access to more workshops, masterclasses, exclusive off-site experiences, concierge service, pre-delivered badges, and valet parking) are $1,215.
You can buy tickets here.
1 Billion Followers Summit is a Tubefilter partner.
