The Shorty Awards: Oscars of Social Media

Welcome to The Shorty Awards annual show- honoring major brands to YouTube stars for their innovation in social media.The show, better known as Oscars of Social media, in its 8th year, garnished 3.4 million fan votes for various categories, a large increase to its two million total votes the year before.

The award night in New York City brought together everyone from a famous plastic surgeon in Miami who documents his patients surgeries to record producer to DJ Khaled.

Big winners of the night included DJ Khaled, Misty Copeland, Casey Neistat, Dwayne Johnson, Hannah Hart, Troye Sivan, Baddie Winkle and Kevin Hart.

"Snapchatter of the Year” nominations included one Danny Berk, a young surfer from San Diego, alongside names like DJ Khaled and Kylie Jenner.Berk, a semi professional athlete, started recording his adventures, built a following and that's when brands begin to reach out to him. In his Snapchat account, he does everything from documenting surfing to interviewing random bypassers on the street. Recently, Cinnabon commissioned him to take over its Snapchat account for their 30th anniversary.

"A lot of brands have Snapchat accounts, but they don't know how to use it and that's why they bring influencers like us," Berk who lost to DJ Khaled told CNBC.

"If you're trying to reach a younger generation, that's what everyone's on," he said of Snapchat. "I can't believe where I am today and that I'm making money off this app. It's like a dream come true."

Roman Atwood, won the award for YouTube comedian. He turned his more than 1 billion YouTube views into his own commerce store where he sells everything from shirts to beanies and pens. "Having a fanbase gives you massive upper hand, right away," he said. "No matter what you have to sell, you already have an audience that may be willing to purchase."

For Atwood it is important to be in the right place at the right time. "There's so many content creators now in the space. I don't think it's too late to get in, but I would hate to be starting right now. It's a different world," he said.

Victoria Bachan, Manor and CompanyPartner, equates getting nominated for a Shorty Award to that of a Golden Globe or Oscar for digital media. "It gives influencers confirmation that they're the upper echelon of the internet," she said. "It can also entice Fortune 500 companies to notice you and give you legitimacy in digital media."

Bachan represents clients like the famous dog, "Doug the Pug," which now has a calendar and book as well as video blogger, Ari Fitz, who provides fashion advice for tomboys.

"If I can go to brands and say,'my client is nominated for a Shorty Award,' it shows they're a proven personality on the internet who has fan engagement and that's what advertisers want."

Harris Markowitz, who was also nominated for "Snapchatter of the Year" told CNBC he was reached out to by multiple companies following the nomination, who were seeking influencers to contribute and run their Snapchat accounts.

Several weeks after his Shorty nomination, he signed a deal with Zillow to help launch its account, where he now contributes and produces various stories promoting its brand.

Here is the list of all the major winner:

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

BEST ACTOR

Dwayne Johnson

BEST ACTRESS

Taraji P. Henson

BEST CELEBRITY

Jimmy Fallon

BEST COMEDIAN

Kevin Hart

BEST IN DANCE

Misty Copeland

BEST MUSICIAN

Adele

BEST SINGER

Troye Sivan

BEST TV SHOW

The Late Late Show with James Corden

TEAM INTERNET

BEST VINE ARTIST

Zach King

BEST VINE COMEDIAN

MeechOnMars

Mikaela Long

BEST VINE MUSICIAN

Us The Duo

BEST WEB SERIES

Good Mythical Morning

BEST YOUTUBE COMEDIAN

Roman Atwood

BEST YOUTUBE ENSEMBLE

PrankvsPrank

BEST YOUTUBE GURU

Sprinkle of Glitter

BEST YOUTUBE MUSICIAN

Lindsey Stirling

SNAPCHATTER OF THE YEAR

DJ Khaled

VINER OF THE YEAR

King Bach

YOUTUBER OF THE YEAR

Casey Neistat

CREATIVE & DESIGN

BEST IN ART

MatijaErceg

BEST BLOGGER

Momma’s Gone City

BEST IN DIY

ThreadBanger

BEST IN FASHION

Christian Siriano

INSTAGRAMMER OF THE YEAR

Baddie Winkle

NEWS & MEDIA

BEST ANIMAL

JiffPom

BEST AUTHOR

J.K. Rowling

Sarah Dessen

BEST IN FOOD

Hannah Hart

BEST IN HEALTHY LIVING

Jessamyn Stanley

BEST JOURNALIST

Katie Couric

BEST IN PARENTING

SACCONEJOLYs

BEST PARODY ACCOUNT

EmoKyloRen

BEST IN SPORTS

Stephen Curry

TECH & INNOVATION

BEST IN ACTIVISM

Janet Mock

BEST IN EDUCATION

Khan Academy

BEST IN GAMING

Rooster Teeth’s Let’s Play

BEST PODCAST

Ear Biscuits

BEST IN SCIENCE

I Fucking Love Science

BEST IN WEIRD

Bill Wurtz

PERISCOPER OF THE YEAR

Season & Snare

YOUNOWER OF THE YEAR

Merrell Twins

CONTENT

GIF OF THE YEAR

Pizza Rat

INSTAGRAM PHOTO OF THE YEAR

Peace for Paris

TUMBLR BLOG OF THE YEAR

Photoshop Your Dreams

VINE OF THE YEAR

Why the fuck you lyin’