Australia, 5th Jan 2026, -
Spotlyts Magazine announces the winners of the 2025 Spotlyts Awards, recognising storytelling that informs, inspires, and connects audiences across different formats and genres. In a time when narratives shape how we understand ourselves and the world, the 2025 winners show the role of stories in illuminating the human experience, creating reflection, and building community.
The Spotlyts Awards honour creators behind narratives across written works, visual and multimedia content, podcasts, social‑media storytelling, and other forms of digital and print media. This year’s winners include fiction and non‑fiction books, digital content, and short‑form video, demonstrating how stories impact readers, viewers, and listeners.
THE WINNERS
Here now are the winners for 2025:
Spotlyts Story Award
- Yankeeland by Lacy Fewer
- Geri o Shimasu: Adventures of a Baka Gaijin by Alia Luria
- Young Anastrina and Companions by Luminescence Goh
- Never Have I Ever by Harker Jones
- 100 Livestreaming & Digital Media Predictions, Volume 2 by Ross Brand
- Know Your Mind by Peter Massam
- Dreams and Illusions by Rebecca Olmstead
- It Was Her New York by C.O. Moed
- Mary Poser (YA Edition) by Angel A
- Daylight Saving Time: The Power of Growing Older by David W. Berner
- Apprenticed to the Night by LindaAnn LoSchiavo
- Moose Conquering Fear by Peter Massam
- Until September by Harker Jones
- The Meaning of Okay by Cortney Raymond
- Child of Secrets From Afar by Carolyn Summer Quinn
- More Future Dreams and Nightmares by Donald Firesmith
- Living on the Fringe of the Mob by Joseph P. O’Donnell (as told by E. Steven Sachs)
- Muddy the Water by Jessica Barrows Beebe and Matt Barrows
- Hatfield 1677 by Laura C. Rader
- Taking Flight: Short Stories of the Unexpected by Jacques Sardas
- My Unexpected Life by Jennifer Gasner
- Unheard by Bhavini Bhargava
- Golden by S.S. Turner
- Two Crowns, Three Blades by Robert A. Walker
- Story and Structure by Leon Conrad
- A Time to Forget in East Berlin by C.G. Fewston
- The Third Estate: Secrets of the Manor by D.R. Berlin
- The Matters of Friendship by Rona D. Drinkard
Radiance Award – Fiction Writers
- James by Percival Everett
- Circe and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
- Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Beacon Award – Non-Fiction Writers
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
- Various works by Brené Brown
- The Year of Magical Thinking and essays by Joan Didion
- Educated by Tara Westover
Brilliance Award – Photographers
- Steve McCurry
- Milan Stojanovic
Panorama Award – Magazine Storytellers
- Mimi Nguyen – article on Cafely
- Alex Smereczniak – feature on Franzy
- Paul Herskovitz – feature on Discount Lots
Weave Award – Threads/Text-Based Posts
- McNay Art Museum
- Casey Newton
Ripple Award – Facebook Storytellers
- Brandon Stanton / Humans of New York
Luminary Award – Legacy Storytellers
- Ken Burns
- Anthony Bourdain
- Hayao Miyazaki
- Johnny Cash
- Walt Disney
- Maya Angelou
Pulse Award – Twitter/X Threads
- Noah Kagan
- Matt Navarra
Vivid Award – Instagram Storytelling
- Jay Shetty
- Leah Thomas
- Humans of New York
- A Guy and a Golden
Legacy Award – Cultural Heritage Storytelling
- City Unscripted
Chime Award – Audio Storytellers
- Nora McInerny – Terrible, Thanks for Asking
- Alex Hormozi – The Game with Alex Hormozi
- Jasmine Star – Jasmine Star Show
- George the Poet – Have You Heard George’s Podcast?
- Hanah Lee – The Wild Party Podcast
Flare Award – Blogs and Online Essays
- Justin Belmont – Prose Media Blog
- Colin Potts – One More Step
- Vincent Carrié – Zaturn Agency Story
Echo Award – YouTube Creators
- Johnny Harris – video essays on culture and events
- NativLang – language and linguistics videos
Resonance Award – TikTok Creators
- Chris Olsen
The winners will be featured in a print and digital edition of Spotlyts Magazine.
For more details about this announcement, visit https://spotlyts.com/2026/01/04/announcing-the-2025-spotlyts-awards-winners-celebrating-stories-that-matter/.
ABOUT THE SPOTLYTS AWARDS
The Spotlyts Awards are an annual programme presented by Spotlyts Magazine that recognises storytelling across multiple platforms and genres. The awards highlight creators whose work informs, inspires, and connects audiences. Honourees are selected through a review process that considers written works, visual and multimedia content, podcasts, social‑media narratives, and other forms of digital and print storytelling.
To nominate or for more information about the awards, visit the Spotlyts Awards official page.
ABOUT SPOTLYTS MAGAZINE
Spotlyts Magazine is a publishing platform featuring interviews, profiles, essays, and features on cultural, creative, and societal topics. Through content and curated storytelling, Spotlyts presents developments and perspectives from contributors across industries. The magazine hosts the Spotlyts Awards as part of its mission to highlight narratives and the voices behind them.
