19. March 2025

TikTok Creator of the Year Max Klymenko: 'The content you scroll casually takes hours to craft'

Max Klymenko claimed the prestigious title of Creator of the Year at the second annual TikTok Awards, where winners included a transport enthusiast, a beauty advocate, and a mother sharing insights on raising an autistic child.

Hosted by TV presenter AJ Odudu at Magazine London, the awards recognized talent across 12 categories such as fashion, travel, food, and education. Klymenko, best known for his globally popular career ladder series—touted as the most-watched non-animated show on the platform—stood out among the nominees.

For those unfamiliar with his content, Klymenko sets up a stepladder in public spaces and invites passersby to climb on, then attempts to guess their occupation through a series of yes-or-no questions. Originally from Ukraine, he moved to the UK 14 years ago and revealed that his struggle to find a job inspired him to create content.

“I was overwhelmed with anxiety and stress about employment, so I started making videos to help others discover available job opportunities,” explained Klymenko, who has 8.5 million TikTok followers. Holding his gold ladder trophy, he dedicated the award to his grandmother in Ukraine, “who has no electricity to watch my journey.”

“I’ll call her right after this,” he added, sharing that she used to log in from multiple TikTok accounts early in his career to make his view counts appear higher. The 29-year-old, who received the award from last year’s winner Kyra-Mae Turner, emphasized the effort behind his viral content: “Everything you scroll through casually on the toilet or in bed actually takes hours of work to produce.”

The nominees boasted a combined following of over 83 million, with five million TikTok users voting for the winners. Video of the Year went to Bemi Orojuogun, also known as Bus Aunty, whose silent, smiling clips of passing double-deckers narrowly missing her have turned her love for London’s transport network into a viral celebration of city life.

Her winning video has amassed nearly 50 million views, leading to collaborations with Burberry and Ikea. The 56-year-old mental health nurse admitted, “It’s a bit overwhelming to be recognized everywhere, but I’m proud of what I’ve achieved.” She thanked Transport for London and Stormzy, whose repost of one of her videos catapulted her to fame.

Fashion and Beauty Creator of the Year went to Nikki Lilly, who has 10 million followers. The 21-year-old stressed that her content goes beyond surface-level beauty, sharing her experiences with surgeries, a chronic illness, and a facial difference.

“I don’t want my social media to be just a highlights reel,” she told the BBC. Diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation—a rare life-threatening condition—at age six, Lilly has used her platform to raise awareness and inspire others. “As someone with a facial difference, I never felt fully accepted in this space, but now I’ve found so much safety in the TikTok beauty community,” she said while accepting the award.

Tola and Kevin, a mother-son duo, won the Voice for Change award for their candid videos about raising a young adult with autism. Through their content, they aim to increase awareness and promote acceptance. In tears, Tola explained she started the account 16 years ago after feeling isolated following her son’s diagnosis.

“I’ve built an amazing community that loves and supports Kevin, and it’s helped both of us tremendously,” she said. Radio 1 presenter Charley Marlowe took home Entertainment Creator of the Year, celebrated for her celebrity interviews and iconic cackle. “Win or lose, we’re here to have fun—I’m already having a great night,” she joked on the red carpet, later dedicating the award to “every northern, working-class diva.”

Travel Creator of the Year went to Phil Carr, whose videos explore UK towns (and occasional international spots) by highlighting their best and worst qualities, plus counting local Aldi, Iceland, and Wetherspoons branches. The 1.1 million-follower creator promised his fans a series of forfeits, including nights out in Luton, Clacton, and a 16-hour stint at Gainsborough’s Sweyn Forkbeard pub—dubbed his “toughest TikTok challenge yet.”

Full list of winners:

Creator of the Year: Max Klymenko
Entertainment Creator of the Year: Charley Marlowe
Food Creator of the Year: Kieran Monlouis
Sport Creator of the Year: Lissie Mackintosh
Fashion and Beauty Creator of the Year: Nikki Lilly
Travel Creator of the Year: Phil Carr
Books & Learning Creator of the Year: Gabriel Astorga
Voice for Change Creator of the Year: Tola and Kevin
Storyteller of the Year: Morgan M James
Rising Star Creator of the Year: Joy Anokwuru
Video of the Year: Bemi Orojuogun
Artist of the Year: Olivia Dean

‘I just love yapping’: Spud sellers, posh-girl comedy and bus-loving gran among TikTok award nominees

‘Roll your eyes if you want, I’m a star’: TikTok to hold first awards show

‘Pickling a cucumber changed my life’ says TikTok award winner

Police bullied me into admitting murder, says man wrongly jailed for 38 years

UK inflation rate falls for first time since March to 3.6%

‘Scotland cash in almost 30 years of glorious failure as dreams come true’

‘It would have been better if they’d killed me’: A forgotten war destroying women’s lives

On the front line of Europe’s standoff with Russia’s sanction-busting shadow fleet

MP’s aide reported suspected China LinkedIn approach

First kiss dates back 21 million years, say scientists

Epstein saga reveals Republican rifts - and the power of Trump’s base

MI5’s ‘Chinese spies’ alert and Trump defends MBS

‘I worked, I paid taxes - then the bank took my home’

Baby Shark: How a 90-second clip created a $400m business

Tech Decoded newsletter: Follow the world’s top tech stories and trends - sign up

Police bullied me into admitting murder, says man wrongly jailed for 38 years

‘I worked, I paid taxes - then the bank took my home’

Our son’s about to turn three - finding new childcare has left us at our wits’ end

MI5’s ‘Chinese spies’ alert and Trump defends MBS

Hotel adverts banned over misleadingly cheap rooms

Release of Epstein files awaits Trump’s signoff after clearing Congress

Is this what spying by China can look like?

‘Scotland cash in almost 30 years of glorious failure as dreams come true’

Tech giant seeking $1.7bn from Mike Lynch’s estate after yacht death

Epstein saga reveals Republican rifts - and the power of Trump’s base

Watch Nicôle Lecky’s provocative new drama

Which celebrity will stand the heat in the kitchen?

Antiques experts search for their latest treasures

Jools Holland celebrates Walking to New Orleans