The Ruby Play Button is the YouTube Creator Award given at 50 million subscribers. It is also called the Custom Creator Award or Custom Play Button because each plaque is designed uniquely for its recipient rather than following a fixed template like the Silver, Gold, and Diamond tiers.
Ruby / Custom Play Button Specs
- Threshold: 50,000,000 subscribers
- Design: Custom — varies per recipient. Often (but not always) features ruby-colored accents
- Material: Custom materials, typically a metal base with bespoke finishes
- Size: Larger than the Diamond Play Button, with designs that often incorporate the creator's brand
- Included: Personalized certificate from YouTube leadership
- Cost to creator: Free, including shipping
Why It Is Officially the "Custom Creator Award"
"Ruby Play Button" is the popular nickname, but YouTube formally brands the 50M tier as the Custom Creator Award. The name reflects the actual practice: each plaque is designed in collaboration with the creator. The first famous example, PewDiePie's award, featured a striking ruby-colored play symbol that set the visual expectation for the tier — which is why the nickname stuck even though later recipients have received very different designs.
MrBeast's Custom Creator Award is one of the most distinct examples. His plaque was chocolate-themed, with elements that referenced his Feastables snack brand. Other 50M+ creators have received designs that lean into their brand colors, signature props, or visual identity. Because of this variability, there is no single "what does the Ruby look like" answer.
Who Qualifies
Crossing 50 million subscribers is the headline requirement, but eligibility at this scale comes with extensive review. YouTube wants the channel to be in good standing, with no severe copyright or community guidelines issues, no signs of artificial growth, and content that demonstrably built the audience legitimately. Because the design process involves YouTube's creative team and a custom production run, fulfillment timelines are measured in months, not weeks.
How Many Channels Qualify
YouTube does not publish a list, but external subscriber trackers show roughly 100 channels worldwide have crossed the 50 million subscriber threshold as of 2026, and the number grows by a handful of channels per year. Not every qualifying channel has actually received a custom plaque — YouTube confirmed in 2020 that the Custom Creator Award is no longer offered as a standard tier and is instead granted at YouTube's discretion. The count of plaques actually shipped is therefore much lower than the count of channels above 50M, with only around 10 confirmed Ruby/Custom recipients.
What Makes the 50M Tier Different
- Custom design process: The creator collaborates with YouTube on materials, colors, and motifs.
- Slower production: Each award is built rather than pulled from inventory.
- Highly limited recipients: Most 50M+ channels are top global creators in music, gaming, kids' content, or general entertainment.
- Often becomes the unboxing video of the year: These videos tend to generate massive view counts thanks to scarcity and curiosity.
What Comes Above the Ruby Tier
Past 50 million subscribers, YouTube has a Red Diamond Play Button at 100 million subscribers. Like the Ruby, the Red Diamond is custom-built per recipient. As of early 2026, 17 channels have crossed 100 million subscribers — three have surpassed 200 million (T-Series, MrBeast, Cocomelon), two have surpassed 300 million (T-Series, MrBeast), and one has surpassed 400 million (MrBeast). Beyond 100M, YouTube has continued to produce one-off custom awards for milestone achievements, though these are not formally part of a named tier.
The Awards Don't Change the Business
Like every Creator Award, the Ruby Play Button is a recognition piece — not a feature unlock. YPP revenue share, CPM, and how the algorithm handles your videos are the same at 50M as they were at 10M. What scales is your audience's expectation and the leverage you can apply to projects beyond YouTube.
Famous Custom Creator Awards
PewDiePie's Ruby Play Button is the original benchmark — a faceted, jewel-style ruby symbol that gave the tier its popular name. MrBeast's chocolate-themed plaque is the most-cited modern example, integrating a non-traditional material in line with his Feastables brand. Other top creators across music, family content, and gaming have received plaques that lean into their signature visual identity. There is no canonical list because YouTube doesn't publish one, but unboxing videos from these creators have collectively shaped how the tier is perceived.
Compare Every Creator Award
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