A record-breaking 100,000 votes were collected over seven days for the Lovin Malta Social Media Awards 2026 powered by Malta Vision 2050 , which closed its public voting phase on Easter Sunday.Celebrating the local festa scene, artists, content creators, musicians and so much more, this truly was a race to the finish line with some categories seeing finalists separated just by single-digit vote counts! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)Here’s a breakdown of the categories with the closest results.1. Best Podcast – sponsored by Invent3DAlready a highly competitive category for the whole duration of the voting phase, this was our closest call between two finalists yet, at just 7 votes separating the two!2. Best Musical artist – sponsored by 6fiftytwoMalta’s no stranger to a passionate music scene, and the fans really came through ending the battle for the top with a 21-vote gap.3. Best Sports Club – sponsored by SociosFrom football to waterpolo and beyond, Malta boasts a diverse sports scene, with supporters showing up to the polls in droves for a finalists tally showcasing a 284 vote difference.4. Best Model – sponsored by BortexServing looks down the finalists runway, our six nominees had a tough battle ahead of them, with our winner taking home a 331-vote lead.5. Best Host/Personality – sponsored by FinaFamiliar faces and household names make up this highly competitive category, and with 491 lead on the other finalists, we know you’re itching to find out who’s taking home the grand prize.Best Festa – sponsored by Lovin MaltaMalta and Gozo’s towns and villages came out in full force for this category, and it was a nail-biting race to the top. The final votes saw a 513-vote lead for first place over the other finalists.The full list of categoriesAs a reminder, the Lovin Malta Social Media Awards 2026 powered by Malta Vision 2050 had 16 categories open for voting.Best Athlete – sponsored by Fort FitnessBest Up-and-coming Content Creator – sponsored by FreeHourBest Power Couple – sponsored by MeetincBest Eatery – sponsored by DealTodayBest Festa – sponsored by Lovin MaltaBest Sports Club – sponsored by SociosBest Instagrammer – sponsored by BlackcatBest Model – sponsored by BortexBest Musical artist – sponsored by 6fiftytwoBest NGO – sponsored by Malta Public TransportBest Overall content creator – sponsored by KeepMePostedBest Host/Personality – sponsored by FinaBest Pet – sponsored by PurinaBest Photo of 2025 – sponsored by SingitaBest Podcast – sponsored by Invent3DBest SME – sponsored by Malta EnterpriseWhat happens next?With voting closed, it’s now a matter of verifying and tallying up your votes. Once that’s done, we can confirm who has reigned supreme in each of the sixteen categories, which we will be revealing in the coming weeks.Alongside the categories you voted for, we’ll also be unveiling the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award (as selected by Lovin Malta’s own panel) with the winner to revealed live on the night of the grand SMAs 2026 event. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)Stay tuned for more updates at the official website for the Lovin Malta Social Media Awards 2026 powered by Malta Vision 2050.•