Final countdown to TikTok's first awards show in the US

Social media giant TikTok is preparing to host its first award show on United States soil on Thursday (December 18)

On Wednesday, (December 18) workers were busy nailing down the pink carpet and putting the final touches on signage and backdrops.

After hosting the awards in 20 countries over the past five years, this is the first time the ceremony has been held for US creators.

"There are many, many award shows out there and I think that what we really saw is there's a space to really recognize the creativity and the power of the community of TikTok that is really unique to our platform," said Global Head of Creators at TikTok, Kim Farrell.

She added, "You're going to see a wide variety of creators of so many different corners of the country, walks of life, formats of content, types of content and so really being able to do something, yes, an award show but it's truly really about the TikTok community."

The show will be hosted by TV personality La La Anthony, who believes it's time for creators on TikTok to be rewarded for their content.

"I mean, it is an art form," Anthony told Reuters, adding, "They're changing culture, they're changing what we think is cool, they're changing the trends, they're changing the things that we follow, so it is an art form and now TikTok is a place where people go to for everything."

Music star Ciara will perform at the ceremony, and categories include Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Okay Slay Award (Beauty), Video of the Year, CapCut Creator of the Year and more. 

-Arafat Barbakh and Rollo Ross