YouTube Silver Play Button: How Many Subscribers and How to Get It

The YouTube Silver Play Button is awarded at 100,000 subscribers, but only after YouTube reviews the channel. You need uploads within the last 6 months, no Community Guidelines strikes in the past 365 days, no active copyright strikes and no artificially inflated subscriber count. If you pass, YouTube Studio delivers a code to order the award.

How many subscribers you need for each YouTube Play Button

The awards are called YouTube Creator Awards. The tiers, per the official help page:

• Silver: 100,000 subscribers;
• Gold: 1,000,000;
• Diamond: 10,000,000;
• Red Diamond: 100,000,000.

Awards are given at YouTube's discretion: hitting the number is not enough, the channel has to pass a review. The road to 100,000 is long, and an empty counter often slows the start, because viewers are less likely to subscribe to a channel with zero subscribers. You can strengthen your starting base on our YouTube subscribers page: plans with a 30-day refill guarantee from $20 per 1,000, no password required. To be honest, though, YouTube checks subscribers before giving an award, so this kind of help is for getting started, not for "filling up" a hundred thousand, and quality plans matter far more than bots.

Requirements to receive a Creator Award

• The channel is active, with uploads in the last 6 months.
• No Community Guidelines violations, neither active nor within the last 365 days.
• No active copyright strikes.
• The channel has not been rejected or suspended from the YouTube Partner Program. Membership itself is not required.
• The main content is original. Channels built on compilations, mixes or other people's content may not qualify.
• No deceptive or spammy content, and no links to terminated accounts.

The same "clean channel" requirements apply to earning money. See our guide to the YouTube Partner Program.

How to get the Silver Play Button: code and order

You do not need to apply separately. Here is how it works:

• Your channel reaches 100,000 and YouTube starts a review.
• If everything checks out, a notification with a redemption code appears in YouTube Studio within about 10 days.
• Enter the code on the Creator Awards redemption site. If you lost it, you can retrieve it via the eligibility check in YouTube Help.
• Enter your shipping address, choose how your channel name will appear on the plaque, and click "Order Now".

Delivery times and whether the button ships to Ukraine

• The awards are handmade. According to the help page, delivery takes about 2–3 weeks after you order, or up to 4 weeks including production.
• Ukraine is not on the list of countries where the programme is unavailable. Logistics can add time, so keep an eye on the tracking number.
• Use your full legal name and respond quickly to the courier's requests. Otherwise the parcel may be returned and you would have to buy a replacement.
• Customs duties and taxes, if any, are paid by the recipient.
• Report damage within 7 days with photos of the award and the box.

Why YouTube rejects channels for an award

• Artificial subscribers. YouTube explicitly says it checks channels for artificially inflated subscriber counts. If a noticeable share of your 100,000 are bots, you won't get the award.
• Strikes and warnings within the last year.
• Unoriginal content: compilations and re-uploads.
• Inactivity: no videos for six months.
• A country on the exclusion list, such as Russia or Belarus.

How to grow to 100,000 subscribers without risking the award

Subscribers grow out of views: video series on one topic, strong thumbnails, retention in the first 30 seconds and Shorts as a source of new viewers. More ideas in our guide on how to get subscribers on YouTube.

So that a new video doesn't start from zero, you can add initial views on our YouTube views page from $0.95 per 1,000. YouTube's rules prohibit artificial activity, so order moderately and only alongside regular uploads: only a real audience will get you to the button.