Content creator Donnalyn Bartolome used her moment on the international stage to advocate for tree-planting efforts in the country.
The vlogger won the Best Content Creator Award at the 2025 Septimius Awards in Amsterdam, Netherlands, besting seven other contenders from around the world.
Donnalyn bested other content creators including BoxtoxTV, DednaHype, SevenGers, ColdFusion, Sabin Civil Engineering, Aan and Matig and Stevie Emerson.
The Septimius Awards is a renowned international award ceremony with a strong emphasis on discovering and supporting new independent talent. It celebrates storytelling across various formats, including fiction, non-fiction, animation, television series and scripts with the goal of promoting awareness, appreciation and understanding of the film and media in all genres.
The awarding ceremony took place on September 4 and 5 at the Tuschinski Theater in Amsterdam.
While the Septimius Awards is not connected to any environmental advocacy, Donnalyn used the platform to raise awareness for one. In her acceptance speech, she dedicated the award to tree-planting efforts in the Philippines.
She also shared a glimpse into her creative purpose, saying she creates content not just to entertain, but to inspire and help fund “lots of causes” and “initiatives” aimed at making a difference.
“I’m going to say something important… I just want to share to you that one of the most heartbreaking issues we face back home [is] floods,” Donnalyn said as she accepted her award.
“And every year, communities are displaced and lives are lost and it’s a cycle we’ve been stuck in for far too long, and I’ve always believed that prevention is better than cure, and while we hope and continue to push for our government to do better with regards to our flood control systems, we’re also taking action in our own hands by planting trees and bamboo,” she added.
The vlogger said that she was using the moment to “influence,” appealing to the audience to “please plant at least one tree” in their lifetime.
Her advocacy and speech earned cheers and applause from the audience.
Donnalyn later shared the moment on her Facebook page and extending her call to action to her followers to make them more conscious of the environment.
“I’m coming home to plant more trees… over a thouuuusand more!! And we need volunteers! Please message Influence Us, we’re a foundation born [five] years ago because of floods,” the vlogger wrote on Friday, September 12, tagging the page of the organization.
“We plant trees, provide opportunities, shelter, services, medical, education and so many more prevention initiatives I can’t wait to share to all of you. I need more leaders, more people who truly care. We need to act now! Please,” Donnalyn added.
“Thank you, @septimiusawards, and thank you, everyone, for supporting me. Don’t let the world change your heart! Let your heart change the world!” she continued.
Influence Us is a non-profit organization dedicated to “changing the world through influence.”
Its mission is to “lead by example and influence a culture of proactive change” by “empowering individuals, communities, and institutions to prevent tomorrow’s problems today.”
Among its initiatives are tree planting and reforestation, which it has been doing since 2021.
It is a movement of the organization “dedicated to tree planting and reforestation, designed to protect communities from floods, restore ecosystems, and give back to our planet.”
Donnalyn has been participating in tree-planting efforts since 2021. In March of that year, she donated and planted over 1,000 bamboo trees from the income she earned through her YouTube channel.
Last year, the vlogger said she was willing to work with the government on flood prevention projects. At that time, she also donated her revenue from her vlog to help those affected by Super Typhoon Carina.
