HOME  /  THE EVENT
EVERYTHING, EXPLAINED

4 Rounds.
7 Days.
1 Cover.

This page explains the whole event — every round, how points work, what you win, and who decides. Read it in five minutes, or watch the video below.

▶ The whole event in 90 seconds
THE SHAPE OF IT

How The
Month Runs.

Three phases. You'll always know exactly what happens next.

01
21 DAYS · REGISTRATION

Sign up and set up

You register, your tier gets locked, and you create your Round 2 content. Nothing is a race yet — take your time.

02
7 DAYS · THE MAIN EVENT

Voting opens, then Round 4

India votes for 7 straight days. The prop is revealed on Day 1, and Round 4 opens on Day 4 alongside the voting. Both close together at midnight on Day 7.

03
RESULTS & AWARDS

Judges score, winners announced

The judges score the finalists. The Top 100 is announced, and the winners are celebrated at the Awards Night.

THE FAIRNESS BIT

You Never
Compete Out
Of Your League.

The moment you register, you're placed in one of four tiers based on your follower count. You are only ever scored against creators inside your own tier.

A creator with 400 followers is never up against one with 400,000. Every tier has its own Top 100, and every tier has its own iPhone prizes for the top 3.

NANO0 – 5,000 followers
MICRO5,001 – 50,000 followers
MACRO50,001 – 2,50,000 followers
MEGA2,50,001 followers and above

Your tier is locked when you register and checked once more before voting opens — so nobody can move themselves into an easier bracket.

01

Calling

Claim your place
During the 21 days10 POINTS
1

Connect your Instagram. We read your follower count to set your tier — nothing is ever posted for you.

2

Add your name, your city and a few basics about yourself. It only takes a few minutes.

3

Pay the ₹189 entry. Then verify your mobile number with an OTP.

Your ₹189 comes back. Finish Round 2 and cast one vote and your refund is unlocked — it is then paid out once the voting round closes. You pick how you want it: cash to UPI, ₹250 shopping credit, a tree planted in your name, or the collector's edition.

▶ Round 1 in 30 seconds
02

Community

Bring your people in
Within 48 hrs of joining10 POINTS
1

Follow FHM India and FHM Hot100 on Instagram, and join the Hot100 WhatsApp channel.

2

Put up 1 post, 1 reel and 1 story telling your people you have entered — and that they should enter too, using your referral code.

3

That is Round 2 done. Cast a single vote and your refund is unlocked — it is paid out once the voting round closes.

Your referral code is worth real points. Every creator who registers using your code adds to your score — and the creators whose codes get used the most win an iPhone.

You do not need a studio or an editor. Talk to your phone camera. The judges say repeatedly that raw beats polished, and the data agrees.

▶ Round 2 in 30 seconds
03

Connectivity

Your people, and all of India
Day 1 – Day 730 POINTS

India votes. Two creators from the same tier appear side by side, and the voter picks one. Simple as that, millions of times over, for seven days.

1

Share your profile link with your people. Anyone can vote — it's free, and they don't need to be your follower.

2

Voting is unlimited. When someone picks you, you stay on screen and a new challenger appears — so your people can keep backing you with one repeated tap.

3

Watch it happen live on your dashboard — your total votes, and how many times each of your people came back to back you again.

Your voters win too. ₹1,000 goes to the top voter every hour, ₹5,000 every day, and 3 iPhones to the top voters of the whole contest. So you're not asking for a favour — you're giving them a shot at winning.

▶ Round 3 in 30 seconds
04

Conversion

Time to know your worth
Day 4 – Day 730 POINTS

Every other round measures reach. This one measures something rarer — whether the people who follow you will actually move when you ask them to. That is the number brands pay for, and most creators have never seen their own.

1

On Day 1 of voting, the prop is revealed to every creator at the same moment. Nobody sees it early, so nobody gets extra planning time.

2

You get 72 hours to plan before Round 4 opens. Make as many reels, posts and stories as you like, then upload your best reel to FHM India. That is the one the judges will score.

3

Then your people respond — from anywhere in the world, in a way that takes them seconds. Every response counts towards your score.

Your score here is a straight count. Not an estimate, not a percentage — the actual number of times your people showed up when you asked. That is your conversion power, and it is the one figure every brand in India wants to see before it signs a creator.

And something good happens quietly. Every response in this round sets off something real in your name, somewhere in India. You will not know the full shape of it until Round 3 begins — but by the time this round closes, you will have done far more than compete.

▶ Round 4 in 30 seconds
05

The Judges

The reel, and nothing else
After Day 720 POINTS

Points from all four rounds are added up inside each tier. The top 100 of every tier go through — 400 finalists in all. Then the judges take over.

1

Every finalist's Round 4 reel is scored by 4 judges, chosen at random by the system.

2

They see the reel and nothing else — no name, no city, no follower count. The work is what is scored.

3

Scores are combined with your round points. The final Top 100 is announced.

No judge can pick which reels they score, and no participant can know which judges will see hers. The system assigns it after voting closes.

▶ How judging works
NOTHING HIDDEN

How The 100
Points Split.

We publish the full scoring before you enter, not after. This is the whole formula.

R1Calling
10
R2Community
10
R3Voting
30
R4Conversion
30
JJudges
20
Total
100

Rounds 1 and 2 are simply about finishing — complete them and the full 10 points are yours, every time. Rounds 3 and 4 are scored against your own tier only. The judges' 20 is where craft counts, and it is scored on the work alone.

WHAT YOU WIN

The Full
Prize List.

This is the actual thing. Not a certificate, not a shoutout — the cover.

WINNER · THE PRINT COVER
SEPT 2026 / ₹150
FHM
YOUR NAME
HEREHOT100 WINNER 2026
On shelves nationwide. The one you can hold, frame, and hand to your family.
2ND & 3RD · THE DIGITAL COVER
DIGITAL
FHM
PLUS!
THE HOT100
INTERVIEW
YOUR NAME
HEREHOT100 2026
@fhmindia
Published across FHM India's channels, and yours to use in every pitch you ever make.
#1
The FHM India print cover
₹5,00,000 cash · iPhone Pro Max · podcast feature · gift voucher · certificate
#2
FHM India digital cover
₹3,00,000 cash · iPhone Pro · podcast feature · gift voucher · certificate
#3
FHM India digital cover
₹1,00,000 cash · iPhone · podcast feature · gift voucher · certificate
4–10
Your own feature inside FHM India
A full article in the magazine · podcast feature · gift voucher · certificate
11–100
Gift voucher and certificate
Named in the official Hot100 of 2026
ALL 400
Certificate – Top 100 in your tier
Every finalist leaves with proof of where she finished in her own tier
THE RULES

Who Can
Enter.

WhoOpen to women aged 18 and above, anywhere in India.
FollowersAny number. One follower is enough.
AccountA public Instagram account in your own name. One entry per account.
Entry₹189, unlocked after Round 2 and one vote, paid out once voting closes.
LanguageCreate in any Indian language. It makes no difference to your score.
Fair playBought votes or fake accounts mean disqualification. Every vote and sale is monitored.
STILL WONDERING

Questions.

Yes, and the format is built for it. You are only scored against creators in your own tier, never against bigger ones, and the judges score your reel on the work alone. Nano is the biggest tier in the event.
No. Rankings are never published, and there is no public leaderboard. The only number shown on your profile is your follower count — which usually goes up during the event.
One post and two reels to register. Then one week of asking your people to vote, and one reel for Round 4. If you already post regularly, it's the work you're doing anyway — just pointed at something with a prize at the end.
The prop is revealed to every creator on Day 1 of voting, so you get 72 hours to plan before the round opens. You create your content around it and upload your best reel. Round 4 counts for 30 points and is scored on a straight count of how many times your people respond — your conversion power, in a single number. Your refund does not depend on this round at all; it unlocks after Round 2 and one vote.
Yes. Post in any Indian language you like. It has no effect on your score, and several of the judges work primarily in Indian languages themselves.
Every voter signs in first, and the system watches continuously for unusual patterns across every round. Round 3 also rewards how often you win head-to-head matchups against random opponents, which is far harder to buy than raw vote count. Confirmed manipulation means disqualification.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN

Now You Know
Everything.

No hidden rules, no secret shortlist, no sponsor picking the winner. Just four rounds and whatever you're willing to put in.

🔒 Fully refundable. Unlocked when you finish Round 2 and cast 1 vote · paid out once voting closes
Multiple votes. Multiple voices. One fair game.