# Side Shot Nominate 6 Trend

> Side Shot Nominate 6 Trend is a 2025 Instagram Story photo-chain where participants post side-profile photos and nominate six friends, sparking a cross-platform debate over whether athletic context was required.

Side Shot Nominate 6 is an Instagram Story chain trend that blew up among teenagers in late April 2025. Participants post a photo of themselves from the side, typically during a sporting event, and tag six friends to do the same. The trend sparked debate on TikTok when users started posting non-sports side shots, leading to a cross-platform argument about whether the trend required athletic context or any side profile would do.

## Origin
The trend was created through Instagram's built-in "Add Yours" story sticker by the account @bigbangpictures1 sometime before April 30th, 2025[4]. The "Add Yours" feature lets any Instagram user create a prompt that others can respond to by adding their own photo or video to the chain[1]. Once @bigbangpictures1 set up the "Side Shot Nominate 6" prompt, other users began tapping in with their own side-profile photos and tagging friends[5].

The earliest documented wave of participation came in the final days of April 2025, with Instagram users sharing side shots from various sports[2]. The trend caught on quickly among Gen Z users who were already familiar with nomination-style challenges from years of similar formats circulating across social media[1].

- **Platform:** Instagram (Add Yours story sticker)
- **Creator:** @bigbangpictures1 (Instagram, original "Add Yours" sticker creator)
- **Date:** 2025

## Overview
Side Shot Nominate 6 is a simple Instagram Stories chain game built on the platform's "Add Yours" sticker feature[1]. A user posts a photo showing their side profile and tags six friends to keep the chain going. The original intent leaned toward athletic or action shots, with early participants sharing candid images from football, basketball, ice hockey, and boxing[4]. But as the trend spread, people started posting any side-angle photo, sports or not, which became a point of contention across platforms[2].

The format follows a familiar internet pattern: post something about yourself, nominate a set number of friends, and watch it spread like a digital chain letter[1]. It's structurally similar to challenges like the USC Speak Your Mind trend that preceded it on TikTok[3].

## How It Spread
By April 29th, 2025, the trend had grown large enough to draw attention on TikTok. TikToker @user8292928389201 posted a video asking "what the helly" the "Side Shot 6" trend was, pulling in over 28,000 views and 1,000 likes within a single day[5]. That same day, @user276858063 uploaded a video asking "first the USC mind challenge, now the 'side shot, nominate 6'?? where are these coming from," which picked up over 23,000 views and 1,000 likes in 24 hours[4].

On April 30th, several Instagram users joined the trend with athletic side shots. User @rafael_11.kas posted ice hockey photos, @marmar.1k shared a shot in football gear, and @lod_viper6 posted from a boxing ring while tagging six others to participate[4]. TikToker @grassisgreenerovahere posted a video captioned "Guys help what does side shot nominate 6 mean," which racked up over 407,400 views[1].

The cross-platform tension became a defining feature of the trend's spread. TikTok users largely insisted the challenge was about sports photography, criticizing Instagram users who posted casual or non-athletic side profiles[2]. One TikTok commenter wrote, "People are posting photos of them not doing sports, and I'm confused now"[2]. Others scoffed at spinoffs like "face card nominate 6" and "fit check nominate 6" that started popping up[2].

Instagram users took a more relaxed approach. Some argued that "side" just meant "what you do on the side," not strictly a side-angle sports shot[2]. The platform divide became its own talking point, with TikTok users seen as gatekeepers of the trend's original meaning while Instagram operated as more of a free-for-all[2].

## How to Use
The Side Shot Nominate 6 format is straightforward:
1. Find or take a photo of yourself from the side. The common convention is an athletic or candid action shot (playing sports, at a game, working out), but many participants post any side-profile photo.
2. Open Instagram Stories and look for the "Side Shot Nominate 6" Add Yours sticker, or tap "Add Yours" on someone else's post who already has it.
3. Upload your side shot photo or video.
4. Tag six friends in the story to nominate them to participate.
5. Your friends then repeat the process, creating a chain reaction.

## Cultural Impact
Side Shot Nominate 6 sits in a long lineage of social media chain challenges, from the Ice Bucket Challenge to the USC Speak Your Mind trend[3]. What made it notable wasn't the format itself but the cross-platform culture clash it created. TikTok and Instagram users essentially argued over who owned the trend's meaning, with TikTokers enforcing stricter rules about what counted as a valid post[2].

Multiple outlets covered the trend in late April and early May 2025, including the Daily Dot[1], Distractify[2], and The SportsGrail[5]. Know Your Meme documented it as part of a broader wave of Instagram-native trends gaining mainstream attention[6].

The trend also highlighted how Instagram's "Add Yours" feature had become a breeding ground for viral challenges, giving any user the ability to create a prompt that could reach millions without any algorithmic boost or celebrity endorsement[7].

## Fun Facts
- The trend's creator account @bigbangpictures1 didn't go viral themselves. The "Add Yours" sticker they made spread independently through Instagram's chain mechanic[3].
- TikToker @grassisgreenerovahere's confused video about the trend outperformed many of the actual trend participants, pulling over 407,000 views[1].
- The debate over whether non-sports photos "count" mirrors a recurring pattern in internet culture where early adopters police later participants for deviating from the original format[2].
- Side Shot Nominate 6 and the USC Speak Your Mind challenge were frequently mentioned together as examples of a new wave of Instagram-native chain challenges that confused TikTok users[5].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Side Shot Nominate 6?
Side Shot Nominate 6 is an Instagram Story challenge where users post a side-profile photo of themselves and tag six friends to do the same, creating a chain of posts[1].

### Where did Side Shot Nominate 6 come from?
It was created through Instagram's "Add Yours" story sticker by the account @bigbangpictures1, with the earliest documented activity in late April 2025[4].

### What does Side Shot Nominate 6 mean?
The name is literal: post a "side shot" (a photo from your side angle) and "nominate 6" (tag six friends to continue the chain)[3].

### How do you use Side Shot Nominate 6?
Tap the "Add Yours" sticker on someone's Instagram Story, upload your own side-profile photo or video, and tag six friends to keep the trend going[1].

### Is Side Shot Nominate 6 still popular?
As of its emergence in late April 2025, the trend was actively spreading across Instagram and generating significant discussion on TikTok[2].

### Does Side Shot Nominate 6 have to be a sports photo?
Not necessarily. While the trend started with athletic action shots, many participants post casual side-profile photos. TikTok users debated this, with some arguing only sports shots count while others said any side photo works[2].

### Who created Side Shot Nominate 6?
Instagram account @bigbangpictures1 created the original "Add Yours" sticker prompt that launched the trend[5].

### Why are TikTok users mad about Side Shot Nominate 6?
Many TikTok users felt Instagram participants were doing the trend wrong by posting non-sports photos, and some were confused about the trend's purpose in general[2].

### Is Side Shot Nominate 6 related to the USC Speak Your Mind challenge?
Both are nomination-style chain challenges that gained traction around the same time. TikTok users frequently mentioned them together as a wave of confusing Instagram trends[5].

### What happens if you don't participate when tagged?
Nothing. Like most social media chain challenges, there's no penalty for ignoring the nomination. It's purely voluntary[3].

## References
1. [what is the side shot nominate 6](<https://trendsmask.com/what-is-the-side-shot-nominate-6-129360.html>)
2. [The Meaning of Instagram's "Side Shot Nominate 6" Trend](<https://www.distractify.com/p/side-shot-nominate-6-meaning>)
3. [What Is The Side Shot Nominate 6 Trend On Instagram Story As It Goes Viral And Its Meaning Explained - The SportsGrail](<https://thesportsgrail.com/what-is-the-side-shot-nominate-6-trend-on-instagram-story-as-it-goes-viral-and-its-meaning-explained/>)
4. [Side Shot Nominate 6 Trend - Know Your Meme](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/side-shot-nominate-6-trend>)
5. [Minions: The Rise of Gru](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minions%3A_The_Rise_of_Gru>)
6. [100 Memers vs. 1 Gorilla](<https://knowyourmeme.beehiiv.com/p/100-memers-vs-1-gorilla>)
7. [What is the ‘Side Shot Nominate 6’ trend on Instagram?](<https://www.dailydot.com/side-shot-nominate-6-instagram-trend>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/side-shot-nominate-6-trend
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