MrBeast Awards 300 Million Soms in Uzbekistan as Crowds Test Visit Plans

232,254 applications for 200 places in Tashkent

MrBeast's first visit to Central Asia drew 232,254 applications for just 200 places at a Tashkent fan event, where three participants won a combined 300 million Uzbek soms. The October 9 appearance was followed by crowds in Samarkand that required police assistance, conflicting reports about his travel plans and an official clarification that his production crew would continue to cities he was not scheduled to visit.

The Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF), in its public event announcement, dates the gathering to October 9, 2026, and identifies the venue as the Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent. Jimmy Donaldson, the American creator known as MrBeast, met randomly selected participants, awarded prizes and attended the unveiling of a mural created for the occasion.

The registration figures show the scale of demand more precisely than videos of crowded streets. There were approximately 1,161 applications for every available place. The 200 selected participants represented about 0.086% of the application total, although that figure is not an exact measure of any applicant's chances because selection depended on meeting the registration requirements.

Organized by ACDF with Uzbekistan's Tourism Committee, the visit was intended to connect local creators with an international entertainment audience and introduce the country to potential visitors. It also exposed a practical divide: the formal meeting had a controlled guest list, while crowds along Donaldson's route were much harder to manage.

Three winners receive 100 million soms each

The three cash prize winners were identified as Angelina N., Asadbek Z. and Jamshidxon Z. Each received 100 million soms, approximately $8,000 at the conversion cited in reports of the event. Together, their prizes amounted to roughly $24,000.

The program included challenges, logic tests and quizzes inspired by Donaldson's videos. The winners opened cases containing their awards in front of the audience. One circulating video was described as showing a participant taking a stack of cash from a box and throwing it toward other contestants. That moment does not establish how any prize was ultimately divided.

Other attendees received gift sets containing a fabric tote bag, notebook, bracelet and stickers. Feastables chocolate, Donaldson's own brand, was also distributed. The foundation's announcement confirms that guests received prizes, while the accounts of the event provide the amounts and the winners' abbreviated names.

The 300 million soms should not be confused with the cost of arranging the visit. It is the reported total of the three cash awards, not a disclosed appearance fee, production budget or payment by Uzbekistan's organizers.

A free lottery with strict registration rules

Participation in the Tashkent event was free and limited to adults aged 18 and over. Applicants could register once, using their legal name, a valid telephone number and identity document details. A computerized random number generator was to select eligible attendees.

Selected guests received individual invitations and QR codes. The foundation said they would be contacted confidentially and that their names would not be published as an attendance list. The venue was not disclosed in advance, and precise travel and filming schedules were also withheld for security and production confidentiality.

ACDF warned that it would not request participation fees, bank card details or passwords. It cautioned against false accounts, unofficial links and third parties claiming they could provide access to MrBeast or the event. Those warnings distinguished the legitimate identity checks required for registration from requests for financial or account access.

A public fan zone opened near the contemporary art center, allowing a wider crowd to gather beyond the selected attendees. Some supporters in Tashkent reportedly waited more than four hours. Donaldson also greeted fans and posed for photographs at the airport when he arrived on October 9.

Samarkand crowds make movement difficult

Donaldson traveled to Samarkand on October 10, the second day of the visit. Hundreds of supporters gathered near Registan and elsewhere along his route. Videos showed dense crowds surrounding the creator and his team, with people trying to approach him and following vehicles.

Personnel from Uzbekistan's Interior Ministry and National Guard helped Donaldson and his crew move through the crowds. Reports described crowding and pushing, while the creator said travel had become difficult without police assistance. He estimated that more than 1,000 people were following his vehicle.

That estimate was Donaldson's description of people following the car, not an official count of everyone who gathered in Samarkand. No reliable official total was given. Claims that tens of thousands attended therefore go beyond what has been established.

There was also no evidence in the reporting that Donaldson was injured. Claims that snipers were deployed across Samarkand because of the crowds were unconfirmed. Separate accounts of armed personnel on rooftops concerned security at the Tashkent event, not a verified deployment throughout Samarkand.

Fans surprise a creator with a vast audience

Donaldson's reaction captured the difference between knowing his global subscriber count and encountering the size of a local audience in person. The YouTube creator shared footage of the Tashkent crowds on Instagram Stories and expressed surprise at how many people in Uzbekistan watched his work.

I didn’t know how many people in Uzbekistan watch our videos,

He later thanked Uzbek supporters, but said the attention was creating difficulties for his team. He also suggested that his presence might be placing too much pressure on the country and that leaving could become necessary. Those remarks helped fuel speculation about an early departure, although they did not establish that his schedule had changed.

Donaldson added an Instagram Highlights collection named "Uzbek uz," with a selfie among fans as its cover. Highlights keep selected Stories accessible on a profile after their usual temporary display ends. The collection gave the visit a more lasting presence than individual posts alone.

Reports put his Instagram following at more than 90.7 million in one account and 92 million in another. YouTube figures also vary in scope: several accounts describe around or above 520 million subscribers on his main channel, while others use a similar figure across his channels. These are audience estimates, not verified counts of people who watched the Uzbekistan footage.

Why Bukhara and Khiva caused confusion

Early reports said Donaldson's team planned to visit Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva from October 10. One account, citing an unnamed government source, said Donaldson would personally join the wider trip. Later statements from organizers drew a distinction between the creator's itinerary and that of his production crew.

ACDF said Donaldson's personal program had always included only Tashkent and Samarkand. His airport departure on October 11 was scheduled to conclude a three day visit, the foundation said, while his crew would continue filming in Bukhara and Khiva.

Reports differ on whether crowd pressure shortened the trip. One describes a partial reduction because of unrest in Samarkand, while the foundation rejected the claim that destinations had been canceled. Donaldson's comments about possibly needing to leave show concern about the crowds, but do not by themselves resolve that disagreement.

Ulugbek Shukurlayev, head of the Bukhara regional police information service, separately confirmed that Donaldson had not personally visited Bukhara. The people arriving there were crew members with vehicles and filming equipment. He urged residents not to spread false information after some headed toward the Ark fortress hoping to see the creator.

How the visit unfolded

The sequence separates the confirmed public appearances from the broader filming plans and the rumors that followed them.

• October 6, 2026: Registration was being publicized, with the event date and venue still undisclosed in an account published that day.
• October 9: Donaldson arrived in Tashkent and attended the event for 200 selected adults. Three participants received 100 million soms each.
• October 10: Donaldson visited Samarkand, where crowds gathered and Interior Ministry and National Guard personnel helped his team move.
• October 11: ACDF said his scheduled airport departure concluded the visit, while the production crew continued its work in Bukhara and Khiva.

No release date was given for a completed Uzbekistan production. The presence of cameras, vehicles and crew members in a city establishes filming activity, but does not establish that Donaldson was there personally or that a particular location will appear in a finished video.

A damaged Lamborghini and gifts from Uzbekistan

A red Lamborghini associated with the crew attracted attention after photographs circulated showing apparent scratches and damage. Social media claims suggested it had been involved in an accident in Tashkent.

The capital's traffic police denied that an accident involving the car had occurred there. Officials said the vehicle had been accompanied throughout the visit. Donaldson separately said the Lamborghini had been damaged during filming in Delhi, India, rather than in Uzbekistan.

The car story was another example of images being given a local explanation that officials disputed. The photographs showed damage, but did not establish where or when it happened.

The visit also included cultural gifts. A local artist presented a painting depicting Donaldson and his team wearing traditional Uzbek chapans, a type of robe or coat. Blogger Maryam Tillyaeva gave him a custom chapan bearing the MrBeast logo and the word "Uzbekistan." She later said it had been made specifically for him. Uzbek brands and venues also released promotional videos inspired by his arrival.

Publicity ambitions and an undisclosed bill

Organizers linked the visit to a state program supporting the creative economy, youth initiatives and digital industries. In this context, the creative economy means business activity built around cultural work, media and original content. ACDF described goals including stronger local video production and helping Uzbek creators reach international audiences.

The Tourism Committee's aim was to put Uzbekistan before potential visitors through Donaldson's audience. Filming in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva offered several locations for that effort, even though the creator himself visited only the first two.

The financial terms were not disclosed. Reporting described the contract amount or expenditure as a commercial secret. Figures cited for other MrBeast advertising arrangements included $2.5 million for a main video integration, $500,000 for a Shorts video and $1 million for website brand use. Separate reported deals included $15 million for four videos, $12.5 million for five Amazon videos and $8 million to $10 million for a Walmart project.

Those figures are not evidence of what Uzbekistan paid. They concern different arrangements, and the court materials cited for some rates were not identified in enough detail to establish a comparable contract. They cannot substitute for the undisclosed terms of this visit.

Reporting also put Uzbekistan's net tourism revenue above $4.4 billion by the end of 2025. That figure helps explain the interest in international promotion, but it does not measure the return from hosting Donaldson. No figures were given for bookings, visitor spending or additional tourism attributable to the trip.

The measurable results are narrower: 232,254 applications, 200 selected attendees, 300 million soms in cash prizes and a visit visible across Donaldson's social media. The cost, contractual publishing commitments and eventual audience for finished productions were not disclosed. A large subscriber count creates an opportunity for exposure, not a guarantee that every subscriber will watch or travel.

Key Points

• ACDF recorded 232,254 applications for 200 randomly selected places at the October 9, 2026, Tashkent event.
• Angelina N., Asadbek Z. and Jamshidxon Z. each received 100 million soms, totaling 300 million soms.
• Donaldson visited Samarkand on October 10, where police and National Guard personnel helped his team through crowds.
• His estimate of more than 1,000 people following a vehicle was not an official attendance count.
• Organizers said his October 11 departure was scheduled and that only his crew would continue to Bukhara and Khiva.
• Tashkent traffic police denied a local Lamborghini accident. Donaldson said the damage occurred in Delhi.
• The visit's contract value, completed video release date and measurable tourism return were not disclosed.