It starts innocently enough. You're scrolling through Instagram Stories, and suddenly you're ambushed by a parade of side-profile sports photos. Football. Hockey. Boxing. Every Story contains a text box that says, "Side Shot Nominate 6," alongside a lineup of tagged names, including, horrifyingly, yours.

Between this and the USC Speak Your Mind Challenge, it feels like the internet is in its "nominate your friends" era of internet challenges.

But before you set your posts to close friends only and disappear, let's unpack what’s going on with the "Side Shot Nominate 6" Instagram trend.

What Is the “Side Shot Nominate 6” Trend, and Who Started It?

The "Side Shot Nominate 6" trend is exactly what it sounds like: people posting photos of themselves from the side, usually playing a sport, and tagging six friends to keep the chain going. It's the Instagram equivalent of being peer-pressured into a yearbook candid.

This trend was launched by the Instagram account @bigbangpictures1 via the platform’s "Add Yours" Story sticker feature sometime in late April 2025, and it snowballed quickly once it caught on.

Soon, Stories across high schools everywhere were filled with grainy sideline shots and six-person nominations, usually featuring someone mid-action.

The trend didn’t appear in a vacuum. It's part of a broader wave of 2025 Instagram "nominate your friends" challenges, much like the viral USC "Speak Your Mind" Challenge — a spiritual reboot of the Ice Bucket Challenge, this time on TikTok instead of YouTube.

How Did the "Side Shot Nominate 6" Trend Go Viral?

Following @bigbangpictures1's initial post, Instagram user @rafael_11.kas shared his side shot on April 30th, 2025, showing himself playing ice hockey with stick in play, helmet on and the required six tags ready to go.

That same day, user @marmar.1k then jumped in with a football-themed entry, while @lord_viper6 delivered a boxing ringside angle, complete with gloves and a death stare.

Meanwhile, TikTokers watched it all unfold and posted videos like "what the helly is Side Shot 6," reminiscing about when you could just post memes without getting tagged into a photoshoot.

@user8292928389201 this is getting out of hand yall rlly just be nominating ppl for anything#somebodyplslmk ♬ WHERE DA FAQ DA FUNCTIOON – danny

@user276858063 i swear there’s a new one every day #nomination #instagram ♬ Rolex – Ayo&Teo

What Are Some More Examples Of The Side Shot 6 Trend?

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For the full history of the Side Shot Nominate 6 trend, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.