Celebrating the New Year often involves champagne, fireworks, and even playful Bingo Card predictions for the year ahead. On social media, it’s a time for both reflection and celebration. 

On social media, it’s a time for both reflection and celebration. A popular tradition is Instagram's Top 9 trend, which compiles your best-performing posts from the past year into a stylish grid.

Whether you're a brand, business, influencer, or casual Instagram user, the Top 9 layout is a creative way to engage your audience and recap 2024. It’s an eye-catching way to share your highlights as you ring in the new year on December 31st and January 1st.

How to Get Your Instagram Top 9 for 2024

Similar to Spotify Wrapped, the Instagram Top 9 trend is a set layout that you access through a third-party website.

Step 1) Input Your Handle

Navigate to the Top Nine website or download the app and enter your Instagram username. Do not include @.

Step 2) Generate Image

Click "Continue" and an image will be generated within seconds. The grid should load with nine images (or however many images you posted in 2024 if it is less than nine)

Step 3) Select a Template Design

Each year, Top Nine has improved its layout system offering more options for free. As of 2024, there are 14 grid templates to choose from.

Simply scroll toward the bottom of the page and click "Choose template". There's also the option to display how many likes each image accumulated alongside a summary of how your posts performed vs similar pages.

Step 3) Download Image

Once you've selected your layout style the final image will load on the screen alongside a "share" button. Clicking "share" will load various options depending on the device you are using.

If you can't work out how to download the Top 9 image from the "Share" button, simply right-click on the image and click "save image as" to download it to your device.

While thousands of Instagram users use Top Nine to generate their layouts each year, you can create something original using Kapwing.

Kapwing has created a custom Instagram Top 9 Maker that you can use to ensure your layout stands out from the crowd.

Add colored borders and text of your choice, pick any of your nine Instagram images from across the year and not the auto-generated content, and add your own watermark or brand logos.

Step 4) Upload to Instagram

The final stage is to upload to Instagram as a normal post. Via the Instagram mobile app, select your profile icon from the bottom toolbar.

Next, click on the top right "plus" sign and select "post" from the popup. Here, you'll be able to your downloaded Top 9 layout and add a caption.

Instagram Top 9 Caption Ideas

Here are 21 of our favorite caption ideas for your Instagram Top 9 post:

1. A little grid of gratitude 💕 #Top9"
2. Counting down to 2025 with my favorite moments this year. 🚀🎉 #BestOf2024"
3. Here’s to a year of highs, memories, and milestones. 🙌✨ #TopNine
4. 9 little squares, one big year. Grateful for it all! 🌟❤️ #Top9
5. From milestones to memories, 2024 was one for the books! 📖💎 #Top9"
6. Your likes, comments, and love made this year so special. 🥰🙏 #TopNine
7. Reflecting on the best moments of 2024 in nine little frames. 💭✨ #Top9
8. Life’s a highlight reel, and these were mine for 2024. 🎥💜 #TopNine
9. From my screen to yours: 2024 in 9 snapshots. 🖼️📸 #BestOf2024
10. Grateful for every like, love, and memory from this year. ❤️🙌 #Top9
11. A picture-perfect way to wrap up 2024! 📷🎉 #BestNine
12. Every picture tells a story — here are the ones you loved most this year. 🖼️❤️ #TopNine
13. Nine squares, countless memories. 2024, you were amazing! 🎉💫 #BestOf2024
14. The grid that says it all — thank you for making 2024 unforgettable! 🥂❤️ #TopNine
15. A little rewind before the countdown begins—cheers to 2024! 🎶🎆 #TopNine
16. 2024 in a 3x3 grid—small squares, big memories. 🖼️✨ #TopNine
17. The blueprint of my 2024, all in one perfect layout. 🖌️💜 #BestNine
18. A 3x3 masterpiece of memories—thank you for the love! 🖼️🌟 #TopNine
19. Nine little windows into the biggest moments of 2024. 🪟❤️ #Top9
20. Nine perfect pieces of a 2024 puzzle. 🖼️💫 #BestNine
21. Gridlock in the best way — these 9 memories will never fade. 🖼️✨ #Top9

Other Instagram 3x3 Collage Ideas

There are several other challenges on social media that you can reuse the same 3x3 square collage template to participate in. Here are some ideas:

1. Art vs Artist – Show your artworks side-by-side with a photo of yourself. This can be a great way to demonstrate your realistic painting style or your abstract aesthetic photo.
2. Face Your Art Challenge – Pick 9 photos or illustrations to show off in a grid on social.
3. 2020 Year in Progress Meme Template – How did your mood change during a global pandemic? Or pick any other year to show a month-by-month progression, with labels in each box.
4. Alignment Chart Meme Template – A classic 3x3 chart for lawful good to chaotic evil. Add in images, cutouts, or text layers for this genz classic.
5. Six sequence collage – An Instagram story layout that showcases a grid of 6 squares
6. Multiple squares Instagram grid post – Plan out how your full 3x3 grid will look by stretching an image across the squares and cropping the image to fit.