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The Esports Awards is an annual awards ceremony dedicated to celebrating and honouring the achievements across the esports industry, with categories devoted to the community, creative, industry, on-air and professional competitive scene. The Esports Awards is the only awards ceremony in the gaming industry that focuses solely on celebrating success in the esports scene.

The awards ceremonies have been streamed live on a number of OTT platforms including Twitch, Twitter and YouTube and are held in November each year. Pre-shows for the awards are also streamed periodically throughout the year, announcing when voting is open and who the nominees are. Play of the Month runs all year round, with short-listed nominees for the Play of the Year award then presented at the ceremony.

First presented in 2016, there have been five ceremonies since the inaugural year.

History
Created in 2016 and was initially named the "Esports Industry Awards". The award show was the only gaming award ceremony that focused specifically on the achievements of esports scene, with the Game Awards only having a few categories devoted to esports.

Change of name
The name was changed in 2017 from "Esports Industry Awards" to the "Esports Awards". The name change was carried out to encapsulate the esports community and industry under one brand name. The change in brand name was to recognise that the Esports Awards is an award ceremony dedicated to represent the entire esports environment.

Venue
Throughout the 2016, 2017 and 2018 campaigns the awards ceremonies took place at The Brewery London.

The 2019 ceremony was held at the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

While 2020 saw the awards move online due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Award process
When the nominees are announced as being open by the Esports Awards, nominees are submitted by the public. Nominations are evaluated by the Esports Awards panel (made up from experts/specialists from the industry) and the finalists are then announced. Once all the finalists are announced, the public then vote on their front runners for each category based on the nominees achievements over the past year. The Esports Awards process partly includes community votes alongside the votes from the Esports Awards panel. Votes are submitted via the Esports Awards website. After the public votes have been accounted for, the Esports Awards panel vote on their choices for each category, adding their vote to the public's and ultimately deciding the winner. The Community accounts for 25% of the overall vote and the Esports Awards Panel make up the final 75% of the vote. The winners are announced at the Esports Awards ceremony.

Esports awards panel
The judging for the Esports Awards is one of the most transparent and stringent of procedures, all overseen by the Esports Awards Panel/Esports Awards Committee. The Panel is made up of around 20 individuals spanning all corners of esports. From the likes of experts in League of Legends, Dota 2, Twitch, Youtube, Overwatch, Major League Gaming and more. The Panel is responsible for overseeing all of the voting procedures, contributing to 75% of the overall vote for the majority of the awards. In the case of completely community voted awards the Esports Committee close voting and sign these winners. Any individual is able to apply to become a member of the panel.

Hall of fame
Thhis is a dedicated area on the Esports Awards website which catalogues the winners for the previous years awards ceremonies, dating back to the inaugural year. The Hall of Fame has bios for each of the winners, describing the achievements over the 12 month period for each individual or group. This tab within the website allows easy access to previous winners and an understanding of the gaming climate of that year. The Hall of Fame aims to be an area where every year the Esports Awards recognises excellence, creates a legacy and honours the industry.

Pillars of legacy
There are the three core values that the Esports Awards aims to fulfil with their awards ceremonies. The three pillars are recognising excellence in esports, creating a legacy and honouring the industry. Recognising excellence ensures that success of players and organisations are appreciated and celebrate their achievements globally. Creating a Legacy focuses on documenting players and organisations success over the year ensuring their achievements are recognised in future years. Honouring the Industry refers to ensuring that the behind the scenes work for every esports event is recognised and celebrated. These core values are pinnacle for structuring the Esports Awards.

Award categories

 * Esports Personality of the Year
 * This award is reserved for any person that holds a role in esports and has shown that they are memorable for something other than talent, only someone with the charisma to win over the whole industry is worth for such an award.


 * Esports Console Player of the Year
 * This award is held for the elite within console esports. Only the best of the best each year have a chance at winning this award for their raw skill and incredible talent achieving such success.


 * Esports Console Rookie of the Year
 * This award is for the new kids on the block that have rocked the world of console esports exploding onto the scene and taking over. The contenders for this award are the ones to watch in console esports.


 * Esports Team of the Year
 * Team of the Year is an award for the team that have achieved phenomenal success within their game. The contenders for this award are the elite teams who have taken home major tournament trophies throughout the year, dominated their competition, and stood out above all rivals.


 * Esports Play of the Year
 * The Play of the Year is decided 100% by the community who have been voting throughout the year on the best plays of each month before the final vote for the play of the year consisting of all the winners of Play of the Month. These plays are highlight moments that a player could only dream of executing, the contenders for this award leave their rivals in awe of their incredible moments.


 * Esports PC Rookie of the Year
 * This award is for the new kids on the block that have rocked the world of PC esports exploding onto the scene and taking over. The contenders for this award are the ones to watch in PC esports.


 * Esports PC Player of the Year
 * This award is held for only the elite within PC esports. Only the best of the best each year have a chance at this award for their raw skill and incredible talent achieving such success.


 * Esports Organisation of the Year
 * An organisation consists of many teams competing in different games throughout the year in esports. Organisations that are contenders for this award will be the ones who have had the most success throughout the year and demonstrated the highest skills level.


 * Esports Coach of the Year
 * The Esports Coach of the Year honours a member of staff for a professional esports organisation or team in a coaching capacity who has been active in the role over the past year. Their work with their team will have had a significant impact on results and overall quality of the team and improved the working lives of their players. Their specialty might lie in excellent pre-game preparation, rousing mid series pep talks to inspire confidence or offering valuable insights to what the team is doing. Regardless of their style or chosen game, without them their team would be significantly worse off.


 * Esports Mobile Player of the Year
 * The Esports Mobile Player of the Year award recognises a competitor who competed in mobile titles over the past year at the top level. The award is judged on merit of both honours won throughout the year and skill cap of the individual. They could be a world champion in their chosen game, or one of the most consistent players in the world. Their performances across the year will have impressed and, while winning isn"t a requirement, they will have a few trophies on their shelf. They may have defined a meta, built a massive fan base through their play or simply just been too good for the opposition.


 * Esports Videographer of the Year
 * An esports videographer has the vital role of encapsulating the intensity of competition and the hardships teams traverse through displaying every emotion felt by the entire team including staff. Only the videographers who truly encapsulate the front line of esports and tell a story through their visual prowess can be considered a contender for this award.


 * Streamer of the Year
 * The Streamer of the Year is an entirely fan voted award that pits the biggest and best streamers against each other. Whether they are particularly skilled at the game they play or their personality is so electrifying they"ve earned a reputation as a top streamer only the best are contenders for this award.


 * Esports Content Creator of the Year
 * The Esports Content Creator of the Year honours the hard-working creators who bring fans high-quality content to keep them entertained, informed, or educated. Anyone who curates content whilst attracting a mass scale audience is eligible with the panel taking into account areas such as presenting style, popularity, originality, integrity, and the overall quality of the content. Whether it"s behind the scenes looks at a player"s life or a detailed analysis of an almost unnoticeable play that turned a game, great content inspires millions, and here we honor the very best creators in esports.


 * Esports Journalist of the Year
 * A journalist does more than report and interview, a contender for this award tells a story that you can"t look away from, they draw your attention, they find the information you don"t just want but need and the elite hold a narrative that draws you in from start to finish and only those elite journalists are contenders for this award.


 * Esports Game of the Year
 * The Esports Game of the Year is an award only for the best game as a whole. The game that plays the best, the game that holds the best competitions, the game that draws the fans in, the game that innovates, the game everyone wants to be a part of, that is what a game of the year contender must be able to achieve.


 * Esports Panel"s Choice Award
 * The Panel"s Choice Award is a stand alone and unique award that sees the judging panel independently select an individual who has had a significant impact on the esports industry in the previous year. The individual will have shown dedication and passion to improving the esports industry and strived to better the scene. Any person within the esports industry is eligible to be chosen, but they will have been a constant figure within the esports scene and community and have contributed positively to the growth of the industry in some way.


 * Esports Commercial Partner of the Year
 * Our Commercial Partner of the Year finalists represent the best in industry evangelism, creative marketing and championing the esports industry on a global scale, the commercial partners support the industry and go above and beyond for their partners to enable the best esports experience possible.


 * Esports Broadcaster of the Year
 * The Esports Broadcaster of the Year award is for the casters, commentators, hosts and analysts that truly deliver information to the audience in a charismatic, entertaining manner and capture the audience"s attention to truly appreciate what it is they are witnessing.


 * Esports Hardware Provider of the Year
 * With so much focus on individual skill and performance across esports it's easy to overlook the contribution and importance of those who provide the hardware and tools that allow professional esports athletes to do what they do best, this award is reserved only for the hardware provider who is enabling esports professionals to game on cutting-edge technology and make the experience the best it can be.


 * Esports Live Event of the Year
 * This award is for only the most electrifying, intense, international, world stage level events with the best teams from around the globe competing to prove who is the best of the best, these events are the end goal for teams competing in front of thousands of live viewers and millions watching around the world. This was not included in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


 * Esports Photographer of the Year
 * The photographers who are considered for this award are the ones who have the ability to show every single emotion within their pictures, the highs of winning and the lows of losing, the scale of these grand events held in incredible arenas and the emotions of the fans watching.


 * Esports Coverage Website of the Year
 * The best coverage websites are the ones that are reliable, are updated the instant any updates are available and provide the fans with the best experience with cutting-edge stories that draw you in and make you feel like you were in the moment. Only the elite coverage websites can contend for this award.


 * Esports Supporting Agency of the Year
 * Esports stars and organisations are facing the enormous world of esports head first and being dropped into the deep end with no understanding of how to sustain success. Supporting agencies are there to help players and teams to survive the esports world and only the best agencies are contenders for this award the agencies that go above and beyond for their clients.


 * Esports Publisher of the Year
 * This award is reserved for only the top level publishers. These publishers must be the creators of an active esports game that is thriving in the industry with a significant player base that actively show the ability the publishers have to increase longevity of the game, the publishers must also take an interest in the esports side of the game making an effort to make the competitions and events happen.


 * Esports Collegiate Award
 * The Esports Collegiate Award will honour a group or person who has significantly contributed to the world of collegiate esports. That could be an esports program that has improved the lives of players drastically, advanced the standards of collegiate esports or otherwise forged a path through to pro for individuals or teams competing. Or it could be an organisation or individual who has added something new to the collegiate esports scene, increased it"s exposure in the world or otherwise had a profound impact on improving the collegiate esports experience for athletes and fans.


 * Esports Mobile Game of the Year
 * Esports Mobile Game of the Year will honour a game that, over the past 12 months, has pushed the world of mobile esports forward. This could include, but is not limited to, showing creativity and innovation tailored towards the portability of a handheld device. Any game available on a mobile device could win, providing it has evidenced competitive gaming that translates and captures the essence of esports competition in a mobile format.


 * Esports Content Team of the Year
 * The Esports Content Team of the Year honours a team focused on outputting best in class and standout content in the world of esports. The content can take any form, from video and the likes of docuseries, behind the scenes and visuals effects to written biographies and blogs as well as social media campaigns. The team will have found a large audience and entertained, educated or informed many. The team as a whole will have produced multiple high-quality pieces of content throughout the year with original ideas and professional execution. The content team will help to create a strong sense of identity and enhance the perception of the brands they represent.


 * Esports Content Series of the Year
 * Esports Content Series of the Year honours a series that significantly raised the bar for esports content over the past year. From behind the scenes documentaries, to in depth analytical dissections of in game action, the esports world has seen it"s fair share of incredible content, but this award is for the very best of the last year. It could be a technical masterclass, a gripping tale that keeps fans hooked or something we have never seen before, but one thing is for sure, it will be remembered for years and have you glued to your seat as you experience it. The Content can be in the form of video, visual, audio, podcast or more – ultimately celebrating content in any form.


 * Esports Creative/Creative Team of the Year
 * Esports Creative/Creative Team of the Year honours those that build the perception of brands, live streams, tournaments and content. Instant familiarity and recognition as well as sentiment are all expertly executed when defining top level creative work. The winner significantly raises the bar, creating trends and defining campaigns across the industry, as well as inspiring new ways of engaging the audience.


 * Esports Creative Piece of the Year
 * The Esports Creative Piece of the Year recognises an exemplary piece of esports content that engages and typifies what excellence in esports truly means. This content piece can range from social media campaigns, tournament/event promotional campaigns, stage design, broadcast assets, sound production, advertising campaigns and digital branding, of which highlights exceptional design whilst also delivering clear messaging throughout.


 * Esports Cosplay of the Year
 * The Esports Cosplay of the Year honours a cosplayer who has created some truly breathtaking cosplay and presented it to the community in the form of video or streams, or a cosplay competition during the previous 12 months. The quality of the work will be unmatched by peers, with unbelievable attention to detail, almost exact likeness to the character they portray and a spark of originality in their work. When they are in full cosplay it will be nearly impossible to tell the difference between the character and the cosplayer.


 * Esports Caster of the Year (Colour)
 * The Esports Caster of the Year for colour casters honours the colour caster who has provided some of the most memorable analysis and calls in games over the past 12 months. The caster will have a knack for storytelling intertwined with statistics and analysis that add depth and meaning to the events happening ingame. While play by play casters mostly provide the hype it"s the colour casters who explain the theory behind plays and the analysis of how and why things happen. Their strength may lie in detailed analysis, on point predictions or even comic relief, but without them broadcasts would be significantly less entertaining.


 * Esports Caster of the Year (Play by Play)
 * The Esports Caster of the Year for play by play commentators honours the caster who has provided some of the best calls over the past year in any esports title. Whether they have called moments that have been immortalised forever with their words, or have had a consistent year of high quality broadcasting this person will be at the very top of the game. Specialising in calling the action as it goes down and keeping viewers up to speed with the craziness that is going on is the play by play caster"s goal, but some take it to new levels with very original calls.


 * Esports Host of the Year
 * The Esports Host of the Year honours the finest talent in the world of hosting, be it on a desk, stage or elsewhere. A good host ties the broadcast together, seamlessly moving from one segment to another, while keeping the analysis flowing and interesting and fans engaged, not to forget the invaluable segue. With production crews in their ears, fan reactions to evoke and the weight of the entire broadcast on their shoulders it"s no easy task, but these hosts make it look easy.


 * Esports Analyst of the Year
 * Esports Analyst of the Year honours on or off screen analysts that break down the action and preview the upcoming games along with the event host. While some are masters of analysing the key moments, others have put in the research to look forward at what will happen and why as well as the stats to back it up. They may specialize in crafting the storylines heading into the upcoming games, but all analysts provide insightful commentary on the tournament that enhances the viewing experience.

Play of the month
A monthly event presented by the Esports Awards. The event showcases some of the best plays from the professional scene of esports. The videos are brought out monthly showing 6-8 plays from professional players in recent esports events or tournaments. Video clips can be sent via Twitter or email by the fans. The plays are all chosen internally by the Esports Awards experts in their field. All the plays display moments in the match where the players show an impressive amount of skill in their given field.The public are then able to vote on their choice of best play of the month. All the winners over a 12 month period become nominees for the Play of the Year Award, with the winner being announced at the Esports Awards ceremony. There is also a wildcard category where runner-ups are given the chance to come back and be nominated for Play of the Year.

2016
The awards were held at the Brewery in Moorgate on the 21 November 2016. The show presented 18 awards in various categories of esports. The categories were chosen from across the whole esports scene, recognising players and industry brands alike.

2017
Held at the Brewery in Moorgate in London on the 13 November. Grouped into Group 1 (more community based awards) and Group 2 (more pro based awards).

2018
The ceremony was held as the Brewery in Moorgate on the 12 November. There were 23 awards presented on the night. The awards for this year were split into two groups, group 1 contained all the awards dedicated to the industry such as Streaming Platform of the Year and Esports Publisher of the Year. Group 2 contained the community focused awards which included awards such as the player and streamer awards. There were 4 pre-shows announcing news and finalists for the awards spread throughout 2018.

2019
The ceremony moved from London to Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington Texas and took place on 16 November. There are 27 awards to be presented on the night. For the first time since the awards began it is being split into three separate categories: community, pro and industry. As well as this, the awards will be open for the general public to attend for the first time since they began. The show will be broadcast live on platforms such as Twitch.

2020
The ceremony was held as a digital event hosted within a CGI Studio from LiveCGI on the 21 November with a prelude taking place the night before. There were 16 awards presented at the Prelude and a further 24 awards were presented at the main ceremony. There were 7 pre-shows announcing news and finalists for the awards spread throughout 2020.

Controversy
During the 2018 ceremony, Oladeji "Deji" Olatunji announced the wrong winner for the Esports Publisher of the Year. Deji tricked the audience by announcing that Epic Games was the winner for the category, although as Epic Games got up to take the award he said it was all a "joke" and Blizzard Entertainment was the true winner.

Deji also took a jab at Twitch, who had a table at the event as well as being responsible for streaming the nights event. In his statement he sarcastically thanked the company "Yo, shoutout to Twitch for illegally streaming our fight, you owe us money! Woo!". This was a reference to some Twitch users illegally broadcasting him and his brother's boxing matches against Jake and Logan Paul earlier in the year.