The Esports Awards, the most prestigious night in the esports calendar and known for celebrating industry excellence, hosted their first spotlight show tonight. Detailing eight new awards and revealing the brand new Ambassador Programme, the spotlight show was the first of six events that will provide updates on the 2020 format and an opportunity to hear from industry leaders and talent starting with Esports Awards Winner Craig ‘Miniladd’ Thompson who won 2019 Content Creator of the Year. The first show, hosted by esports caster legend Chris Puckett, also revealed new panel members, dates for upcoming events and kicked off the milestone year with 2020 signifying the fifth anniversary of the awards and the start of a full year of celebration. Nominations for voting are live.
The Esports Awards is an annual ceremony that aims to recognise excellence, create legacy and honours figures from all areas of the industry. Last year, the awards headed to North America for the first time at the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas and saw a record breaking 7 million people tune in and over 3.6 million votes counted. A series of prominent names were honoured, including two-time award winner Dr Disrespect, 100 Thieves CEO Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag and Fortnite sensation Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf. Alongside the official ceremony, the Esports Awards offers Spotlight Shows throughout the year aimed to provide the community with the latest awards updates, insights from the biggest esports stars and highlight those making waves in the industry.
Tonight’s first spotlight show kicked off the fifth year of the awards and revealed changes to the awards category format. After feedback from the community, the Esports Awards has listened and has adapted its accolades to celebrate even further across the industry. For 2020, the Esports Awards has introduced a new grouping of award categories across Community, Industry, Pro & On Air Talent and Creative, and eight new awards:
- Esports mobile game of the year
- Esports mobile player of the year
- Esports collegiate award
- Esports content team of the year
- Esports content series of the year
- Esports caster of the year (play by play)
- Esports caster of the year (Colour)
- Esports analyst of the year
2020 will also see the launch of The Esports Awards Ambassador Programme which is designed to give back to those who help bring the esports community together and who have supported the awards. The programme officially recognises individuals for the role they are playing. The first wave of members were revealed and included two time Esports Awards Winner and Fortnite legend Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf and Head of Creators for G2 Esports and a hugely talented on air host, best known for her role in the Borderlands series, Britanni Johnson.
In addition, 2020 welcomes 11 new panel members including the Director of mobile gaming at Complexity, Matt Rutledge, StarCraft II expert Enrique ‘Horuss’ Palimino, and Director of Product and Experience for BLAST, Nicolas Estrup. From analysts to ex pros and CEO’s the panel is one of the most experienced bodies inside the esports industry.
The awards also welcomed back a series of sponsors including Scuf Gaming and The Koyo Store and introduces two new sponsors eFuse, the professional hub for esports and video games and Grind Gaming, launching later this year with a mission to break down the high barriers in the esports industry and create platforms that open doors for individuals and groups in pursuit of a professional career in esports.
“I’m incredibly proud of what the team has achieved over the last five years. The ceremony has evolved to produce year-round content that truly recognises excellence across the industry, not just those who win championships but those running them, capturing them and the talent presenting them. We’re continuously looking at how to evolve and a lot of changes, including the new awards additions have been based on community feedback,” said Michael Ashford, Managing Director, Esports Awards. “Even after five years we’re still in our infancy. As with the Oscars or Baftas we plan on growing year on year to honour our industry and create legacy.”
The Esports Awards 2020 campaign starts now, with nominations now open to the public for their favourite streamers, teams, players and more. Key dates include:
July – Spotlight Show 2 – Community Voting Opens
August – Spotlight Show 3 – Industry and Creative Voting Opens
September – Spotlight Show 4 – Pro and On Air Talent Voting Opens
October – Spotlight Show 5 – The Go Home Show building up to main event
At the End of Year this all culminates at the Esports Awards 2020 Ceremony
The 2020 ceremony will once again be held at the Esports Stadium Arlington and in partnership with Arlington.org. The partnership will allow the guests of the Esports Awards to once again have the opportunity to see the best of what Arlington has to offer from the iconic Six Flags amusement park to viewing the AT&T Stadium.
For more information on the new awards, panel members, details of the Ambassador Programme and key dates please visit www.esportsawards.com. Nominations are now open at www.esportsawards.com/nominate
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