The Esports Awards, the most prestigious night in the esports calendar, officially kicked off its 2021 campaign with its first Spotlight Show of the year with nominations officially open now. The first show, co-hosted by esports caster Captain Flowers and host Ovilee May reflected on milestones from 2020 which saw the Esports Awards virtual show attract over 15.1 million viewers across the campaign and 5.1 million votes. The Spotlight Show which aired tonight also revealed new panel members, dates for upcoming events, a Creative Corner segment with George Nowack interviewing Seso from 100 Thieves, and an interview with Xavier Woods hosted by Golden Boy.
For 2021 the Esports Awards presents a new look to cement its five year story while looking towards the future and upholding its pillars of legacy, excellence and honour. The new logo takes inspiration from the iconic Oscars award silhouette and is designed to represent the Esports Awards statue.
As part of its commitment to listening to the community and recognising every corner of the industry, the Esports Awards presents a selection of new awards for 2021. The new awards for 2021 include Esports Broadcast/Production Team of the Year which aims to recognise those delivering the most engaging productions, Esports Creative of the Year which focuses on individuals displaying ground breaking design philosophies, Esports Video Production of the Year which focuses on the teams behind some of the best video content and Esports Apparel of the Year honouring the coolest and most innovative threads.
There has also been a few award adjustments including Esports Console Player of the Year and Esports Console Rookie of the Year which will both be renamed to Esports Controller Player of the Year and Esports Controller Rookie of the Year, to reflect more titles being played on PC for broadcast purposes, but still being played with a controller. Esports Supporting Agency of the Year will transition to Esports Supporting Service of the Year to make the award more inclusive to all businesses, and then Esports Cosplay of the Year has had its criteria tightened to put all those involved at the forefront.
The Esports Awards 2021 campaign starts now, with nominations now open to the public for their favourite streamers, teams, players and more. Key dates include:
- March 31st: Nominations open
- May: Finalists for the Community Awards
- June: Finalists for the Industry Awards
- July: Finalists for Creative Awards
- August: Finalists for the Pro & On-Air Talent Awards
- October: The Go-Home Show building up to the main event
- End of Year: The Esports Awards 2021 Ceremony
“I’m incredibly excited to kick off the 2021 Esports Awards campaign with a new look, a plethora of new awards and an extensive calendar of year round celebration. 2020 was incredibly challenging for live events so we were humbled by the response to our virtual celebration and excited to be able to bring the awards back for 2021,” said Michael Ashford, Managing Director, Esports Awards. “The Esports Awards celebrates excellence and after six years it was time for a rebrand to maintain the feeling of prestige. We want everyone who walks away with an award to feel like they achieved something special.”
The Esports Awards is pleased to welcome Secretlab as a partner for the 2021 awards, with more details on the partnership set for a full launch in May. Koyo Store, Sizzle Creative, Touch of Ginger, Verizon, SCUF, Arlington CVB and Esports Gear also all return as sponsors for the 2021 campaign.
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