Press release -
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE HLTV AWARDS PRESENTED BY 1XBET
- William “mezii” Merriman, Freya "Freya" Spiers, StarLadder Budapest Major, and Mayline-Joy "ASTRA" Champliaud are in the running for awards
- Raphael “cogu” Camargo, Yegor “markeloff” Markelov, and Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer will be inducted into the HLTV Hall of Fame
- The HLTV Awards Conference presented by GRID will take place on January 9th
- Watch live on January 10th from 18:00 CET on HLTV's Twitch channel
Belgrade, Serbia (January 8th, 2026)- On January 10, the prestigious HLTV Awards presented by 1xBet will take place live at the iconic Blue Hall of the Sava Centar in Belgrade. The ceremony will bring together some of the biggest names in Counter-Strike, including potti, dimawallhacks, dona, Ohnepixel, ScreaM, and 3kliksphilip, alongside representatives from top esports organisations such as FURIA, Team Spirit, and Team Vitality.
The HLTV Awards feature three categories: Community, Panel, and HLTV-decided awards. Panel winners are selected by industry representatives, Community Awards are determined by reader voting, and the remaining honours are chosen by HLTV internally. The prestigious Player of the Year award will also be announced on the night, with the top 20 players of the year being counted down in the lead-up on HLTV’s website.
Raphael “cogu” Camargo, Yegor “markeloff” Markelov, and Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer will be inducted into the HLTV Hall of Fame. Each inductee will be formally honoured on the night, receiving a Hall of Fame–inscribed Rolex watch, a dedicated HLTV player profile, permanent recognition on the Hall of Fame page, and a commemorative article and video chronicling their careers. They will also have their own challenges added to the hallowed HLTV Hall of Fame map on Steam.
Alongside the awards, HLTV will host the HLTV Awards Conference presented by GRID on January 9, a one-day industry event focused on celebrating Counter-Strike while exploring tournament production, the CS economy, and audience growth. The conference will feature key industry leaders from Perfect World, BLAST, ESL FACEIT Group, FaZe, 100 Thieves, offering expert insight into the present and future of Counter-Strike.
Full List of HLTV Awards Finalists
Panel Awards
- Closer of the Year, presented by 1xBet
- Anchor of the Year, presented by 1xBet
- IGL of the Year, presented by 1xBet
- AWPer of the Year, presented by 1xBet
- Opener of the Year, presented by 1xBet
- Coach of the Year, presented by 1xBet
- Highlight of the Year, presented by 1xBet
Community Awards
- Talent of the Year, presented by 1xBet
- Streamer of the Year, presented by 1xBet
- Creator of the Year, presented by 1xBet
- Event of the Year, presented by 1xBet
- Skin of the Year, presented by Skin.Club
- AWP | Printstream (JTPNZ)
- Glock-18 | Shinobu (Horameow)
- M4A4 | Full Throttle (dwern)
HLTV Awards
- Women's Player of The Year, presented by 1xBet
- Women's Team of The Year, presented by 1xBet
- Rookie of The Year, presented by HLTV
- Team of The Year, presented by 1xBet
- Player of The Year, presented by 1xBet
- TBA
–ENDS-
Related links
About HLTV
HLTV is a website dedicated to the coverage of competitive Counter-Strike, founded in 2002. It features news, schedules, results, livescores, statistics, photographs, and a dedicated community forum. The website is also known for its Rating, MVP award, team world ranking, yearly Top 20 players ranking, and Award Show.
About HLTV Award Show
The HLTV Award Show is the annual celebration of Counter-Strike, which will take place on January 10, 2026, in Belgrade, Serbia. The suit-and-tie, red carpet event will feature community, panel, and HLTV-decided awards, and will culminate with the reveal of the Player of the Year.
Website // Twitter // Facebook // Instagram // Twitch
Media Contact:
Natalie Bahbout, Swipe Right – natalie@swiperight.gg
Full assets can be found here (please credit all assets to HLTV)
