Press release -

HLTV AWARDS PRESENTED BY 1XBET REVEAL NOMINEE LIST AHEAD OF BIGGEST EDITION YET

  • ZywOo, donk, mezii, m0NESY and more amongst the list of this year’s nominees
  • Community categories are open for voting now
  • HLTV will host the HLTV Awards Conference presented by GRID on January 9th

Belgrade, Serbia - HLTV is pleased to share the nominees for the HLTV Awards presented by 1xBet, as the prestigious celebration returns to Belgrade on January 10th 2026. Building on the success of previous editions, the 2025 HLTV Awards promise to be the biggest and most ambitious yet.

To accommodate growing interest and an expanded program, the HLTV Awards 2025 will move to the Blue Hall of the Sava Centar, one of Belgrade’s most iconic landmarks. The new venue allows the event to increase capacity from 600 to 1,000 attendees, while maintaining its exclusive, industry-focused, and invite-only nature. Attendees will include the biggest teams and content creators including Scream, Potti, Furia, Spirit, olofmeister, Cogu, Team Vitaliy, dona, Ohne, dimawallhacks, and more.

HLTV Awards Nominees

The HLTV Awards are divided into three categories: Community Awards, Panel Awards, and HLTV-decided awards. Panel Award winners are selected by a group of industry representatives, including top broadcast talent, team players and coaches, and HLTV staff. Community Awards are determined by HLTV readers through a voting process which ends December 31st, and the remaining HLTV awards are decided internally by the team at HLTV.

The Panel Award nominees will be narrowed down to a group of finalists on December 28, while the finalists for the Community Awards will be announced on December 31. Lastly, some of the HLTV Awards finalists have already been published including the Women's categories, with the rest to follow in coming weeks.

Panel Awards

Community Awards

HLTV Awards

HLTV Awards Conference presented by GRID

In addition to the awards, HLTV will host a one-day industry conference on January 9, bringing together the most influential voices in Counter-Strike. Presented by GRID, the HLTV Awards Conference will aim to celebrate the game, share insights, and foster education within the industry. The conference will focus on core topics including tournament production, the CS economy, and audience growth.

The confirmed panels and speakers are:

Behind the Big Stages

  • Lucas Aznar Miles, HLTV (Host)
  • Archer Wang, Esports Senior Director, Perfect World
  • Anne Banschbach, Programme Director Valve and Development, BLAST
  • Marc Winther, Director Esports - Counter-Strike, ESL FACEIT Group

One Year with VRS

  • Chad "SPUNJ" Burchill, Commentator & Expert (Host)
  • Fabian Logemann, VP of Tournaments & Content, GRID esports
  • Graham "messioso" Pitt, Head of Operations, 100 Thieves CS
  • Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken, Pro Player, FaZe

Reaching the Audience

  • Luis Mira, HLTV (Host)
  • Per Lambæk, Founder, HLTV
  • Ivan Filletti, CEO, Gaming Malta
  • Jonas Gundersen, Founder & CEO, Fusion Esports Group

The CS Economy

  • Janko "YNk" Paunović, Commentator & Expert (Host)
  • Nikola Stolnik, CEO, Good Game
  • Jan Dominicus, Chief Business Development Officer, MOUZ
  • Jerome Coupez, Founder & CEO, Prodigy Agency

Hall of Fame Inductions

Raphael "⁠cogu⁠" Camargo, Yegor "⁠markeloff⁠" Markelov and Olof "⁠olofmeister⁠" Kajbjer will be inducted into the prestigious HLTV Hall of Fame, joining legends Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg, Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund, Emil “HeatoN” Christensen, and Tommy “Potti” Ingemarsson.

Each inductee will receive:

  • A live induction ceremony during the HLTV Awards
  • A Rolex watch featuring a Hall of Fame inscription
  • A dedicated HLTV player profile
  • Permanent recognition on the Hall of Fame page
  • A commemorative article and video chronicling their career

–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.

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Media Contact:

Natalie Bahbout, Swipe Right – natalie@swiperight.gg

Full assets can be found here (please credit all assets to HLTV)

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