Press release -
HLTV AWARDS PRESENTED BY 1XBET UNVEIL PANEL AWARD FINALISTS
- William “mezii” Merriman, Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, and Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov are named amongst the finalists
- The countdown of the top 20 players of 2025 has started
- Community Awards voting ends on December 31st
Belgrade, Serbia - HLTV is excited to announce the panel finalists for the 2025 HLTV Awards presented by 1xBet. After weeks of deliberation by industry representatives, the likes of Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam and donk - 1v5 vs Vitality have been selected as finalists. The HLTV Awards will be held on January 10th 202,6 at the Blue Hall of the Sava Centar in Belgrade, marking the most prestigious and largest edition of the event to date.
What began with ten nominees for the Panel Awards is now down to just three finalists. The voting panel featured a mix of ten on-air talents, five members of HLTV’s newsroom, and 20 representatives from the top teams of 2025, including notable figures Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, İsmailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş, and Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken.
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 through December 31, and the remaining honours are chosen by HLTV internally.
On December 24, HLTV began its official countdown for the prestigious Player of the Year award. One player from the top 20 of 2025 is revealed each day, leading up to the announcement of the top three on January 10. Fans can track the countdown on HLTV’s website and social media platforms.
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
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)
