eSports

THE ESPORTS AWARDS PRESENTED BY LEXUS NAMES RIOT GAMES, 100 THIEVES, AND DISCORD AS WINNERS

Published

4 years ago

November 22, 2021

THE ESPORTS AWARDS PRESENTED BY LEXUS NAMES RIOT GAMES, 100 THIEVES, AND DISCORD AS WINNERS

The Esports Awards presented by Lexus, the most prestigious night in the esports calendar, is excited to share the full list of winners from this year’s star-studded event which saw a return to a live ceremony after 735 days at the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas. As the perfect backdrop to celebrate and honour the accomplishments of 2021, the Esports Awards played host to some of the biggest brands, organisations, and influencers from the esports industry and beyond.

Hosted by Eefje ‘sjokz’ Depoortere, James ‘Dash’ Patterson, Alex ‘Goldenboy’ Mendez, Soe Gschwind, Nyvi Estephan and Thom ‘F.’ Badinger, the Esports Awards provided an evening of excellence, celebration and prestige. Key moments from the evening included Lexus showcasing the Gamers’ IS, a one-of-a-kind vehicle designed by and for gamers, and digital appearances from Jürgen Klopp, Luke Combs and Steve Aoki. As well as this, money was raised across the event for Make-A-Wish, with the Truman Factory announcing they were donating $10,000 towards the great cause.

Amongst the biggest winners of the night was Riot Games, picking up awards for both Esports Broadcast/Production Team of The Year and Esports Publisher of The Year, with its FPS title VALORANT taking home Esports Game of The Year In Association With The Koyo Store. 100 Thieves was named winners for both Esports Apparel of The Year and Esports Organisation of The Year Presented by Lexus.

In the Pro and On-Air categories, Marc Robert “Caedrel” Lamont was named Esports Analyst of The Year, Zhu “paraboy” Bocheng took home the Esports Mobile Player of The Year Presented By Verizon trophy and recent PGL CS:GO Major winner Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev was named Esports PC Player of The Year.

The full list of Esports Awards presented by Lexus winners are:

ESPORTS APPAREL OF THE YEAR

100 Thieves – WINNER
Team Liquid
G2 Esports
Cloud9
FaZe Clan
Ateyo
Fnatic
Spacestation Gaming
Fallen Store
Team Vitality

ESPORTS CONTENT CREATOR OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY ARLINGTON.ORG

HECZ
LS
Ashley Kang – WINNER
Thorin
Macie Jay
UpUpDownDown
BananaSlamJamma (BSJ)
Musty
Sunless Khan
iFerg
Coconut Brah
NadeKing

ESPORTS MOBILE GAME OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY VERIZON

Stake - Best Online Casino & Sports Betting Platform

PUBG Mobile
Free Fire – WINNER
Brawl Stars
Clash Royale
LoL Wild Rift
CoD Mobile
Arena of Valor
Mobile Legends

ESPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA

HECZ
Ocelote
Sjokz
Nobru – WINNER
Nadeshot
FalleN
Interro
Perkz
Goldenboy
Baiano
JohnnyBoi_i

STREAMER OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY LEXUS

Valkyrae
XQC
MortaL
Ludwig
Nickmercs
TheGrefg
LOUD Coringa
Summit1G
Dr Disrespect
Ibai – WINNER
Shroud
CouRage

ESPORTS CONTENT SERIES OF THE YEAR

The Process – OpTic Gaming
G2 Voicecomms
TSM: LEGENDS
LORE // VALORANT
Metagame Documentary – WINNER
The Eavesdrop Podcast
Fight for First: EXCEL ESPORTS
DOTA: Dragon’s Blood
Liquid Origins | Driven by Honda

ESPORTS COSPLAY OF THE YEAR

Sneaky
Glory Lamothe
Peyton Cosplay – WINNER
Willow Creative
Kinpatsu Cosplay
LittleJem
Skydaddi
FusRoFran

ESPORTS CREATIVE OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY ROLAND

Thorsten Denk – WINNER
LIQUID Enigma
Aaron Create
SesoHQ
Euller Araujo
Gabriel Ruiz
Karina Ziminaite
Caroline Parker-Stark
Danny Lopez
Robert Rogers

ESPORTS CREATIVE PIECE OF THE YEAR

Introducing Team Liquid VALORANT
FaZe Clan Enters Rocket League
LEC Anime Teaser
No Clue | adidas Partners with G2 Esports – WINNER
Metagame Documentary
LEC: Reckless with my heart
Introducing Your LA THIEVES
LPL Spring Split 2021 | Break The Silence
Segue o Fluxo| Nobru and Cerol introduce the new LBFF Team

ESPORTS CREATIVE TEAM OF THE YEAR

WePlay
Paper Crowns
AOE Creative
100 Thieves
G2 Esports
1UP Studios
StreamSpell
Alex Productions – WINNER
GETREKT Labs

ESPORTS VIDEO PRODUCTION TEAM OF THE YEAR

G2 Esports – WINNER
100 Thieves
TSM FTX
YUNG ELDR
OpTic Gaming
1UP Studios
FaZe Clan
Metagame Documentary Team
LOUD
Fluxo

ESPORTS BROADCAST/PRODUCTION TEAM OF THE YEAR

Riot Games – WINNER
ESL Gaming
Nerd Street Gamers
Psyonix
Esports Engine
Activision Blizzard
Beyond the Summit
BLAST Premier
Garena
FACEIT

ESPORTS COMMERCIAL PARTNER OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY GRIND GAMING

Intel – WINNER
Red Bull
BMW
State Farm
Logitech G
Mountain Dew
HyperX
Alienware
Verizon
FTX
Cash App
KITKAT

ESPORTS COVERAGE PLATFORM OF THE YEAR IN ASSOCIATION WITH SIZZLE CREATIVE

Dexerto
The Esports Observer – WINNER
Esports Insider
Dot Esports
HLTV.org
Liquipedia
Esportmaníacos
Inven Global
SiegeGG
Upcomer

ESPORTS GAME OF THE YEAR IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE KOYO STORE

League of Legends
VALORANT – WINNER
Free Fire
CS:GO
Call of Duty
Rocket League
Rainbow Six Siege
Dota 2
PUBG Mobile
Overwatch

ESPORTS HARDWARE PROVIDER OF THE YEAR

Logitech G
Razer
Elgato
HyperX
NVIDIA
Intel
AMD
Alienware
Secretlab
Corsair – WINNER
SteelSeries
ASUS ROG

ESPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

Jacob Wolf
Richard Lewis
Adam Fitch
Ashley Kang
FionnOnFire
Kevin Hitt – WINNER
Liz Richardson
Wasif Ahmed
Pablo ‘Bloop’ Suárez
H.B. Duran

ESPORTS PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR

Riot Games – WINNER
Tencent
Garena
Ubisoft
Psyonix
EA
Activision Blizzard
Epic Games
Valve

ESPORTS SUPPORTING SERVICE OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY UNION HOME MORTGAGE

ESG LAW
Paper Crowns
Aftershock Media Group
Hitmarker
Discord – WINNER
The Story Mob
ESEA
Creative Artists Agency
Character Select Agency
Prodigy Agency
Mobalytics

ESPORTS COLLEGIATE AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR

Dr. Chris “Doc” Haskell – WINNER
Adam Antor
Chris Turner
Ariane Lim
Ryan Johnson

ESPORTS COLLEGIATE PROGRAM OF THE YEAR

Northwood University
Boise State University
Maryville University – WINNER
Grand Canyon University
University of Hawai’i
Buckeye Gaming Collective – Ohio State University
Longhorn Gaming – University of Texas at Austin
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Illini Esports – University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Winthrop University

ESPORTS ANALYST OF THE YEAR

Anthony “NAMELESS” Wheeler
Emily Rand
Jacob “Pimp” Winneche
Jess ‘JessGOAT’ Bolden
Marc Robert “Caedrel” Lamont – WINNER
Kyle “melonzz” Freedman
Jonathan “Reinforce” Larsson
Sean “sgares” Gares
Jason “moses” O’Toole

ESPORTS COLOUR CASTER OF THE YEAR

Chad “SPUNJ” Burchill – WINNER
Mohan “launders” Govindasamy
Michael “KiXSTAr” Stockley
Josh “Sideshow” Wilkinson
Thomas “Chance” Ashworth
Andrew “Vedius” Day
Sam “Kobe” Hartman-Kenzler
John “Johnnyboi_i” MacDonald
Stephen “Sajam” Lyon

ESPORTS HOST OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY ARLINGTON.ORG

Eefje ‘sjokz’ Depoortere – WINNER
Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez
Soe Gschwind
James “Dash” Patterson
Jorien “Sheever” van der Heijden
Ana Paula ‘Ana Xisdê’ Cardoso
Loviel “Velly” Cardwell
Tres “stunna” Saranthus
Brody “Liefx” Moore
Ghassan “MiloshTheMedic” Finge
Caleb “WavePunk” Simmons
Chris “Puckett” Puckett

ESPORTS PLAY BY PLAY CASTER OF THE YEAR

Parker “Interro” Mackay
Alex “Machine” Richardson
Miles Ross – WINNER
Trevor “Quickshot” Henry
Clayton “CaptainFlowers” Raines
Mitch “Uber” Leslie
Callum “Shogun” Keir
Owen “ODPixel” Davies
Lauren “Pansy” Scott
BrunoClash

ESPORTS COACH OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY EXPEDIA

James “Crowder” Crowder
James “Mac” MacCormack
Bok “Reapered” Han-gyu
Andrii “B1ad3” Gorodenskyi
Dyjair “Mity” Soares
Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun
Arthur “TchubZ” Martins
Emiliano “Sizz” Benny
Andrey “Engh” Sholokhov
Byung-chul “Moon” Moon – WINNER
Mark “MarkyB” Bryceland

ESPORTS CONTROLLER PLAYER OF THE YEAR IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SCUF

Chris “Simp” Lehr – WINNER
Justin “jstn.” Morales
Eric “Snip3down” Wrona
Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris
Joseph “Mang0” Marquez
Evan “M0nkey M00n” Rogez
Jack “JBM” Mascone
Dominique “SonicFox” McLean
Gavin “Tweek” Dempsey
Victor “Fairy Peak!” Locquet

ESPORTS CONTROLLER ROOKIE OF THE YEAR IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SCUF

Jamie “Insight” Craven
Evan “M0nkey M00n” Rogez – WINNER
Raúl “DmentZa” Palazuelos
Eli “Standy” Bentz
Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez
Marc “MaRc_By_8.” Domingo
Andres “dreaz” Jordan

ESPORTS MOBILE PLAYER OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY VERIZON

Zhu “paraboy” Bocheng – WINNER
Mohamed “Mohamed Light” Tarek
Gabriel “Syaz” Vasconcelos
Mustafa “SkYRiiKZz” Ibrahim
Karl Gabriel “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno
Jash “Learn” Shah
Piyapon “TheCruz” Boonchuay
Brian “Tectonic” Michel
Lucas “LucasXGamer” Vinícius Batista Rocha
Cauan “Cauan7” da Silva

ESPORTS ORGANISATION OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY LEXUS

LOUD
100 Thieves – WINNER
G2 Esports
Team Liquid
FaZe Clan
NRG
TSM FTX
Fnatic
Cloud9
T1
Envy
OverActive Media

ESPORTS PC PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev – WINNER
Luccas “Paluh” Vinicius Molina
Tyson “TenZ” Ngo
Heo “ShowMaker” Su
Wang “Ame” Chunyu
Kim “Doinb” Tae-sang
Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov
Ayaz “nAts” Akhmetshin
Jae-Won “LIP” Lee

ESPORTS PC ROOKIE OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY INDEED

Kyle “Danny” Sakamaki
Javier “Elyoya” Prades Batalla
Tyson “TenZ” Ngo
Ayaz “nAts” Akhmetshin
Adam “Adam” Maanane
Valeriy “B1T” Vakhovskiy – WINNER
Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov
Se-hyun “Pelican” Oh
Robin “Robinsongz” Sung

ESPORTS TEAM OF THE YEAR IN ASSOCIATION WITH SECRETLAB

Atlanta FaZe (CDL) – WINNER
The General NRG (Rocket League)
Natus Vincere (NAVI) (CS:GO)
Ninjas in Pyjamas (Rainbow 6)
DWG KIA (League of Legends)
PSG.LGD (Dota 2)
MAD Lions (LoL)
Gambit Esports (VALORANT)
Shanghai Dragons (Overwatch)
Sentinels (VALORANT)

PANEL’S CHOICE AWARD

Jas “Fizzi” Laferriere – WINNER

ESPORTS PHOTO OF THE YEAR

Eric Ananmalay – WINNER

ESPORTS PLAY OF THE YEAR

Virtue – WINNER

“As we conclude our sixth year I think it’s important to sit back and recognise just how far the esports industry has grown and the increased innovation and dedication we see year after year. I am so thrilled that we were able to return to a live event and give our winners the opportunity to be celebrated in true style. At the Esports Awards we pride ourselves on creating a lasting legacy and this year’s event has certainly been one for the history books,” said Michael Ashford, CEO, Esports Awards

Up Next

Intema announces the resumption of trading in its securities

Don't Miss

SCCG Management and SMS Hospitality bring Gamerwager Licensed Peer to Peer Console Esports Wagering to the US

eSports

Emmy-Winning Director R.J. Cutler’s Docuseries Esports World Cup: Level Up Premieres June 6 on Prime Video

Published

1 week ago

May 29, 2025

Niji Narayan

Esports_LevelUp_Documentary_KeyVisual_ft_Jafonso

Prime Video, one of the leading entertainment destinations, will premiere the five-part documentary Esports World Cup: Level Up on June 6, with new episodes released weekly. Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler (Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, Elton John: Never Too Late and Martha), the series goes behind-the-scenes of the inaugural Esports World Cup (EWC) in 2024 — a defining moment in global esports, where over $60 million in prize money ignited a high-stakes, multinational battle to crown the world’s top esports Club.

The series is produced by This Machine (a part of Sony Pictures Television), with R.J. Cutler directing, John Dorsey serving as showrunner, and Jane Cha Cutler, Trevor Smith, Elise Pearlstein and Mark Blatty executive producing. Level Up will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

Esports World Cup: Level Up offers a rare look inside a global competition that’s redefining what it means to be a champion for a new generation of athletes and fans. R.J. Cutler and his team of expert storytellers embedded themselves within the eight-week tournament – watched by over 500 million fans globally – to uncover the personal sacrifices, rivalries and stakes driving the action.

Shot in verité style, the series combines intimate home visits from around the world and on-the-ground coverage from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It follows a wide cast of characters – from Club CEOs orchestrating million-dollar strategies to rising stars chasing life-changing wins – while capturing the pulse of elite esports competition.

“What drew me to the Esports World Cup was the compelling human stories unfolding within this high-stakes arena. Level Up isn’t just about the incredible competition and prize money; it’s about the dedication, the passion, and the sheer will of these athletes and teams pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Under high pressure, we discover the true character of the competitors who vie for $60 million, but who also expose their humanity in the process,” said Cutler.

At the heart of Level Up is the “EWC Club Championship,” an unprecedented, multi-title tournament format where Clubs compete across more than 20 games, earning points toward a single leaderboard. Every match, every point, reshapes the race for global dominance. With the highest prize pool in esports history on the line, the EWC is not just a tournament – it’s a proving ground for the next generation of sports icons.

“A win might make the headlines — but the real story is the people behind it. Level Up dives into the human side of esports: the pressure, the ambition, the sacrifices. It’s about what it really takes to compete at the highest level — and why it matters. R.J. is the best at bringing those stories to life, and this one captures the heart of what we’re building,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation.

eSports

Esports Charts Wins “Esports Innovation Award” at the EsportsNext Industry Awards

Published

2 weeks ago

May 27, 2025

Niji Narayan

Esports Charts Wins “Esports Innovation Award” at the EsportsNext Industry Awards

Esports Charts, a Ukraine-born analytics company that aggregates real-time viewership insights about esports, has won the Esports Innovation Award at the EsportsNext Industry Awards, hosted by the Esports Trade Association (ESTA) in Dallas, US.

The Esports Innovation Award recognizes an organization or individual that has introduced groundbreaking technology, services, or strategies significantly advancing the esports industry.

Esports Charts was honored for its scalable analytics platform, which provides comprehensive tournament and viewership statistics across more than 25 livestreaming services — helping stakeholders from publishers and teams to fans make smarter, data-driven decisions.

“Winning the Innovation Award from ESTA is an important milestone for us as a leading esports analytics service in the world. Also, we’re especially proud to represent Ukraine-born innovation on an international stage.

“From day one, our mission has been to bring clarity and transparency to the world of esports data. And this recognition from the industry is both an honor and a motivation to keep raising the bar.

“Thank you to our incredible team and partners, who believed in us from the start. This award is a shared success — and we’re just getting started,” Artyom Odintsov, co-founder and CEO of Esports Charts.

eSports

TEAM VITALITY WINS INTEL EXTREME MASTERS DALLAS 2025

Published

2 weeks ago

May 26, 2025

Adrienn Sarkany

Today, leading esports club Team Vitality was crowned champions at the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Dallas 2025, held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Centre. Most Valuable Player (MVP) Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut guided the team to an imperious victory in Texas, delivering standout performances throughout the tournament, particularly in the Grand Final against MOUZ. With this victory, Team Vitality is crowned the champions of IEM Dallas 2025, bouncing back from a narrow 2-1 defeat in the 2024 tournament, where they finished as runners-up.

ANOTHER TROPHY LIFTED IN TEAM VITALITY’S LEGENDARY RUN

The powerhouse lineup of Dan ‘apEX’ Madesclaire, Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut, Shahar ‘flameZ’ Shushan, William ‘mezii’ Merriman, and Robin ‘ropz’ Kool all shone on the server, defeating several top-tier clubs, with “ZywOo” being named as the tournament’s MVP.

Kicking off their run in Group A, Team Vitality’s first match saw an impressive 2-0 win over South American side Legacy, showcasing their strength on both Inferno and Dust 2. The Upper Bracket Semifinals presented a closer challenge against GamerLegion, yet Team Vitality held firm and secured another 2-0 victory.

In the Upper Bracket Final, the French powerhouse faced Mongolian org, The MongolZ. The series began with a 13-10 Team Vitality victory on Inferno, but the MongolZ answered back with a 13-7 win on Nuke. However, the Bees levelled the series back on Mirage, where flameZ delivered a standout performance, leading them to a 13-11 victory. This victory continued Team Vitality’s 28-game win streak and secured their spot in the Playoffs Semi-finals.

The Semi-Final saw a rematch of the IEM Melbourne 2025 Grand Final, as the Bees faced off against Team Falcons. Dust II went the way of Team Vitality, with a commanding 13-7 win. However, the opposition roared back to take Train 13-6, setting up a grandstand final round on Inferno. Here, Team Vitality rallied together and managed to see off their rivals in close fashion, winning 13-11 to set up the Grand Final against MOUZ.

Team Vitality kicked off the Grand Final with a stunning comeback victory on Dust II, winning 13-11 from being 8-11 down. The Bees continued their early form into Mirage, asserting their dominance early to take a 13-9 win. The French club finished the 3-0 sweep on Inferno, taking a 13-8 win to secure the victory.

TEAM VITALITY EXTENDS THEIR REIGN IN COMPETITIVE CS2

The 2025 IEM Dallas title marks the club’s sixth Counter-Strike tournament win of the year. By defeating MOUZ at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Centre, Team Vitality extends their historic streak – a triumph made even more meaningful by taking place in Dallas, a city deeply rooted in Counter-Strike’s competitive legacy.

Fabien Devide, President of Team Vitality, said: “I’m extremely proud of our CS team for securing yet another major title with this IEM Dallas victory. Team Vitality continues to showcase the strength and excellence of French esports organisations on the global stage, and we have no intention of slowing down anytime soon.”

With the IEM Dallas title under their belt, Team Vitality have established their status as the team to beat for the remainder of the 2025 competitive calendar. Their unstoppable run will continue at the BLAST Austin Major next month, followed by IEM Cologne in July, where the team will look to continue winning trophies. By winning IEM Dallas, Team Vitality has already taken the first step in securing back-to-back ESL Grand Slams, a feat never before achieved by any other esports club.