The Esports Awards revealed its first wave of 2026 finalists on August 6, naming 12 streamers as contenders for Streamer of the Year ahead of the ceremony in Miami this November.
According to the official announcement, the finalists are Nicholas “Jynxzi” Stewart, Darren “iShowSpeed” Jason Watkins Jr., TheBurntPeanut, Marc “Caedrel” Robert Lamont, Kai “Kai Cenat” Carlo Cenat III, Mark “OhnePixel” Zimmermann, Case “CaseOh” Baker, Victor “Coringa” Augusto Costa Camilo, Jason “JasonTheWeen” Thanh Nguyen, Rani “StableRonaldo” Netz, Brittany “Cinna” Lynn Watts and Raj “Snax Gaming” Varma.
Voting opened the same day at esportsawards.com/vote and continues through November 10. Organizers added a Turbo Week from November 3 to 10 during which each vote carries double weight.
The finalists were unveiled live during the Spotlight Show hosted by Soe Gschwind, Phil “EE” Visu, James “Dash” Patterson and Lottie Van-Praag. In the same release, the Esports Awards confirmed Miami as the host city for the first time, following the 2025 ceremony in Las Vegas. Partners for the 2026 event include the Esports World Cup and Oakley. The precise venue has not yet been announced.
Michael Ashford, CEO of the Esports Awards, said in the official statement:
“After a fantastic 2025 edition in Las Vegas, we are thrilled to be bringing our flagship ceremony to sunny Miami for the first time, the ultimate stage for a world-class celebration combining luxury, culture, and unrivalled entertainment.”
David Whitaker, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, stated that Miami offers
“the perfect blend of world-class hospitality, vibrant culture, cutting-edge entertainment and global connectivity.”
Several nominees have prior recognition from the awards. Watkins Jr. won Streamer of the Year in 2025. Stewart won Content Creator of the Year in the same cycle and continues as a leading Rainbow Six Siege and variety streamer. Cenat has built a large following through Just Chatting and IRL content. Lamont, a former League of Legends professional, is known for casting and streaming. Zimmermann streams primarily CS2 and other first-person shooters. Baker focuses on variety and reaction streams. Costa Camilo is a prominent Brazilian streamer who appears under the handle loud_victor. TheBurntPeanut gained rapid attention with FPS and avatar-driven content and won multiple categories at the 2025 Streamer Awards, including Best FPS Streamer.
Streamer of the Year is one of nine categories in the first wave, which also includes Esports Game of the Year, Esports Mobile Game of the Year, Esports Personality of the Year, Esports Content Group of the Year, Esports Content Creator of the Year, Esports Commercial Partner of the Year, Esports Tournament Organiser of the Year and Esports Supporting Service of the Year. A second wave of finalists is scheduled for later release.
Founded in 2015, the Esports Awards positions itself as the industry’s primary global event recognizing players, teams, creators, organizers and commercial partners. The 2026 ceremony continues the partnership with the Esports World Cup, which is set for Paris in the summer of 2026.
Fans may cast one vote per day on the official site until the November 10 cutoff. The organization has directed supporters to monitor its channels for venue confirmation and the remaining finalist announcements.
