The annual HLTV Awards presented by 1xBet are set to return this weekend, bringing the Counter-Strike community together in Belgrade, Serbia. The ceremony will be held live on Jan. 10 at the Blue Hall of the Sava Centar, with a live broadcast scheduled to begin at 18:00 CET on HLTV’s Twitch channel.

The event recognizes standout performances and contributions across the Counter-Strike ecosystem, spanning professional players, teams, on-air talent, creators and events. Nominees range from established stars such as mezii, ZywOo and donk to prominent community figures including Freya Spiers and OhnePixel. Awards are divided into three categories: Panel Awards, decided by industry representatives; Community Awards, determined by fan voting; and HLTV Awards, selected internally by HLTV.

Among the night’s most anticipated announcements is Player of the Year, which will be revealed live after HLTV completes its annual countdown of the top 20 players of the season. Team of the Year and Rookie of the Year will also be announced during the ceremony.

Hall of Fame honors and new industry conference

In addition to competitive accolades, the 2026 ceremony will see three Counter-Strike veterans inducted into the HLTV Hall of Fame: Raphael “cogu” Camargo, Yegor “markeloff” Markelov and Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer. Each inductee will be formally recognized on stage and receive permanent honors through HLTV, including dedicated profiles, editorial features and in-game Hall of Fame challenges.

This year also marks the debut of the HLTV Awards Conference, presented by GRID, which will take place on Jan. 9. The one-day conference is designed as an industry-focused event, bringing together representatives from tournament organizers, teams and publishers to discuss topics such as tournament production, the Counter-Strike economy and audience growth. Speakers are expected from organizations including BLAST, ESL FACEIT Group, FaZe and 100 Thieves.

The awards ceremony itself is expected to draw a wide range of attendees, from professional players and coaches to broadcast talent and content creators. With live presentations, Hall of Fame inductions and major end-of-year honors, the HLTV Awards continue to position themselves as one of the marquee events on the Counter-Strike calendar.