HLTV Awards 2025: Creator of the Year Community Voting Explained

HLTV has officially launched community voting for the “Creator of the Year” award as part of the HLTV Awards 2025, giving Counter-Strike fans a direct role in deciding which content creator defined the year.

The Creator of the Year award is one of five Community Awards at the HLTV Awards, meaning the final result is decided entirely by user votes, rather than by a professional panel.

The winner will be announced live at the HLTV Awards ceremony in Belgrade on January 10.

How HLTV Creator of the Year Voting Works

HLTV uses a two-stage voting system for all Community Awards categories:

Voting Schedule

Round 1: December 16 – December 23
→ Reduces the nominee list from 10 creators to 3 finalists

Final Round: December 24 – December 31
→ Determines the final winner

Only HLTV users registered before the nominees were revealed are eligible to participate in the vote. This restriction is designed to prevent vote manipulation and ensure results reflect established community engagement.

Creator of the Year 2025 – Full Nominee List

HLTV selected 10 nominees for Creator of the Year 2025 based on viewership, engagement, and average watch time, in collaboration with analytics partner Stream Hatchet. Only creators whose primary focus is Counter-Strike content were considered.

Nominees (Alphabetical Order)

3kliksphilip

Anomaly

bysTaXx

Cachorro1337

dima_aimbots

Murzofix

NadeKing

shoke

Sparkles

Virre CS2

The list reflects a broad mix of educational creators, entertainment-focused personalities, and regionally dominant figures, highlighting the diversity of the modern Counter-Strike content scene.

Community Awards at HLTV Awards 2025

Creator of the Year is part of a larger Community Awards lineup, all decided exclusively by fan votes. The full set of community-voted categories includes:

Creator of the Year

Streamer of the Year

Talent of the Year

Event of the Year

Skin of the Year

These awards run alongside HLTV’s panel-voted categories, such as Player of the Year and Team of the Year, which are determined by industry experts and journalists.

Why Creator of the Year Matters

In recent years, the Creator of the Year award has become one of the most competitive and influential HLTV categories, reflecting how content creators shape the Counter-Strike ecosystem beyond professional play.

Educational breakdowns, entertainment-driven videos, skin-focused content, and community storytelling all play a role in expanding the game’s audience—especially during the transition from CS:GO to Counter-Strike 2.

The community-driven nature of the award ensures that viewer loyalty and engagement, rather than competitive results, determine the final outcome.

When Will the Winner Be Announced?

Finalists revealed: December 24

Winner announced: January 10 at the HLTV Awards ceremony in Belgrade

The live ceremony will conclude the 2025 HLTV Awards season, celebrating players, teams, talent, and creators who defined the year in Counter-Strike.

FAQ: HLTV Creator of the Year 2025

What is HLTV Creator of the Year?

It is a community-voted award recognizing the most impactful Counter-Strike content creator of the year.

Who decides the winner?

The winner is decided 100% by HLTV users through a two-round voting process.

How many nominees are there?

There are 10 nominees, reduced to 3 finalists after the first voting round.

Can anyone vote?

Only HLTV users who registered before the nominees were announced are eligible to vote.

Where is the HLTV Awards ceremony held?

The HLTV Awards 2025 ceremony takes place in Belgrade, Serbia.