HLTV Event of the Year 2025: Community Voting, Nominees, Dates, and Top Contenders
HLTV Event of the Year 2025: Community Voting, Nominees, Dates, and Top Contenders
HLTV has officially launched community voting for “Event of the Year 2025”, one of the most anticipated categories of the HLTV Awards 2025. The award is entirely decided by HLTV users, making it a true reflection of community sentiment across Counter-Strike’s biggest tournaments of the year.
Voting is already live and will determine which CS2 event defined the 2025 competitive season.
How HLTV Event of the Year 2025 voting works
HLTV confirmed that voting will be held in two stages:
Round 1: December 16 (21:00 CET) – December 23 (23:59 CET)
→ Community vote reduces 10 nominees to 3 finalists
Final Round: December 24 (12:00 CET) – December 31 (23:59 CET)
→ Community selects the winner
Important voting rules
Only HLTV accounts created before December 9, 2025 are eligible to vote
Results will be revealed live at the HLTV Awards 2025 ceremony in Belgrade on January 10
Official HLTV Event of the Year 2025 nominees
The nominees were listed by HLTV in chronological order:
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IEM Katowice 2025
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PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025
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PGL Astana 2025
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BLAST.tv Austin Major
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IEM Cologne 2025
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FISSURE Playground 2
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BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 2
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StarLadder Budapest Major
Each event played a significant role in shaping the 2025 CS2 season, from Majors and historic arenas to breakthrough tournament wins.
Event of the Year 2025: ranking the top contenders
While the final decision belongs to the community, several tournaments clearly stand out based on prestige, competitive impact, and player narratives.
StarLadder Budapest Major — legacy-defining Major
As the final Major of the year, StarLadder Budapest Major carried maximum pressure, title implications, and long-term legacy stakes. Players openly spoke about the mental weight of winning at this level.
donk:
“Being a winner is a curse… You are not a winner until you win again and again.”
Majors traditionally dominate HLTV award voting, and Budapest fits that pattern.
BLAST.tv Austin Major — era-defining dominance
The Austin Major delivered arena atmosphere and elite-level Counter-Strike. Vitality’s success there reinforced narratives of dominance and consistency.
apEX:
“Winning seven trophies out of eight, winning the Major again… I’m really happy about that.”
IEM Cologne 2025 — emotion, prestige, and career moments
Often called the “Cathedral of Counter-Strike,” IEM Cologne once again proved why it rivals Majors in importance.
donk:
“It’s such an amazing feeling. I feel relief right now, very strong relief.”
IEM Katowice 2025 — the trophy everyone wants
Katowice remains one of the most prestigious non-Major trophies in CS. Top players continue to rank it among the most meaningful wins of their careers.
ZywOo:
“I still want to win even more… more Katowices, more Colognes, more Majors.”
FISSURE Playground 2 — breakout event of the year
FISSURE Playground 2 stood out as a turning point event, marking a first major international success for a rising roster.
molodoy:
“When I joined the team, I knew we would reach a high level… and we won our first event.”
BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 2 — unforgettable final
The Hong Kong LAN delivered one of the year’s most competitive grand finals.
FalleN:
“We faced an opposition who made us give everything… it was one of the hardest finals.”
PGL Astana 2025 — MVP-driven storyline
Astana was defined by individual brilliance, with HLTV MVP discussions highlighting standout performances that powered a title run.
PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 — strong early-season benchmark
As one of the first major LANs of the year, Cluj-Napoca set the competitive tone for 2025 and earned its place among the nominees.
HLTV Awards 2025: community impact
The Event of the Year category is part of HLTV’s broader Community Awards, which also include:
Talent of the Year
Creator of the Year
Streamer of the Year
Skin of the Year
Unlike panel-decided awards, these categories allow fans to directly influence the final results.
When will the winner be announced?
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Final voting ends: December 31, 2025
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Winner announced: January 10, 2026
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Location: HLTV Awards 2025, Belgrade
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