The eSports Award goes into its fourth round. Since 2004, the annual ceremony has garnered more and more attention from community, players and press. With this new edition in 2007, the eSports Award adapts more to its role as the leading award achievable in eSports. A new, innovative award system will drive the anticipation to the big award ceremony in August, with the creme de la creme of the eSports scene in attendance.

Justifying the increased importance of the event and the award, the call to clarify the nomination and award procedures has been heard. The most obvious change concerns the way, players are nominated. While until 2006, players were awarded for their year-round performance, in 2007 players will be decorated with the eSports Award for showing exceptional accomplishments in single tournaments: Truely dominating an event, standing out as Most Valuable Player of a top-notch international tournament, that is what will get you an award nomination in 2007.

So watch out closely for the hot spring and summer tournaments to come. The game is not over yet. Quite a few players already recommended themselves with splendid performances in the winter season, but who says no contenders can still emerge?

The innovations will not stop with these changes. There will be a reorganized jury, lending the voting process more transparency. Community websites will be stronger involved in this new system. And last but not least, there are new categories, shedding light on performances in eSports sectors that do not get the attention they deserve, yet. These is what's new:

Best FPS Duel Player:

The Duel players scene is among the oldest of the eSports community. With the increase in tournament-ready Duel Shooters in the last year leading to an eSports Award category, we now pay tribute to this eclectic group of players, that brings us so much joy with their breath-takingly flawless movement, speeding through maps like the wind while giving their opponents more than just a hard time.

Best eSports Coverage:

In 2007, this category is merged with the eSports Award for Best eSports Coverage (German), resulting in 10 nominations to be given out.

Scene Journalist Award:

As important as the coverage websites are the people behind them. Without outstanding young journalists, that drive their respective scene sites, the quick development of eSports from small to large scale would have been nigh impossible. With the Scene Journalist Award, we honour those, who put all their energy and enthusiasm into informing people, often without getting paid at all. Every scene journalist can apply with an article of his choice, further details can be found in the rules. An English translation of any submitted article is required, since the final winner will be voted by the community.

eSports Game of the Year:

After three years of giving out the Best Publisher Award, the choice now fell to making the Award go out for a more specific achievement. By honouring the eSports Game of the Year, the eSports community gives back to those who are making us what we are. It also serves to demonstrate to publishers, that eSports is an important field of business for them and that developers should abide to the needs of the active online players. All games that were published in the year leading to the eSports Award Ceremony are eligible in this category. The winner will be determined by the community.

Lifetime Achievement Award:

While still a comparably young sport, eSports already has quite a history to look back at. To be bestowed with the honour of the Lifetime Achievement Award one needs to have shaped the fate of eSports over years, having a major influence on the coming-of-age of eSports and all its aspects. This Award is not guaranteed to be given out every year. There is no nomination list, the winner will be announced about a month prior to the eSports Award Ceremony.

Gone are the categories Best Publisher and Best eSports Coverage (German). Find the complete list of categories here.