This year we will add a slate of new categories to the eSports Award. For the first time we will honor the best Call of Duty 4 player, the Consoles Player of the Year, the Consoles Team of the Year and the Best Halo 3 Player each with a specific award. Today we announce the nominees of these four new categories and the eSports Photo of the Year. The winners will be determined by the eSports Award Academy and will be announced on 11th of August.

Best Call of Duty 4 Player
The Call of Duty series gains more relevance with each passing year. From the fourth part on, this game has firmly established itself as part of the pro gaming canon. The future looks bright for this series of games. The eSports Award pays tribute to the rising stars of Call of Duty, by honoring the Best Call of Duty Player of the year.

The Nominees
Rob 'rob-wiz' Kennedy
Antonin 'OZWALD' Grenier
Nikolaj 'Mazarini' Lazarev
Robert 'smithz' Krivka
Daniel 'tidde' Asp

Consoles Player of the Year
For a few years already, eSports has not been confined to the PC any more. In a wide range of games, with a whole lot of tournaments, an individual pro gaming community has formed. Consoles fans celebrate the star players. With the emergence of professional leagues using console games as part of their games selection, it is natural that the eSports Award honors the achievement of the Consoles Player of the Year.

The Nominees
Rudolph 'The Tactical' Fischer (Dead or Alive 4)
Philippe 'Yggdrasil' Vaillant (PGR4)
Wouter 'Handewasser' van Someren (PGR4)
Tom 'OGRE2' Ryan (Halo 3)
Dave 'Walshy' Walsh (Halo 3)

Consoles Team of the Year
As a lot of consoles tournaments are team-based, it is natural to also award the best effort in teamplay. The Consoles Team of the Year award goes out to the one squad that has excelled throughout the year in performance, skill and elegance.

The Nominees
Final Boss (Halo 3)
Carbon (Halo 3)
Infinity (Gears of War)
Warriors of Hell (Call of Duty 4)
New Era (Rainbow Six Vegas)

Best Halo 3 Player
While it is widely accepted that there are extraordinary achievements within PC FPS shooters, the merits of the best of the best within the consoles world have so far been overlooked. The Halo series has shaped star players known throughout the world and is represented on a large slate of eSports tournaments. The eSports Award now decorates the Best Halo Player of the past 12 months for his outstanding performance.

The Nominees
Dan 'OGRE1' Ryan
Tom 'OGRE2' Ryan
Dave 'Walshy' Walsh
Benjamin 'Karma' Jackson
Scott 'Gandhi' Lussier

eSports Photo of the Year
When we think of eSports there are these images in our heads. It is a great achievement to perfectly capture a moment and make it stick in the audience's mind. Our best eSports photographers shape the way that we look at eSports. In the category eSports photo of the Year, the eSports Award honors these pictures and their authors.

The Nominees


Photographer: Daniel Jensen Title: Referee Scandal Date: 10/06/2007 Camera: Canon EOS 400D Website: readmore.de Description*: Besides of emotions and victory there can be other sides in eSports like they are in any other sports aswell: At the World Cyber Games 2007 in Seattle there was a match conflict between the Norwegian team MeetYourMakers and the Korean eSTRO. After some time of discussion you could see a Korean guy with a sponsor badge joining the conversation between a Korean admin and the Korean players. In the end the referees decided in favor of eSTRO and gave one map to the team. MeetYourMakers couldn't overcome this decision and lost the last map clearly. Before the ruling they already won the match. (by Daniel Jensen of www.readmore.de)