Priya Venkatesh has been following the money in esports since before brand deals were considered legitimate marketing. She got pulled into the scene through competitive fighting games and eventually found herself more interested in the contracts and partnerships behind the tournaments than the matches themselves. These days she focuses on how brands navigate esports sponsorships, where the smart money is going, and which deals are actually built to last versus the ones that look good in a press release. She covers the business side of competitive gaming with a healthy dose of skepticism. Priya is the type to ask why a valuation looks the way it does or what a naming rights deal actually means for a roster's day-to-day reality. She is not here to hype cycles or celebrate announcements just because a big name is attached to them. Outside of writing, Priya still plays Street Fighter competitively at a local level and spends way too much time in spreadsheets tracking team revenue trends for fun. She believes esports is a real industry with real problems that deserve serious coverage, and she tries to bring that energy to everything she publishes.
Thunderpick will be the presenting and official iGaming partner of the 2026 Esports Awards , with the event branded the Esports Awards Presented by Thunderpick under a 12-month deal.
The agreement covers the ceremony, three awards and programming throughout the year. Thunderpick will present Esports Play of the Month, Esports Play of the Year and Streamer of the Year, and will support content and original storytelling, including the Esports Play of the Month series and Origins Podcast.
The main ceremony is scheduled for November 17 in Miami. No financial terms were disclosed. The arrangement gives Thunderpick a role across both the awards night and the event’s year-round content, rather than limiting its involvement to the ceremony.
The Esports Awards also named Hotspawn presenting partner for the Esports Awards Invitational, Lifetime Achievement Mixer and PWR UP B2B Conference. Those partnerships give the wider programme distinct presenting partners across its ceremony, content and additional events.
The awards have run for more than 10 years and recognise contributors across the esports industry, including players, teams, companies and brands. The programme spans competitive achievements and work behind the scenes, giving the ceremony a broader industry remit than player and team honours alone.
Nine categories are currently open to fan voting, including Esports Game of the Year, Esports Mobile Game of the Year, Streamer of the Year and Esports Personality of the Year. The event’s scope has also included new recognition initiatives, such as the Esports Awards’ mobile awards .
Individual honours remain part of the programme, with categories recognising players among the awards open to votes. The best esports player category reflects the event’s focus on recognising talent across the competitive scene.
The voting window closes one week before the ceremony, with the double-count period forming the final stage of the public ballot. The announced partnership and content programme run across the stated 12-month window; the announcement did not provide projected audience, viewership or sponsorship-performance figures.