North American gaming community the*gameHERs has announced the return of the*gameHERs Awards to celebrate women in gaming.
Nominations are now open and voting runs from September 5th through 25th. The awards ceremony will be streamed live this November on the organisation’s official Twitch channel.
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The 2021 gameHERs Awards is supported by gaming and tech giants in the industry including Logitech, PrizePicks, V1SIONARIES and iFOLIO. PrizePicks will be sponsoring the individual award for Esports Top Team of the Year whilst V1SIONARIES will be sponsoring the Esports Top Player of the Year.
Nominees will be honoured in three categories: Esports, Charity, and Marketing.
Heather Ouida, Co-Founder of the*gameHERs said: “We are thrilled to launch year two of our award series to celebrate the incredible accomplishments of all women across gaming. This year, we are collaborating with influential women and forward-thinking sponsors to continue driving interest and create an inclusive community for gamers alike.
“As our platform continues to grow, our goal is to amplify the voices of women by providing a safe space to be themselves. We are working to educate and connect women through our impactful events such as the awards and much more.”
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Adam Boothe, Director of Strategic Initiatives for PrizePicks commented: “As an active member of the esports industry, PrizePicks is proud to support the*gameHERs Awards. The*gameHERs Awards is a pinnacle event of the gaming community recognizing world-class professional excellence. We are honored to be presenting the award for Esports Team of the Year, and are very excited to see all the nominees put forth from the community.”
The inaugural gameHERs Awards launched in November 2020. According to a release, the event garnered over 600 nominations, 70,000 votes nationwide, and over 10.6 million views on the live stream.
Annie Scott Riley, Vice President of marketing and creative at Version1 added: “We’re thrilled to introduce the first-ever Version1 V1SIONARIES Top Player Award as part of The*gameHers Awards Series. Women gamers often don’t get the recognition that men do, and recognition translates directly into money.
“It’s tournament invitations, sponsorships, organization deals — all of it. Fewer women gamers are able to make a living gaming, and that means fewer role models for the next generation and less female representation in the industry overall. Spotlighting women gamers and content creators is key to building an industry that welcomes and celebrates gamers of all genders. We’re grateful for the opportunity to provide this recognition.”
Jean-Marie Richardson, Founder of iFOLIO said: “Great digital experiences move missions forward. iFOLIO is honored to support the gameHERS at the Second Annual gameHERS Awards with digital engagement and storytelling. We’re excited to build a community between women in gaming and women in tech to promote innovative inclusivity.”
Esports Insider says: The esports industry doesn’t offer many awards for its members, so the*gameHERs initiative gives people a rare chance to be recognised. The awards can also be a great way to introduce other women to role models in the industry and inspire new career paths. We look forward to seeing who the 2021 nominees will be!