Award season is heating up in the streaming world.
The Esports Awards 2026 has officially revealed its nominees for Streamer of the Year, and the category is packed with some of the biggest creators across Twitch, YouTube, and Kick.
Twelve creators have made the final shortlist.
And there is one huge storyline dominating the conversation:
Can IShowSpeed make history with a third consecutive win?
Voting is already open, with fans able to cast their votes until November 10, 2026.
🏆 The 12 Streamer of the Year Nominees
The official 2026 shortlist features:
- Jynxzi
- Caedrel
- IShowSpeed
- TheBurntPeanut
- Kai Cenat
- Ohnepixel
- CaseOh
- Coringa
- JasonTheWeen
- StableRonaldo
- Cinna
- Snax Gaming
The lineup brings together creators from different corners of the streaming world rather than focusing on one platform.
That makes this year's race particularly difficult to predict.
⚡ IShowSpeed Is Chasing History
The biggest storyline is obviously IShowSpeed.
Speed has won the Esports Awards Streamer of the Year award in both 2024 and 2025.
Now he's back on the ballot looking for a third consecutive victory.
If he wins again, he would complete a remarkable three-year run at the top of one of streaming's biggest esports-focused awards.
And his supporters already have plenty of arguments.
🌍 Speed's 2026 Resume
Fans backing IShowSpeed have pointed toward his enormous variety of content throughout the year.
His supporters have highlighted:
- Africa and Caribbean tours
- His underwater stream
- WWE WrestleMania appearance
- World Cup-related content
- Major IRL broadcasts
- Massive live audiences
The argument is simple:
Speed isn't just streaming games. He's turning livestreaming into a global entertainment format.
That could give him an advantage with fans who value reach and real-world spectacle alongside traditional gaming content.
👑 Kai Cenat Is Right There
If Speed has a major challenger, Kai Cenat is an obvious name to watch.
Kai remains one of the biggest creators in the streaming industry, and his nomination has already generated plenty of discussion online.
One particularly interesting talking point is Kai's long break earlier in the year.
Some fans were surprised that he could remain among the nominees despite being away from streaming for an extended period.
Others saw the nomination as proof of just how strong his influence remains.
In other words:
Even when Kai isn't streaming, people are still talking about Kai.
That kind of cultural impact matters in a category like this.
🔥 CaseOh and Jynxzi Could Cause an Upset
Speed and Kai aren't the only serious contenders.
CaseOh and Jynxzi have developed enormous communities and remain two of the names frequently mentioned by fans discussing the race.
Jynxzi's presence is particularly interesting because he has become one of the most recognizable gaming-focused creators in the current streaming landscape.
CaseOh, meanwhile, has built an extremely loyal audience around his personality-driven gaming content.
Either could turn the race into an upset if their communities rally behind them.
Current fan discussion has already highlighted IShowSpeed, Jynxzi, and CaseOh among the names attracting significant support.
🎮 The Rest of the Field Is Stacked Too
It would be a mistake to treat this as a four-person race.
The other nominees bring their own audiences and specialties.
Caedrel
A major name in League of Legends and esports commentary, Caedrel represents a different style of streaming from the huge IRL creators.
Ohnepixel
Known for Counter-Strike-focused content, Ohnepixel has built a major audience around esports and gaming events.
TheBurntPeanut
Another prominent gaming creator with a growing community.
Cinna
A major creator whose presence extends beyond a single traditional gaming niche.
JasonTheWeen
A major personality within the newer generation of internet creators.
StableRonaldo
A long-established name in the creator and gaming ecosystem.
Coringa
One of Brazil's biggest creator personalities, bringing a major international audience into the competition.
Snax Gaming
Another creator representing the increasingly global nature of the streaming industry.
The international spread of the nominees is one of the most interesting aspects of this year's category.
🗳️ How Does the Voting Work?
Streamer of the Year is a community-voted Esports Awards category.
The Esports Awards' official FAQ states that Streamer of the Year is among the categories decided 100% by the community vote, rather than the standard combination of community and panel voting used for many other categories.
That makes the audience especially important.
It's not simply about who had the biggest year.
It's also about which creator can motivate their community to actually vote.
📅 When Does Voting End?
Fans can vote until:
November 10, 2026
That gives every nominee several months to campaign, create content, and rally their audiences.
And with such large communities behind many of these creators, the final result could come down to an enormous online voting battle.
🥊 IShowSpeed vs. Everyone
The easiest way to describe this year's race is:
Speed is defending the crown.
Everyone else is trying to take it.
A third consecutive victory would strengthen IShowSpeed's position as one of the defining streaming personalities of this era.
But Kai Cenat, Jynxzi, CaseOh, Caedrel, and the rest of the field have their own reasons to believe they can pull off the upset.
And because the category is decided entirely by the community, the biggest fanbase isn't automatically guaranteed to win.
The campaign matters.
👀 Who Has the Best Chance?
It's impossible to know the final result this early.
But the current conversation gives us a few obvious contenders.
🥇 IShowSpeed
Two-time defending champion with enormous global reach.
🥈 Kai Cenat
One of the biggest names in streaming, even after a lengthy break.
🥉 Jynxzi
A massive gaming-focused community and strong esports presence.
🔥 CaseOh
One of the most recognizable personalities among the newer generation of streamers.
But the awards aren't decided by predictions.
They're decided by votes.
🏆 Can IShowSpeed Three-Peat?
That's the question.
Speed already has two consecutive Esports Awards wins behind him.
Now he has eleven other creators standing between him and a third.
The 2026 shortlist contains a mixture of gaming specialists, international creators, variety streamers, and massive internet personalities.
That makes this year's race one of the most interesting Streamer of the Year battles yet.
Voting remains open until November 10.
So for now, the crown is still up for grabs.
Can Speed make it three?
Or will one of the other eleven nominees finally knock him off the throne?
