Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr., a streamer with 62.3 million YouTube subscribers, won Streamer of the Year for the third consecutive year at the 2026 Streamer Awards in Los Angeles on November 12, according to the full winners list published by Complex.

iShowSpeed also won Best IRL Streamer and Best Streamed Series for the “World Cup Tour.” Three other creators left with three awards each. Kai Cenat won League of Their Own, Best Mainstream Collab with singer Tyla and Best Streamed Event for the second season of Streamer University. Katie B, who has 486,000 YouTube subscribers, won Best Breakout Streamer, Best Minecraft Streamer and Best Stream Duo, the last shared with Vanillamace. Vanillamace, at 2.2 million subscribers, added The Sapphire Award and Best Dressed. Jynxzi, at 7.1 million, won Gamer of the Year. Red Bull won Best Brand Partner for the second year running.

QTCinderella and Caroline Kwan hosted the ceremony, which aired live on Twitch and YouTube. The event’s partner page lists Fortnite, YouTube and Ch@mobile, the wireless brand that equipped this year’s Streamer University class.

Creators and Agencies Could Apply for the First Time

The sixth edition of the show was the first to accept applications. “Until now, your shot at a nomination rested entirely on your community putting your name forward,” founder and host QTCinderella wrote in an August 31 post on the Twitch blog. “Starting today, you can apply for yourself!”

Applicants picked their categories, attached a clip for each one and explained why they deserved a nomination. Agencies and talent managers could apply on behalf of a full roster after an approval step. The event’s FAQ states that applying is optional and guarantees neither a nomination nor a win.

Eligibility came with minimum hours. A streamer needed at least 200 hours live between November 8, 2025 and October 1, 2026. Game and genre categories required 100 hours of relevant content.

Fan nominations then filled each category, and an industry panel added one nominee per category. Winners were decided by a weighted mix of 70% viewer vote and 30% panel vote, according to the official site. The site does not name the panelists. A record 1.55 million people voted, the Streamer Awards account said on X, NDTV reported.

Format Changes Follow Criticism of the 2025 Show

The new process follows a difficult 2025 edition. That show peaked at 965,746 viewers across platforms, a record for the event, according to Streams Charts. It also drew complaints about on-stage jokes, production errors and an undisclosed judging panel. Two days later, QTCinderella promised an overhaul for 2026 during a livestream. “This show is just so much bigger than it used to be,” QTCinderella said. “I have to adjust for that.”

The categories were redrawn as well. In 2025, a single Best Streamed Collab award went to Cenat and LeBron James. This year the show split it in two. Maya Higa and Adapt won Best Streamer Collab, for work between streamers. Cenat and Tyla won the award for work with mainstream celebrities.

The question of who belongs in which category came up before the ceremony. Fellow nominee Joe Bartolozzi argued in October that iShowSpeed had outgrown the Streamer of the Year field. “Speed is really just, like, a celebrity now,” Bartolozzi said. Bartolozzi, who has 6.2 million YouTube subscribers, won President of Chat on Thursday.

The Streamer Awards does not plan to publish vote totals. “Only the final winner of each award will be announced,” the event’s FAQ states.

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