HLTV presented an unforgettable night of celebration and recognition as James “⁠BanKs⁠” Banks, Justinas “jL” Lekavicius, and Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov were crowned winners at the annual HLTV Awards presented by 1XBET The coveted HLTV Player of the Year was awarded to Danil “donk” Kryshkovets who took home an astonishing four awards in his debut year of professional Counter-Strike Ana “ANa” Dumbravă claimed the Women’s Player of The Year award for the third consecutive time

HLTV is thrilled to unveil the winners of the HLTV Awards presented by 1XBET. The prestigious ceremony in Belgrade, Serbia, celebrated the biggest and best names in competitive Counter-Strike. Awards were given out across three different categories; HLTV Awards, Community Awards and Panel Awards with accolades such as Player of the Year, Creator of the Year, Women’s Team of the Year, and Team of the Year.

Natus Vincere emerged as a major winner of the evening taking home the Team of the Year award and claiming multiple honours in the Panel Awards. Justinas “jL” Lekavicius was named Closer of the Year, Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen earned the title of IGL of the Year, Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy won Anchor of the Year and Andrey “B1ad3” Gorodenskiy was crowned Coach of the Year.

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Danil “donk” Kryshkovets from Team Spirit also dominated the evening taking home a total of four awards including Opener of the Year, Highlight of the Year, Rookie of the Year and the coveted Player of the Year. The countdown for the Player of the Year launched on 25th December and saw HLTV countdown the best 20 players from 2024. It was also announced that Ilya “⁠m0NESY⁠” Osipov came in second and Mathieu “⁠ZywOo⁠” Herbaut came in third.

During the ceremony, GeT_RiGhT, HeatoN, f0rest and Potti were honoured with induction into the inaugural HLTV Hall of Fame. The award was created to recognise players and coaches whose exceptional contributions have shaped the history of competitive Counter-Strike. To commemorate their induction, each member was presented with a custom Rolex featuring a Hall of Fame inscription.

“That’s a wrap on the 2024 HLTV Awards. The night was a fantastic success and we are grateful to be able to shine a light on the individuals and organisations that make Counter-Strike special. Thank you to our partners including 1XBET for helping us bring this event to life. Now onto 2025!”- Zvonimir Burazin, Head of Operations, HLTV

The full list of HLTV Awards winners:

Community Award Winners

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• Talent of the Year – James “⁠BanKs⁠” Banks
• Event of the Year – Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024
• Creator of the Year – NadeKing
• Streamer of the Year – Mark “⁠ohnePixel⁠” Zimmermann
• Skin of the Year – AK-47 | Inheritance (Endrit)

Panel Award Winners:

• Opener of the Year – Danil “donk” Kryshkovets
• Closer of the Year – Justinas “jL” Lekavicius
• Anchor of the Year – Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy
• Awper of the Year – Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov
• IGL of the Year – Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen
• Coach of the Year – Andrey “B1ad3” Gorodenskiy
• Highlight of the Year – Danil “donk” Kryshkovets

HLTV Awards Winners

• Rookie of the Year – Danil “donk” Kryshkovets
• Women’s Team of the Year – Imperial
• Team of the Year – Natus Vincere
• Women’s Player of the Year – Ana “ANa” Dumbravă
• Player of the Year – Danil “donk” Kryshkovets

Stretch Network’s Winter Poker Weekend, taking place from January 24-26, 2025, is set to be an unforgettable poker event. This mini-poker series offers €100,000 in guaranteed prize pool, catering to players of all levels and preferences.

Highlights of the series include:

• MAIN EVENT: €50,000 guarantee with a €55 buy-in.
• MEGA CENTROLL: €5,000 guarantee for just €0.01 buy-in.
• VIP PARTY: €5,000 guarantee with a €150 buy-in.
• Mini Main Event: €5,000 guarantee, €10 buy-in.
• OMAHA MAIN: €5,000 guarantee, €55 buy-in.

Stretch Network invites media partners to spotlight this series, highlighting its potential to drive player engagement and retention. Their advanced online poker software ensures seamless integration, while Stretch Network’s established reputation as a trusted B2B poker provider underpins the series’ success and scalability.

Key event highlights, like the MAIN PARTY on January 25 and the OMAHA MAIN PARTY on January 26, promise engaging content for audiences worldwide. By featuring this series, media partners can connect with a vibrant community of poker players and showcase Stretch Network’s innovative approach to online poker.

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New year, new challenges for the Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports Team, determined to hit the track and defend its 2023/2024 F1 Sim Racing constructors’ title.

The reigning champions Bari Broumand and Nicolas Longuet will compete in the 2025 edition of the F1 Sim Racing Championship starting Tuesday, January 14, with three events, each featuring four races, broadcast live from Stockholm, Sweden.

The calendar

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• From the start, the Esports arena in the Swedish capital will be the stage for intense battles, starting with Event 1 (14-16 January), featuring the Australian, Chinese, Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.
• In the second event (11-13 February), the drivers will tackle the European circuits, Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps and Zandvoort, as well as the US GP in Austin.
• The final round will run from the 25th to the 27th March, when the Grands Prix of Mexico, Brazil, Qatar and Abu Dhabi will be crucial in deciding the 2025 champions.

Line-up:

• Obviously lead drivers, after the extraordinary teamwork that led to the 2023/2024 constructors’ championship victory, are: Bari Broumand and Nicolas Longuet, alongside race engineer Jonah Martens.
• They will be joined by: third driver John Evans, fresh from a promising showing in past F1 Sim Racing championships, along with race engineer Christian Blok, Ben Goldie on the management side, as well as Team Manager Tiziana Mecozzi.

All the latest news and updates can be found in real time on the FerrariEsports social channels.

“We are happy to be back competing in the F1 Sim Racing championship. It will be exciting for us and the drivers to defend the constructors’ title secured just a few months ago. Like last year, the championship format, featuring closely contested races, will require a lot of mental energy and consistency in results. The line-up has been changed slightly and I am confident that we can fight for both world titles to the very end.” said Tiziana Mecozzi Team Manager

‘I am very excited about the start of the F1 Sim Racing championship. For me it will be the sixth season on track, the second with the Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports Team. After last year, we know the format of the championship and we know it will be crucial to have continuity and work hard as a team. We are determined to do well and compete for the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.” Nicolas Longuet Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports Team Driver

“Representing the Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports Team once again, and as defending champions fills me with pride. There will be three events potentially full of twists and turns, and we will have to take advantage of every opportunity to score as many points as possible. The competition is fierce, but we want to fight on all fronts right to the end.” Bari Broumand Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports Team Driver