Just like in previous years, at the EarlyGame Awards 2024, we find ourselves wondering who the most impressive Esports players of the year are, all in favor of Laureus Sport for Good Germany.
The Esports scene has grown tremendously in recent years, and since we're a legit gaming and esports website, we want to honor the best German Esports players this year, too.
So, we've selected top players from various games and included them in our list of nominees.
Before we celebrate our candidates, we want to remind you that the awards are not just for our and your entertainment but primarily for a good cause. One good deed a day—so don't hesitate to donate to Laureus Sport for Good Germany.
Just like last year, our friends from Euronics are on board, making the awards happen along with our main partner Memory PC – a big thank you at this point. So, if you're looking for a new gaming PC or any kind of electronics, you'll definitely find it with our awesome partners.
We don't want to forget our friends from DFS (Deutsche Flugsicherung) either, who have joined us as partners this year. They are helping us make this year's awards bigger (and more enjoyable) than ever before!
And for those more interested in winning than shopping: In the donation campaign, you can not only do good and redeem yourself for your “misdeeds” (we know exactly what you've been up to), but also have the chance to win fantastic prizes.
For every donated 5 Euros, you'll get a ticket for the raffle. So, with 10 bucks, you're in the draw twice, and with 50 Euros, you're in ten times. And if you want to transfer money directly to me to increase your chances of winning, feel free to contact me (just kidding – everything here is, of course, above board. But if you still want to give me something, I won't say no).
We've Got Awesome Prizes For You Again This Year!
There's a bunch of cool stuff to win, but especially the main prize is worth a look! This year, thanks to our main partner Memory PC, we not only have one but three awesome gaming PCs up for grabs!
And even if you don't snag one of these beauties, it's definitely worth participating for other fantastic prizes, including lots of headsets, mice, keyboards, and more!
While we won't publicly announce the winner (that would be a privacy nightmare), if you're lucky, you might find a package containing a gaming PC worth nearly $3,000 at your doorstep! We will raffle the prizes in the weeks following the awards and will get in touch with the winners by March 8, 2024.
Now it's your turn! Vote for your Esports Player of the Year! Feel free to share the voting and encourage your friends to join in. Because, once again, the EarlyGame Awards are a community award, just like in previous years. Our jury has only pre-selected the top 10 candidates for you.
Find the relevant criteria for this selection below!
EarlyGame Awards In Favor Of Laureus Sport For Good 2024
The voting for the Esports Player of the Year 2024 is now open, and there can only be one winner.
By the way, for those who just want to vote and for whatever reason want to refrain from donating, you don't have to go empty-handed.
For those who votes, we also have a little extra surprise! DeskYou is providing some mousepads that we will raffle off among all the people who have voted! Who can resist a cool custom mousepad, right?
Esports Player Of The Year 2024 - Criteria
If you're interested in why we chose these 10 candidates, here's a short list with a description and, of course, the best pictures.
The order is kinda random, so don't think about it too much. We also have some rules for selecting the candidates, in case you're interested:
- Placement in tournaments in 2023
- Impact in the German esports scene
- Total prize money amount
- Diversity of game titles in the nominee list (preferably no duplicate games)
The EarlyGame Awards 2024: Live on YouTube on February 25, 2024!
If you want to watch the awards show to find out if your votes were enough to get your favorite streamer, esports player, etc., to the top and secure them that juicy trophy, you can tune in live on our YouTube channel on February 25, 2024, at 8:00 PM.
It's also a welcome react-content opportunity for the streamers, and we definitely won't copyright strikes your content (I promise)!
If you happen to miss the event, you can, of course, watch it later on our YouTube channel, but come on, you watch Twitch, so be there live! So until then, it's all about voting, voting, voting!
Esports Player Of The Year 2024 - The Nominees
JannisZ
Just like last year, JannisZ is once again nominated for the EarlyGame Awards in support of Laureus Sport for Good as Esports Player of the Year.
At the tender age of just 18, he's causing quite a stir and is currently the main Fortnite Esports Player for CGN Esports.
Even though he earned less last year, he still brought in solid earnings of $76K. At 18, that's quite an achievement! Holy moly.
tOfu
Erik "tOfu" Engel has had a really wild career. Initially a top laner for PENTA Sports, he switched from League of Legends to Counter-Strike and finally to Dota 2. I don't quite understand how one can prefer Dota 2 over LoL, but for tOfu, it has definitely paid off!
His in-game name makes up for it. Because here's a fun fact: His name stands for "The One Fluffy Unicorn." What a fitting name for such a cutie patootie!
Since 2023 was filled with Dota 2 tournaments, he earned $650K this year as a supporter for the Gaimin Gladiators. Damn, both versatile and a hefty sum in the wallet. That's what I call a worthy nominee.
Umut
It's really no surprise that Umut is back again, especially if you want to honor the Esports Player of the Year.
After winning the FIFA eWorld Cup 2022, he followed it up this year with a second victory with RBLZ. Twice in a row at the top. That's truly impressive.
With both wins combined, Umut has earned a stable $400K! So, it's no wonder he's under contract with Red Bull Leipzig.
Umut also has his pretty successful Twitch channel and is a content creator for KiNG. You're killing it, Umut!
Joker
Like JannisZ, Joker is one of the younger Esports players among the nominees. At just 18, he became a two-time Brawl Stars champion with his Esports team Reply Totem.
Considering that he only started as an Esports player two years ago, that's truly a strong performance.
With $56K in earnings, 2023 has been his best year so far, so the trend is rising. Guys, take it easy! You're 5 years younger than me and have achieved ten times more. That's giving me some complexes...
Slaizze
Maximilian "Slaizze" Benecke is an E-racing driver for MOUZ, and just like his cars in iRacing, he's an absolute machine.
As one of the few Germans, he's right up there and landed in the top 5 in major tournaments five times this year, including one first-place finish.
Overall, he earned an impressive $128K in 2023. I don't know about you, but I always seem to forget that E-racing even exists. So, it's really cool that there's someone in the mix this year!
Morten
The Clash Royale beast is back this year, too. I know that some of you still don't really consider Mobile Gaming as "real gaming." Well, tough luck! Because this guy reached 2nd place in a high-class tournament in 2022 and won a whopping $125,000!
And last year, he had another huge success, being in the top 8 three times and on the podium twice. So: Please show more respect for Mobile Gaming. Morten definitely contributes to making Germany a force to be reckoned with in the Clash Royale scene!
Fabienne XIII
Damn, we have a lot of returning nominees from last year. Well, some are just too awesome! And Fabienne XIII definitely falls into that category.
Along with Umut, she's the second FIFA Esports player nominated by us. Sorry, but FIFA is just a huge thing in Germany.
She is one of the most successful German Esports players, the only woman to qualify for men's tournaments, and the winner of the EarlyGame Awards last year. She simply belongs on the list!
JDC
"JDC," an abbreviation for his name Jon de Castro, is a rifler (support) for 00 Nation and an extremely successful Counter-Strike player.
He secured the first-place position with his team at the Pinnable Cup V and the European Pro League Season 11, earning a total prize money of $30K. After tOfu, he's the second supporter in our nominations. They must have it in them! So, please show more respect for this ungrateful role, lads and guys!
HeRoMaRinE
With HeRoMaRinE, we have a StarCraft II pro who was really active last year and clinched numerous tournament victories. He secured the first place a whopping six times. StarCraft II is definitely one of the pioneers in Esports, and HeRoMaRinE is proudly upholding the flag!
He participated in over 20 tournaments, earning a total of $26K. If StarCraft Esports players were paid better, he could be the top earner on this list.
BrokenBlade
League of Legends has one of the biggest Esports scenes, if not the biggest. It was clear that at least one German player should be part of it, right?
Well, it was close, but luckily we have BrokenBlade, who became the winner with G2 Esports in LEC Winter, Summer, and also in the LEC Season Finals 2023. He received a total prize money of $30K.
At Worlds, they couldn't showcase their full potential and performed worse than expected, but we firmly believe they have what it takes to grab that title, too!
What a successful year for him and his team. Congrats!
Voting is free, and if you want your favorite creator to take home the highly coveted trophy, just leave your vote quickly. Additionally, if you can spare it, consider making a small donation to Laureus Sport for Good. By doing so, you'll have a chance to win fantastic prizes, such as one of three amazing gaming PCs from Memory PC, with a total value of over €5000!