Press release -
COLLEGIATE GAMING ELITE DESCEND ON LAS VEGAS FOR INAUGURAL SCHOLARS AWARDS, FOUNDED BY THE ESPORTS AWARDS
- The inaugural Scholars brought together brands, organisations, and universities to highlight and reward outstanding contributions to collegiate gaming, with twelve winners celebrated today at Resorts World, Las Vegas.
- Leading gaming and technology brand MSI alongside the University of Oklahoma, Boise State University, and the National Esports Collegiate Conferences (NECC) have all been named winners.
LAS VEGAS, NV, (November 28th, 2023) – The Scholars, the world’s premier collegiate gaming symposium created by the team behind the Esports Awards, is excited to share its complete list of winners from its inaugural ceremony which took place at Resorts World, Las Vegas. A total of twelve awards were bestowed upon brands, organisations, universities, and individuals who have significantly contributed to the collegiate gaming industry.
Among the distinguished winners are Emiliano "Durtho" Flores from Boise State University, a rising talent in Rocket League, honoured as the Player of the Year. Boise State University itself was named Institution of the Year, while MSI claimed the Commercial Partner of the Year award. Daniel Clerke, the Director of Esports for Maryville University, received the Global Impact on Collegiate Gaming Award from Gen.G Esports for his transformative impact on the collegiate gaming scene throughout 2023.
Designed to empower students and professionals alike, the Scholars provides a platform for members of the collegiate gaming industry to foster new relationships with industry pioneers, gain professional-led insights into the competitive gaming industry, and celebrate excellence in the world of collegiate gaming.
With over 1,500 nominations, and 55,000 votes, the full list of the inaugural Scholars winners are:
- Club of the Year Award – Niner Esports at UNC Charlotte
- Player of the Year Award, presented by GamerTech – Emiliano “Durtho” Flores
- Conference of the Year Award – National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE)
- Program Director of the Year Award – Jesse Bodony
- Tournament Organiser of the Year Award – National Esports Collegiate Conferences (NECC)
- Team of the Year Award – Northwood University, VALORANT roster
- Commercial Partner of the Year Award – MSI
- Collegiate Student Leader of the Year Award – AJ Taylor, University of Illinois
- Institution of the Year Award – Boise State University
- LAN of the Year Award – Collegiate Esports Commissioner's Cup (CECC) Texas 2023
- Global Impact on Collegiate Gaming Award, presented by Gen.G Esports – Daniel Clerke, Director of Esports for Maryville University
- Good in Gaming Award, presented by Team Liquid – Jacquie Lamm, Co-Founder of Esports and Coffee
The winner of Collegiate Program of the Year will be revealed at the Esports Awards presented by Lexus on Thursday, November 30th.
Founded by the team behind the Esports Awards, the industry-acclaimed award ceremony watched by 20 million people each year, the Scholars, collegiate gaming awards, aims to document, recognise, and reward excellence and innovation in the collegiate gaming industry. In addition to this mission, the Scholars are committed to supporting the industry by creating tools and opportunities that foster growth, as well as facilitating meaningful networking and collaboration within the sector.
"This year, our goal was to establish a dedicated awards ceremony for the collegiate gaming industry. We believed it deserved a unique platform, and we were driven to amplify the voices within the industry," remarked Michael Ashford, CEO of the Esports Awards. "I am thrilled to announce that the Scholars was a remarkable success. It was a genuine pleasure and privilege to collaborate with such exceptionally talented individuals. Congratulations to all the outstanding individuals, universities, and organisations that emerged victorious tonight. We eagerly anticipate elevating the Scholars to new heights in 2024."
The inaugural Scholars are brought to you by GamerTech®, Gen.G Esports, and Team Liquid.
Categories
About The Scholars
The Scholars is the ultimate symposium at the forefront of collegiate gaming innovation. Founded by the team behind the Esports Awards, the Scholars is designed to empower students and professionals alike, providing a platform to delve into cutting-edge insights, connect with industry pioneers, and celebrate excellence in the world of collegiate gaming.
Website // Twitter // Facebook // Instagram // Twitch
About The Esports Awards
Founded in 2015, the Esports Awards is the most prestigious night in the esports calendar and the only global award show that aims to recognize esports excellence. The Esports Awards is dedicated to showcasing world-class performance and innovation from every corner of the industry throughout the year. It reaches its pinnacle at its end-of-year ceremony, considered the Oscars of esports. The ceremony celebrates everyone from the players, teams, media, hardware providers, games, events, and personalities that shape the esports industry. The 2021 Esports Awards saw a record-breaking 20 million viewers across the campaign, and 10 million votes counted. For 2022 the Esports Awards is moving to a new home at Resorts World Las Vegas.
Website // Twitter // Facebook // Instagram // Twitch
Media Contact and Assets
Swipe Right – Adam Jones: adam@swiperight.gg
Assets can be found here
About our partners
About GamerTech®
GamerTech® (GT) brings disruptive products and technology-based apparel solutions to market, focused explicitly on gamers and esports athletes to boost performance, enhance wellness, and amplify their overall experience. GT is a fully-owned subsidiary of MAS Holdings - the largest apparel tech manufacturer in South Asia, with over 100,000 employees across 17 countries and a turnover of USD 2 billion that has a strong focus on apparel-based innovations.
About Gen.G Esports
United under #TigerNation, Gen.G’s core mission is to help fans and athletes use the power of gaming and esports to get ahead in and beyond the competition. With an emphasis on education, DEI initiatives, and innovative partnerships, Gen.G is a commercial and thought leader, building a global, inclusive and cross-cultural future for gaming. Its unique portfolio of teams includes the Seoul Dynasty (Overwatch League), League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK), the Gen.G & Gen.G Black VALORANT teams, the PUBG Gen.G team, and the NBA2K’s Gen.G Tigers (the first non-NBA owned team in the NBA 2K League).
About Team Liquid
Team Liquid is an esports and gaming organization founded in 2000 in Utrecht, the Netherlands and led by its founder and Co-CEO Victor Goossens, and Co-CEO Steve Arhancet. The organization has over 120 athletes competing across multiple esports titles, including League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Dota 2, VALORANT, Rocket League, Rainbow Six Siege, Fortnite, and more. With over $47M in prize money won and 600M tournament hours watched throughout its history, Team Liquid is the most successful esports team in the Western market in terms of competitive achievement, esports viewership and fan engagement. Their international operations are housed in a facility network with a total combined floor space of 5,500 square meters called the Alienware Training Facilities, located in Utrecht, São Paulo, Brazil and Los Angeles, California.
In addition to its premier esports team franchises, Liquid Enterprises operates various business units created to complement its athletic brand. This includes influencer management agency Liquid Media, the world’s most popular esports wiki Liquipedia, a full service video production company known for its high-quality esports documentary-style filmmaking, and a creative agency focused on fashion, design, and apparel.
In September 2016, controlling interest in Team Liquid was purchased by esports ownership group, aXiomatic. aXiomatic leadership includes Co-Executive Chairmen Peter Guber, Ted Leonsis, Jeff Vinik and Bruce Karsh who together represent an unparalleled team of sports, technology, entertainment and investment industry titans. Other notable investors include NBA legends Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, Steve Case, and David M. Rubenstein.
