Streamer Awards nominations spark backlash over all-male shortlist

Blaire "QTCinderella," who created the Streamer Awards, revealed the nominees for the 2026 edition during a Twitch livestream on October 16, announcing contenders across 37 categories, according to Sportskeeda. QTCinderella has hosted the ceremonies herself, most recently alongside Maya Higa. She opened applications in August and let creators put their own names forward, a break from the usual submission process. The Streamer Awards nominations turned contentious within hours, because the night's biggest prize, Streamer of the Year, named five men and no women. The shortlist is Darren "IShowSpeed," Joe Bartolozzi, Case "CaseOh," Rani "Stable Ronaldo," and Nicholas "Jynxzi."

Sportskeeda reports that the reveal came at the three-hour mark of the broadcast, and the response was immediate. One viewer asked how the flagship category could end up without a single woman on it. Another argued that Jenn McAllister and Vanilla Mace deserved spots. A third questioned why Cinna missed the cut while Stable Ronaldo made it. The Streamer Awards nominations drew hundreds of replies on X within hours, and the absence of women dominated the conversation. Sportskeeda calls it the show's flagship title, which explains why its shortlist draws the most scrutiny.

Not everyone is angry. One viewer called the lineup accurate and genuinely difficult to predict. Another praised the panel for leaving Kai Cenat off the ballot, calling it a bold move. Jynxzi drew vocal support from a fan who pointed to a near-two-year run of daily streams, while CaseOh picked up backing of his own. One joking reply noted that the field stretches from a performer at one of the world's biggest sporting events to a creator who still has not beaten the ender dragon. Defenders of the Streamer Awards nominations say the five men simply had the strongest years.

The Sapphire Award complicates the debate

The criticism looks different against the full ballot. The show's Sapphire Award honors women and marginalized-gender streamers, and this year's contenders are Cinna, Vanilla Mace, Yonna, Maya Higa, and Christinaandamber, per Sportskeeda. Women appear across the other categories too. Best VTuber pits Ironmouse, Koseki Bijou, Crelly, and Gigi Murin against TheBurntPeanut. Jenn McAllister is up for Best Variety Streamer, and ExtraEmily is nominated for Best IRL Streamer. The full Streamer Awards nominations list runs from Best Music Streamer to Stream Game of the Year. The complaint is narrow but pointed: the flagship category, the one that defines the night, has no women in it.

This is not the first nomination fight the show has survived. Last year TheBurntPeanut won Best VTuber, a result that split the VTuber community because he does not present as a virtual streamer, according to Sportskeeda. Ironmouse, one of the scene's biggest virtual stars, publicly defended the result. TheBurntPeanut is nominated again this year, against the same core group of virtual creators. The win stood, and the show moved on, but the episode showed how quickly a shortlist can become the story. The controversy eventually cooled, yet it set the tone for how closely fans now read every shortlist.

What happens next

The Streamer Awards are the first show built specifically to honor livestreaming, celebrating the creators who reshaped how audiences watch entertainment over the past year, according to StreamsCharts. Voting on the Streamer Awards nominations opened the same day as the announcement, with the fan vote counting for 70 percent of each result and an industry panel deciding the remaining 30 percent. The ceremony takes place November 12 in Los Angeles, with the red carpet at 2:30 PM PT and the main show at 5:30 PM PT, streaming live on Twitch and YouTube.

Speed enters as the two-time defending winner after taking the 2025 title, when the ceremony drew more than a million peak viewers, a record for the show. Stable Ronaldo and Jynxzi both drew six-figure concurrent audiences to their own awards-night streams last year. Whether the online criticism moves any votes is now the open question. The shortlist is set, the ballot is open, and the debate has moved from the announcement stream to the vote itself. The winners will be named live on stage in Los Angeles. StreamsCharts has the full category breakdown and ceremony details.