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TenZ VALORANT Community Awards 2025: All Finalists Announced

TenZ VALORANT Community Awards 2025: All Finalists Announced

Valorant

Thales Costa

27 Jan, 2026, 01:12

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Last updated: 27 Jan, 2026, 01:24

Tyson "TenZ" Ngo has officially unveiled the finalists for his VALORANT Community Awards, and the list features some of the biggest names from both the VCT and Game Changers circuits. Players and coaches from across the competitive scene voted to determine who'd earn a spot in the final running, and now it's down to the wire before the live ceremony hits on February 4th.

This isn't your typical esports awards show. The whole thing came together through a partnership between TenZ, Riot Games, and Red Bull, with the goal of celebrating talent chosen by the people who actually compete against them. That peer-to-peer voting system means these finalists earned their spots through respect from within the scene, not just fan popularity or stats alone.

TenZ VALORANT Community Awards: VCT Finalists

The VCT categories showcase the cream of the crop from the international circuit, with multiple players appearing across different categories. Here's who made it through:

Initiator

  • Austin "crashies" Roberts (Fnatic)
  • Trent "trent" Cairns (G2 Esports)
  • Brock "brawk" Somerhalder (NRG)

Sentinel

  • Logan "skuba" Jenkins (NRG)
  • Nathan "leaf" Orf (G2 Esports)
  • Emir Ali "Alfajer" Beder (Fnatic)

Controller

  • Jacob "valyn" Batio (G2 Esports)
  • Sam "s0m" Oh (NRG)
  • Myeong Gwan "MaKo" Kim (DRX)

Duelist

  • Erick "aspas" Santos (MIBR)
  • Adam "mada" Pampuch (NRG)
  • Kajetan "kaajak" Haremski (Fnatic)

Coach

  • Milan "Milan" de Meij (Fnatic)
  • Alexandre "alecks" Sallé (Paper Rex)
  • Malkolm "bonkar" Rench (NRG)

Rookie

  • Adam "mada" Pampuch (NRG)
  • Kajetan "kaajak" Haremski (Fnatic)
  • Brock "brawk" Somerhalder (NRG)

IGL (In-Game Leader)

  • Jake "Boaster" Howlett (Fnatic)
  • Ethan "Ethan" Arnold (NRG)
  • Jacob "valyn" Batio (G2 Esports)

Regional and Global MVPs

VCT Americas MVP

  • Ethan "Ethan" Arnold (NRG)
  • Adam "mada" Pampuch (NRG)
  • Erick "aspas" Santos (MIBR)

VCT China MVP

  • Zheng "zmjjkk" Yongkang (Edward Gaming)
  • Teng "happywei" Min-wei (XLG Esports)
  • Lin "SpiritZ1" Ting-yu (Dragon Ranger Gaming)

VCT EMEA MVP

  • Ayaz "nAts" Akhmetshin (Team Liquid)
  • Kajetan "kaajak" Haremski (Fnatic)
  • Emir Ali "Alfajer" Beder (Fnatic)

VCT Pacific MVP

VCT Global MVP

  • Kajetan "kaajak" Haremski (Fnatic)
  • Jason "f0rsakeN" Susanto (Paper Rex)
  • Erick "aspas" Santos (MIBR)

NRG's presence across Americas nominations reflects their championship-winning performance at VALORANT Champions Paris 2025, while Fnatic's multiple EMEA nods showcase their continued dominance in Europe. Paper Rex remains the powerhouse of Pacific with both something and f0rsakeN earning recognition for their explosive playstyles.

TenZ VALORANT Community Awards: Game Changers Finalists

The Game Changers categories bring equal spotlight to the women's competitive scene, with talent from teams like Team Liquid and MIBR dominating multiple nominations. These players put in the same grind and deserve the same recognition.

Initiator

  • Natalia "daiki" Vilela (Team Liquid)
  • Sarah "sarah" Simpson (Shopify Rebellion Gold)
  • Melissa "mel" Millena (MIBR)

Controller

  • Letícia "joojina" Paiva (Team Liquid)
  • Melanie "meL" Capone (Shopify Rebellion Gold)
  • Aleyna "vania" Keskin (G2 Gozen)

Sentinel

  • Nicole "noia" Tierce (Shopify Rebellion Gold)
  • Safia "safiaa" Leghzal (Karmine Corp)
  • Amy "amy" Lai (G2 Gozen)

Duelist

  • Nicolas "srN" Niederauer (MIBR)
  • Azra "alkyia" Erin (Karmine Corp)
  • Karnthida "dodonut" Chaisrakeo (Shopify Rebellion Gold)

Coach

  • Caio "napz" Sousa (Team Liquid)
  • Loic "effys" Sauvageau (Shopify Rebellion)
  • Drew "DrewSpark" Spark-Whitworth (G2 Gozen)

Rookie of The Year

  • Montserrat "mmonch" Gutierrez (KRU Blaze)
  • Esilene "akita" Xu (G2 Gozen)
  • Min-Ju "332" Park (Ninetails)

IGL (In-Game Leader)

  • Natalia "daiki" Vilela (Team Liquid)
  • Camila "Sayuri" Obam (MIBR)
  • Melanie "meL" Capone (Shopify Rebellion Gold)

Game Changers MVP

  • Paula "bstrdd" Naguil (MIBR)
  • Natalia "daiki" Vilela (Team Liquid)
  • Nicole "noia" Tierce (Shopify Rebellion Gold)

Team Liquid Brazil's dominance shows through with daiki earning nominations across three different categories, including Initiator, IGL, and the overall MVP award. The Brazilian squad claimed the Game Changers Championship 2025 title, confirming their status as the best in the world. Meanwhile, Shopify Rebellion Gold's multiple finalists across various roles demonstrate the depth of talent within their roster.

Don't Miss the Show!

The live awards ceremony goes down on February 4th at 9pm PST (February 5th at 6:00am CET), broadcasting from Los Angeles directly on TenZ's Twitch and YouTube channels. The event was originally slated for mid-December but got pushed back so more players, teams, and attendees could make it work. That delay actually turned out to be a blessing since it allowed more finalists to confirm their attendance and gave the production team extra time to polish the show.

Winners will be determined through the same voting system that created these finalist lists, with players and coaches ranking their choices. Fans tuning in will also get to vote on certain categories during the live show, adding another layer of community involvement to the whole thing. It's a refreshing approach that puts the decision-making power in the hands of people who actually understand what goes into competing at the highest level.

Don't forget to follow Strafe Esports for the latest news about your favorite esports, and check out our X account for the most recent content and coverage.

Also, stay tuned to the Strafe YouTube channel for exclusive interviews, press conferences, and much more.

Featured image credit: TenZ VALORANT Community Awards

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