This story was originally published on Passionfruit.
On Mar. 11, hundreds of thousands of fans tuned in to watch the most important awards show of the year. In a packed Los Angeles auditorium, celebrities wearing the most lavish designers and dressed in their finest regalia were handed out accolades for their work and accomplishments. You’d never think that this pageantry and rhinestone drip would be for honoring live streamers on YouTube and Twitch.
Move over the Oscars, the Streamer Awards is where the content got interesting.
Musical guests ran into technical difficulties, a cross-promotion with KFC had award recipients yelling to “double down,” and the Streamer of the Year award went to Kai Cenat—who couldn’t attend so accepted as a cardboard cutout. Streamer and creator of the awards Blaire “QTCinderalla” held the over two-hour show together, alongside her co-host Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter.
“I think it’s so important, especially in this industry where everyone is so isolated, to have something that brings everyone together and recognizes people that I don’t think are recognized,” Blaire told Passionfruit in the week leading up to the event. “You could argue that their platforms, their audience, their success is what recognizes them, but it’s so much different having a coworker tell you that you did a good job.”
