VTuber Awards, the first-ever ceremony dedicated exclusively to virtual creators, has emerged as the winner of the 28th annual Webby Awards. The event, produced by WePlay Studios, a part of the TECHIIA holding, was chosen by fans worldwide as the best in the category of "AI, Metaverse, and Virtual Events — Entertainment, Sports, and Music."
The Webby Awards, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, is the leading international award recognizing the best online projects. Described as the "highest honor on the internet" by The New York Times, the Webby Awards presents two awards in each category – the Webby Award and the Webby People’s Voice Award. Members of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences select nominees in each category and the winners of the Webby Award. The Webby People’s Voice Award is chosen by the community.
This year, the VTuber Awards 2023 ceremony won the Webby People’s Voice Award. VTuber Awards is the first award aimed at celebrating the culture and community of VTubing worldwide. The organizers of the ceremony were the popular independent VTuber, Filian, in collaboration with the leading agency in the field, Mythic Talent. The award showcases the world's most original virtual creators and celebrates their victories in a friendly atmosphere of cooperation and mutual respect.
"We brought this ambitious project to life over six intense months. The dedicated work, passion, and talent we poured into it have yielded excellent results. This award is a testament to our unwavering dedication to our cause and adherence to exceptionally high standards. A significant portion of our fantastic team is based in Ukraine, and this recognition gives us hope and strength to move forward. It proves our ability to work at the highest level and earn recognition in our field, which is a confirmation of our skills on the world stage and inspires us to hope for the best and act decisively," shares Maksym Bilonogov, General Producer and Chief Visionary Officer of WePlay Studios.
The award took place at the end of 2023. It was produced by the gaming content production company WePlay Studios, which is part of the TECHIIA holding. WePlay Studios was involved in developing the event format and its technical implementation, including creating brand identity, computer graphics, augmented reality elements for broadcasting, implementing content plans, and creating additional content about nominees, the history of VTubing as a whole, and its community. During the five-hour broadcast of the VTuber Awards, it attracted 68,951 viewers at its peak and accumulated 278,881 hours of viewing.
