The Japan Esports Association (JESU), the country’s main esports governing body, has officially announced that it will hold the Japan Esports Awards 2026 on Saturday, February 13, 2027. The ceremony honours achievements and contributions to esports in Japan, and this year it will be produced with the cooperation of major Japanese television station TV Tokyo.
The partnership changes how the event is presented. Instead of being built around a live venue, the ceremony will become a streaming-based entertainment programme. In other words, unlike its previous iterations, the 2026 Japan Esports Awards will completely forgo a physical venue and shift to an exclusive broadcast format produced in partnership with TV Tokyo.
Fan voting is part of how winners are chosen across multiple categories. The “Esports Player” category honours players who have excelled in different game genres. The “Live Entertainment” category covers tournaments and casters that have held the attention of fans watching live. The “Esports Organiser” category recognises teams and game titles that had a major impact on the scene during the year. Individuals and organisations that have supported the industry’s development are also eligible for recognition.
The most prestigious honour is the “Annual Esports Player of the Year”, also called the “MVP” award. It is chosen from players who have delivered outstanding performances in each game genre. Winners in all categories will be announced at the ceremony.
The Japan Esports Awards 2026 isn’t the only major esports event recently announced by JESU. The association has also introduced an independent national esports competition called JAPAN GAMES ESPORTS (JGE), which is set to take place between January and March 2028, and the “National Prefectural eSports Championship 2026 Online – Road to the NEXT”, an online championship scheduled for December 12–13, 2026 featuring eFootball, Gran Turismo 7 and Puzzle & Dragons, along with a Puyo Puyo eSports exhibition match.
