Filian hopes first VTuber Awards can truly “spotlight” all virtual creators

VTubing’s first major award show is coming in December, with the VTuber Awards 2023 hosted by Filian in partnership with Mythic being revealed over the weekend. The organizers hope the virtual medium’s ‘night of nights’ can cover the “wide scope of VTubers” out there ⁠— regardless of size or language.

VTuber recognition in the broader streaming space has been few and far between. Despite the medium’s meteoric rise in the last three years, virtual stars have oft-been a footnote of award shows like The Streamer Awards and The Streamys.

While there have been two semi-notable wins ⁠— Hyakumantenbara Salome’s big one at the YouTube Japan Awards, as well as Vexoria the Sun Eater’s nod at thegameHERs for Charity Streamer of the Year ⁠— VTubers are typically relegated to their own small section.

The tides are changing in 2023 though with the first major industry-wide award show, aptly named the VTuber Awards, led by Filian and newly-formed agency Mythic Talent.

Announced on May 30, the show was spruiked as being one “for all VTubers,” and that’s a dream Filian hopes to put into practice.

“The goal is to cover a wide scope of VTubers,” she told Dexerto. “There will be categories for small creators and large creators, like Rising Star versus VTuber of the Year-esque awards. 

“We’re also considering how best to organize the awards for English, Japanese, and other languages, as well as corporate versus independent. 

“Since it’s the first time we’re doing the awards, the goal is to make it a celebration of VTubers and how it all got started, talking about the history of VTubers including those who came before me because they paved the way and gave me the chance to do this.”

The award show has been in the works for “a few months now”, with Filian wanting to use her platform to give VTubers the recognition traditional award shows for streaming haven’t quite achieved.

“It’s a very diverse medium, a lot of VTubers create a ton of really cool content, and there’s a ton of different categories out there that us VTubers have cemented ourselves in,” she continued. “There’s a lot more to VTubers out there in terms of the different categories and niches, so I wanted to spotlight it.”

Filian’s show, while the first announced, isn’t without competition.

A number of other VTubers have also showcased their own plans for awards shows in Filian’s wake. Takahata101 revealed he was going to launch his own in August, while VShojo star Ironmouse was also toying with the idea.

An award show isn’t a unique concept by any stretch. However the increased interest in VTubing over the last few years has arguably hit critical mass, and there’s no time like now to highlight the work of the innovative virtual creators.

Filian and Mythic are promising a “large scale” event with all the bells and whistles. Red carpet interviews in the preshow, a laundry list of categories to celebrate, and even “partnering with other [agencies] to show off cool VTuber technology, debut teasers, and performances in general.”

Mythic have invested heavily in VTubers since their inception as a talent agency, sweeping up a number of top indie names in the English-speaking space. Filian herself joined the agency at the start of May.

“We knew Filian had big goals and ideas she wanted to achieve,” Mythic Talent CEO William Lucas told Dexerto. “Filian and Mythic share the same goal of shining a spotlight on VTubers and helping the VTuber sphere as a whole grow. 

“Award shows have always been popular and they recognize talented figures for their achievements and successes in interesting ways. They spark competition in a way as well which keeps the industry growing and innovative. 

“We want to help Filian and the wider VTuber community expand on the different aspects of VTubing and who is really leading the charge across all facets of the category.”

While this has raised some initial community concern about bias and conflict of interests in the awards, the organizers have promised “no bias at all”, as well as continuous improvement if this year’s show misses the mark.

“There’s a lot out there, so the goal is to bring as many VTubers together as possible,” Filian stated. “If we can’t include a group this time around, we hope the show will speak for itself next year.”

If the last few years were VTubing’s boom years with rapid growth, the locking in of major award shows like Filian’s VTuber Awards shows a consolidation of the space. It’s not just a fad, and there’s a lot of weight on the shoulders of the people trying to shine a spotlight on its special creators.

Details are still scarce in the lead-up to December’s big show, with both Filian and Lucas remaining tight-lipped for now. But there’s a shared sentiment between the two on their hopes for VTubing’s first ‘night of nights’.

“This will be a show the entire VTubing community can be proud of, and one no one will ever forget.”