Who Will Win 'YouTuber of the Year' at the 2020 Shorty Awards?
While we still have a few months until the awards ceremony, The Shorty Awards committee announced its 2020 nominees Tuesday so fans can start voting.
The 12th annual Shorty Awards are set to air May 3 and will be shot in New York. The influencer award categories are broken up by Arts and Entertainment, Content of the Year, Creative and Media, Team Internet, and Teach and Innovation.
However, one subsection in Team Internet steals the focus every year: the award for "YouTuber of the Year." So, who will take home the coveted prize in 2020? Let's break down what we know about the nominees.
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First things first, who was nominated?
The influencers in the running for the Shorty Awards "Youtuber of the Year" 2020 are Andy Mation, Contrapoints, Eugenia Cooney, Jarvis Johnson, Jeffree Star, Kayla Nicole, Mr. Beast, Nikkie Tutorials, Psych IRL, Roxxsaurus, Vereena Sayed and Wengie.
Last year, creator Shane Dawson took home the award for 2019 "Youtuber of the Year." David Dobrik, Emma Chamberlain, James Charles, Michelle Khare and Zane Hijazi were also named as top finalists.
One Youtube fan, on the Shorty Awards Instagram announcement, expressed that they wish this year's nominees looked more like last year's line-up.
"You don't have David Dobrik up for anything. I'm offended and will not be watching this year," the fan wrote, adding a peace sign emoji.
With fans voting, Mr. Beast has a strong shot at winning due to his subscriber count.
When it comes to this year's awards ceremony, Mr. Beast is the most likely front-runner. After all, voting is open to the fans and Mr. Beast has the most.
Mr. Beast, born Jimmy Donaldson, has 28.9 million subscribers. His content focuses on extreme challenges and spending crazy amounts of cash.
Jeffree Star has the next highest subscriber count on the list coming in at 17.3 million subscribers, followed by Wengie at 14 million subscribers and Nikkie Tutorials at 13.1 million subscribers.
Jeffree Star and Nikkie Tutorials are considered beauty gurus on Youtube, while Wengie specializes in life hacks and DIY crafts.
Beauty gurus Jeffree Star and Nikkie Tutorials offer fierce competition.
Among the top runners, Jeffree Star and Nikkie Tutorials' close emotional bonds with fans may boost their votes.
Jeffree Star had a big year in 2019, with super highs and super lows. On the good side, his makeup company released Shane Dawson's "Conspiracy" palette, which raked in more than $35 million. However, in January he revealed he also split from his boyfriend of five years, Nate around New Years. Jeffree's ability to share these intimate moments with fans may push him into the number one spot.
Likewise, Nikkie Tutorials recently dropped a bombshell, coming out as trans after a hater threatened to expose her truth. Many fans saw this as an act of bravery and Nikkie is also a popular contender for this year's top spot.
Who else will likely become a finalist?
Each year, the "Youtuber of the Year" comes down to six finalists. With Mr. Beast, Jeffree Star, Nikkie Tutorials and Wengie likely making up this year's top four. Who will the other two finalist spots likely go to?
Lifestyle Youtuber Eugenia Cooney will likely make the top ranking. While her subscriber count at 2.4 million is not as high as Roxxsaurus who brings in 4.02 million subscribers or Kayla Nicole who has 3.47 million subscribers, Eugenia holds a special place in many fans' hearts.
In 2019, Eugenia Cooney finally admitted to suffering from an eating disorder and sought out help, a feat fans were hoping she'd accomplish for years. Her comeback was highly celebrated and it may just push her into one of the top spots this awards season.
While the fight for the sixth finalist spot is harder to predict, we can't help but hope animator Andy Mation's 3 million subscribers step up to help him enter the ranks. The animator creates flipbooks using stop-motion techniques on his channel.
