We are excited to release the next 10 nominees in two categories for the Iconic Awards. These are some heavy hitter categories and contain some of the most feared defensive players and snake players in the games history!

The Defensive Player of the Year awards that player that is the top defensive player in the league. A great defensive player is one who is an elite break-shooter, can control and lock down zones on the field, and coordinate his team during the game. 

The Snake Player of the Year is awarded to the top snake attacker of the 2021 season. The snake is one of the most critical bunkers on the field and these players are true offensive threats for their teams. 

Click below to see the full story and nominees!

Three more category nominees have been announced and fifteen more names have been thrown into the ring for the 2021 Iconic Awards that honor the best players, teams, and industry members in paintball. 

The Dorito Player of the Year is awarded to the most effective and skilled dorito player of the 2021 season.

The Supporter of the Year is awarded to the person who tirelessly works to both help grow the sport, but also work at the events, provide support for teams and players, and generally those who dedicate their valuable time just for the love of the game.

The Team of the Year is awarded to the best professional paintball team of the 2021 season. 

Click the images below to see the full nominee list and read their stories!

Two more categories and ten more nominees have been announced for the 2021 Iconic Awards that honor the best paintball players, industry members, and products of the year.

The Insert Player of the Year Award is given to the athlete that plays one of the toughest roles on the field. An Insert player is a versatile and highly poised player that can both attack and defend while using their high paintball IQ to diagnose situations on the field rapidly. 

The Editor's Choice Product of the Year Award is a collection of the Iconic Paintball Editor's favorite new products of the season and is awarded to the product through a community based vote that will take place prior to the Winner announcement ceremonies! 

Click the flyers below to see all the nominees and leave us a comment on who you think should win!

The Coach of the Year is Awarded to the best coach of the 2021 season. When looking at nominees, we looked at both success throughout the season, as well as player development abilities, strategic approach, flexibility during events, and roster building ability. 

These coaches represent the elite of the professional paintball coaching world, and we are proud to announce them as this years nominees!

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Mike Hinman is an elite talent evaluator and player developer; he demands excellence of his players, he demands progression in their ability, and this has earned him a huge amount of respect and success throughout his career. Just one year ago when Mike reacquired the Aftermath team he helped create, the program was in shambles and one of the worst teams in the league. In just one season, Mike has rebuilt the entire roster with promising young players and launched the team from 19th place to an impressive 8th place overall in the league; this is nothing short of extraordinary. After selling his paint company APX, Mike plans to put a large focus on the program along with his assistant coach, Jerry Van Cleve, and should be on pace to break into the top of the league next year. ​

The Creator of the Year Award and the Innovator of the Year Award features 10 of the most innovative and creative people in the sport of paintball during the 2021 Season.

Featuring many of the games most critical designers and inventors, the Innovator of the Year Award looks to honor those who are constantly pushing new developments in the sport of paintball on and off the field.

The Creator of the Year Award features some of the sports best Photographers, Videographers, and Industry members that are critical to the growth and presentation of the sport of paintball. 

Click the flyers below to reveal the full nominee list and stories!

The first of over 80 professional paintball players and companies have been announced as nominees for the 2021 Iconic Awards. These awards will honor the best players and products of the 2021 competitive paintball season. Once the nominees are announced for all 16 categories, judging will take place and the winners will be featured.

Click the images below to see the nominees for Breakout Player of the Year and Breakout Team of the Year!

Icon of the Year- The award given to the best player in the entire professional paintball division throughout the 2021 NXL Season. Winner awarded cash prize, trophy, and custom Hormesis Headwrap unique to the Iconic Awards. 

Offensive Player of the Year- The offensive player of the year is awarded to the player that is the most effective attacker in the league. These players are normally responsible for taking ground for their team and getting the best angles on the opposing team to create chaos and score eliminations.

Defensive Player of the Year- The defensive player of the year is awarded to the player that is the most effective support player in the league. These players are responsible for protecting the front players, blocking off running lanes with paintballs, and strategically positioning their teammates on the field while communicating positions to them.

Snake Player of the Year- This award is given to the most effective snake player in the league. The snake bunker is one of the most critical forward attack positions on the modern paintball field. Typically the bunker that every team works to get players into in order to generate eliminations and get the best angles.

Dorito Player of the Year- This award is given to the most effective dorito player in the league. The dorito bunkers typically make up one side of the field. The doritos tend to be a strategically important position for teams to gain a controlling position over the field. They offer some of the most nuanced and strategic play in the game. 

Insert Player of the Year- This award is given to the best insert player in the league. The insert players tend to be some of the highest IQ players on the team and versatile. They are able to play anywhere and gain ground on the field quickly. They are often in the middle of the chaos and thrive off of it. 

Breakout Player of the Year- The Breakout Player of the Year is awarded to the player that has most rapidly improved over the last season. These are players that started the year under the radar and have risen to the upper echelon of the league as the season progressed.

Move of the Year- The Move of the Year is awarded to the player that executes the most impactful and exciting move of the season. These moves were made during critical moments of a tournament that may have ultimately changed the fate of the respective team.

Game of the Year- The Game of the Year award is a way to recognize the most exciting game of the season. These are games that were back and forth battles which enthralled viewers and fans throughout the match. The organizations involved in these games will be awarded the honor together.

Breakout Team of the Year- The Breakout Team of the Year is awarded to the team that shocked and marveled fans across the paintball world. These are teams who had low expectations coming into the season and were flying under the radar. These teams surpassed all expectations and cemented themselves among the elite of the paintball world.

Team of the Year- The Team of the Year is an award given to the best team of the entire season. This team encompasses a record of consistent excellence throughout the year. They were dominate all season long and consistently finished near the top of every event. This award is given to the owner of the team. 

Innovator of the Year- This award is given to recognize the most impactful and innovative industry rep or influencer in paintball. These individuals create groundbreaking products, are major sources of growing the sport of paintball, or generally influential to the game. 

Creator of the Year- The Creator of the Year is awarded to the most influential, creative, or critical media member in all of paintball. The winner can be a commentator, photographer, videographer, or paintball personality. 

Supporter of the Year- The Supporter of the Year award is given to the person who best personifies everything we love about the game of paintball. The sport is filled with die-hard fans, hard working pit crews, and so many others that make this game so special, we look to award and recognize that.