Announcing the Iconic Awards, 2021.

Iconic Paintball is proud to announce the Iconic Awards. These awards are built to recognize and honor the best professional paintball players in the world. Our nominees and winners are chosen by a panel of judges who are highly qualified and impartial.

Our goal with the Iconic Awards is to bring attention to all the players in the league and identify the best players in professional paintball at each position, as well as different innovators and critical members of the paintball industry.

We have teamed up with Hormesis Paintball to create an exclusive headband design that will be apart of the awards for each category. These headbands will be unique to our awards and exist as a reminder and memento to the accomplishment of the players that can be worn as a crown of honor and recognition. Winners will also receive a trophy. The Player of the Year will also receive a cash prize.

The Judges

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Matty Marshall: Matty is one of the most respected and admired members of the paintball community. His tireless efforts through paintball broadcasting, commentating, podcasts, and paintball storytelling has resulted in some of the best content in the paintball industry. Matty is a retired professional player, multi-time World Champion, and won dozens of events throughout his career. He watches every second of professional paintball that occurs each season, as he is the lead commentator for the GoSports NXL Webcast.

Rich Telford: Rich Telford is one of the greatest professional paintball players to ever play the sport of paintball. Now retired from the professional division, Rich played at the pro level for nearly two decades with legendary teams like XSV and the Ironmen. As a multi-time world champion, professional coach, and long-time member of the GoSports team, Rich provides a unique and impartial view on the landscape of the NXL.

Tom Cole: Tom has been at the forefront of competitive paintball for more than 30 years. He started his career as a professional paintball player with Bad Company where he was an outspoken and influential player. After retiring from pro paintball, Tom went on to run the most successful professional paintball leagues in the World, including the National Xball League, where he is the current President of the League. Tom has a deep knowledge of the professional division and will offer critical insight for the panel of judges.


Quinn Nadu: Quinn is the owner of Iconic Paintball and a paintball writer. His close connection to the entire pro division of players, as well as time spent in the pits at events watching and writing has led to an intimate knowledge of the pro division and will help to provide a story focused insight on the awards.

The Categories

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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.