Fourth annual Streamy Awards opens submissions

The Emmys are just around the corner, but YouTube fans have a different awards show on their minds: The fourth annual Streamys.

Designed to honor excellence in online video and those who create it, the Streamy Awards, scheduled for this fall in Los Angeles, opened submissions Wednesday.

This year, to ensure “the broadest participation by the YouTube and online video community,” the awards show put nominations in the hands of fans, who are responsible for picking one nominee in each category.

“YouTube’s mega-influencers are now becoming household names, and they owe their success to their highly-engaged audiences,” Streamys executive producer Joshua Cohen said in a news release. “Fans are a major component of the Streamys nominations process because they are part of online video’s DNA.”

As online content has evolved, so has the awards show — with new categories to reflect new content platforms.

The show now has categories devoted to Vine (comedian, creativity and viner of the year), categories that reflect YouTube trends (collaboration, public service, cover song, indie and first-person series) and a television category recognizing traditional TV shows that engage with audiences through original online video and social media.

“This year has proved that online is the place to be — for both creators and audiences alike — as original online programming continues to soar to new heights,” Streamys executive producer Drew Baldwin said in a news release. “The Streamy Awards are about relevance, excellence, and diversity, which is why our new categories reflect the current state of the industry and embrace the incredible enthusiasm and engagement of the online video community.”

Last year, YouTube star Jenna Marbles co-hosted with CNN’s Larry King. The two-hour show generated more than 7 million live and video-on-demand views. It also trended on Twitter throughout the entire live stream.

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