Nigeria’s two biggest nominees went home empty-handed in the Best International Streamer category. Indian content creator Ashswag won the award at the 2026 Streamer Awards, beating Nigerian streamers Peller and Carter Efe.
THE AWARD AND THE CEREMONY
The award is Best International Streamer at The Streamer Awards. It was presented at the ceremony in Los Angeles, United States, on Thursday, November 12. The show is an annual event for live streamers. QTCinderella, a Twitch streamer, founded it to celebrate other streamers, mainly in the Twitch community. The category is meant for creators outside North America’s English-speaking audience. It recognises the top streamer creating content for a global audience, specifically an international or non–North American English-speaking one. Winners are decided by a 70% public vote and a 30% panellist score.
HOW THE NIGERIAN STREAMERS FOUND THEMSELVES THERE
The organisers announced the nominees where Peller and Carter Efe were on a five-person shortlist with Indian streamer Ashswag, Polish creator Young Multi and Cuban streamer Staryuuki. The nominations were widely celebrated in Nigeria as a sign of how far the country’s streaming scene has come. That growth has been driven by TikTok Live, Twitch and YouTube
WHO IS CARTER EFE?
Carter Efe, whose real name is Oderhohwo Joseph Efe, is a Nigerian comedian, streamer and singer from Delta State. He first got attention by posting comedy skits on social media. . In 2022 he surprised fans with the single “Machala”, a tribute to Wizkid. The song climbed to the top of Apple Nigeria’s charts and reached Billboard’s Afrobeats top 10. He later moved into livestreaming and had his biggest moment in December 2025. A Twitch stream with Afrobeats star Davido became what many call the high point of his streaming career. Sources reported that the stream made him Africa’s most followed Twitch streamer. In July 2026 he was selected for the Streamer University Class of 2026, a creator development programme.
WHO IS PELLER?
Peller’s real name is Habeeb Hamzat. Fans on social media have called him the pioneer of streaming in Nigeria. He drew attention in January 2026 when he tried to approach American streamer IShowSpeed during a livestream, but IShowSpeed’s bodyguard stopped him. In July and August 2026 he married fellow content creator Amoudu Elizabeth Aminata, known as Jarvis, in court, traditional and white wedding ceremonies. In October, TikTok allegedly invited him to its UK office after he announced it on a livestream.
WHO IS ASHWAG?
Ashswag, whose real name is Ash, is a young content creator best known for Minecraft. Biography sites describe him as an Indian YouTuber, Minecraft creator and Twitch streamer, known for comedic gameplay, SMP adventures and commentary. Streaming trackers show he has real reach on Twitch. He has about 191,000 followers and averaged roughly 2,400 viewers over a recent 30-day period. He usually streams Just Chatting, QSMP and Minecraft.
PUBLIC OPINION
The whole country is still in awe on how two of its biggest stars in the streaming world couldn’t bring the award back to Nigeria. This has created a lot of conflict all over social media. Nigerians claim that Streamers Award 2026 just nominated the stars for African and Nigerian visiblity. Making it look like the contribution of both Caterefe and Peller to the strearmer’s community is not acknowledged.
IN CONCLUSION
The loss stings, but a nomination alone put Peller and Carter Efe on a global shortlist. Ashswag’s win also reflects how the category works. A large share of the result comes from public voting, where well-organised fanbases, especially Minecraft and Twitch communities, can carry a lot of weight.
